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Meet the new Audi Q3.
It's smarter it's stronger but most importantly it's noticeably larger than before which is amazing because it's still a very small little SUV.
Now for 2019 it's grown by about 3.8 inches overall which for a lot of vehicles would mean almost stepping up to the next segment.
But because the previous generation was so Lilliputian to begin with its new 176 and a half inch length feels about just right for the subcompact crossover segment, let's hit the road.
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Now in addition to be longer, the new Q3 is also attended wider.
And a little bit taller.
And that extra exterior dimension adds up to more space on the inside for cargo and people.
With the seats folded flat, cargo capacity growing to about 23.7 cubic feet, almost a 50% gain over the previous generation.
Now I say between those numbers because, like the Lincoln Corsair that I drove recently, The Q3 second row is a slider able to move about six inches for and aft and giving drivers the choice between more leg room on the second row when they need it or more cargo capacity when they don't.
Sometimes you've got a baby seat back there.
Last time I checked babies don't need a whole lot of leg room.
Now when you Dealing with a vehicle this small every cubic inch of people's space that you gain is a valuable one.
So I'm glad to report that even the front row is a little bit more spacious in the Q3, but I'm even more impressed with the level of fit and finish that the dashboard has got.
For this generation.
What I'm looking at here looks a whole lot like something you'd see in a much larger vehicle from the A6 all the way up to the A8 with the same technology in the dashboard.
Including a 12.3 inch version of Audi's virtual cockpit able to do things like display satellite maps.
Show a conventional digital instrument cluster or this really Interesting dynamic gauge cluster that I've got going on right here.
It's really neat looking.
Now next to it.
We've got a 10.1 inch version of Audi's in my touch infotainment.
Now this is the same software that you'll find in And the flagship [UNKNOWN] vehicles with a couple of differences aside from the smaller screen, the biggest difference is that there is no second screen below it.
That's a little bit of a step down if you like flashy things, but it's a bit of a step up if like meet you like physical climate controls, and it just means that you'll have to do all of your inputs on the this main screen with the same software risk interface that I already like.
The second difference is a little bit difficult to illustrate and that is that the half tic response that you get on the dual screen system isn't here.
You still get a little audible click when you tap somewhere on the screen but you don't get that sort of feeling Feeling of pushing the display like an actual button and the tactile click you feel in your fingertip.
Now, as somebody who's spent a whole lot of time with that system, this is a little bit of a step down because I really like it.
But unless you're the kind of person that has a whole bunch of brand new Audis in your garage and you do back-to-back drives, I don't think most People are going to notice it, especially if you use a lot of Android Auto and Apple Car Play.
Those are both standard and haptics, don't work with those systems anyway, so you'll definitely not miss there
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Now there are a variety of engine and power train options available globally.
Even here in the states we only got one to pick from and that's the 45 TFSI like watch rogue, which made a two liter turbocharged four cylinder engine.
Same one that you'll find in the Volkswagen GTI with an eight-speed automatic transmission and Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive.
With about 228-horsepower and 258 lb.-ft.
of torque, this feels like a really good amount of power for a vehicle of this size and that engine is just a pitch.
It feels fantastic under most driving conditions even when expressing itself through an eight-speed automatic.
You're watching question is a smooth one.
And it's comfort setting and still feel very responsive and mostly stays out of your way.
But in its dynamic mode, it really comes alive with quick sharp shifts that maybe occasionally feel a little clunky and stop and go traffic but that's kind of the fun when you're in dynamic.
Dynamic mode.
Now I mentioned that the new Q 3 is a bit taller than last year.
But in the States we have an extra half an inch of ride height, bringing us to a total of an inch and a half taller than last year, because Because America, and that told her right height than the global model combined with the fact that we also have a static suspension as opposed to the active dampers that you'll get across the Z means that our model is tuned a little bit towards the comfort side of the performance envelope.
On the bright side, that means it does a really good job of soaking up bumps, but it can feel a little bit floating over undulations [UNKNOWN] on the road.
But never so much so that it feels unplanted or unstable.
and you do have a little bit of control over the steering field in the Q3 using the [UNKNOWN] system.
Now in the comfort mode, the steering feels really over boosted, very vague.
I'm not really a huge fan of this.
But when you put the car in the dynamic mode You actually get a really good balance of still light steering with the responsiveness and directness that I think that most drivers are looking for in this class.
So take my advice and just leave it in dynamic all the time.
Or maybe use the individual setting to mix and match the dynamic steering with the more comfort-oriented powertrain setting
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Overall, I am really loving this rebirth of the Audi Q3.
It's large enough to be competitive but still feels very compact and urban friendly.
Really small and fun to drive.
The performance feels good from this power train, but it's still comfortable enough to be used as a driver.
And you know how I feel about these technologies.
I think it's the best in the business.
And I think that when comparing this to something like maybe Mercedes Benz is GLA which I believe is now the runt of this class, or BMW X one or the Volvo XE 40.
I think I'm gonna go with the Audi Now, optioning your 2019 Audi Q3 is surprisingly straight forward for a German SUV.
Now, there's only one power train to look at, the 45 TFFI.
And it starts at around $36,000 when you include destination charges.
From there, it's just a matter of picking your options.
We've gone with the F line appearance package, as well as the prestige package.
It's going to roll in pretty much all of the tech bells and whistles for one price.
At the end of the day we're looking at an as tested price, pretty close to fully loaded, at forty-four thousand seven hundred and forty four bucks.
Not a bad price when you consider all of the contents you're getting.
