Skip advert
Advertisement

Audi Q3 2019 review – just another compact SUV, but one with potential - Design

The Audi Q3 is not a bad car, but it's lacking in key areas compared to strong rivals, while short of the quality you’d expect

Evo rating
  • Agile and spritely on-road dynamics, reasonably space efficient
  • Dull interior, lethargic powertrains, not special enough for its crowded segment

Design

The new Q3 is typical of Audi in 2019, with a combination of highly complex surfacing emphasising each of the four wheelarches through both creases and expanding volumes. The idea is to channel the Audi Quattro, and to a certain extent it’s successful, but is instead at the mercy of that complex design going too far on the lower sections, looking fussy and unresolved.

Advertisement - Article continues below

S line models go even further with larger, even more complex lower bumper designs, and body-coloured lower bumper and wheelarch trims that make even the largest wheel sizes look dowdy. Out of context, the Q3 actually looks more like a large hatchback than a chunky SUV, albeit one that will easily swallow 20-inch wheels. Once again, in the context of premium rivals, the Audi looks a little cheap and underwhelming and no longer competes on desirability – a key deliverable in the class.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Audi Quattro restomod uses RS4 underpinnings, with an optional 10,000rpm V8
Audacious IV Audi Quattro restomod front
News

Audi Quattro restomod uses RS4 underpinnings, with an optional 10,000rpm V8

A modern interpretation of the original Quattro swaps five-cylinder power for high-revving or supercharged V8 power
23 Jul 2026
New Lotus Emira 420 Sport review – taking aim at the Porsche Cayman GT4
Lotus Emira 420 Sport front
Reviews

New Lotus Emira 420 Sport review – taking aim at the Porsche Cayman GT4

Lotus’s sports car gets added focus and is all the better for it. As it needs to be with such a lofty target...
22 Jul 2026
New Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo review – Aston Martin DB12 rival gets more intense
Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo front
Reviews

New Maserati GranTurismo Trofeo review – Aston Martin DB12 rival gets more intense

Maserati’s four-seat grand tourer has been updated, with increased power, better software and interior tweaks
24 Jul 2026