absolutely! AUTO REVIEW | By Steve Kursar –
The 2020 Audi Q3 is a great alternative for car buyers seeking to get into a luxury compact crossover. With an all-new powertrain, standard quattro all-wheel drive, bold new exterior design and an improved interior with thoughtful functionality and many technology and connectivity enhancements, the Q3 is an attractive option.
Audi is the luxury arm of Volkswagen, which also owns Porsche. With all that engineering expertise under one umbrella, it’s not surprising that Audi vehicles handle so well on the road. They’re designed from the ground up to manage at the high speeds demanded from drivers who regularly use Germany’s Autobahn where cars normally cruise at speeds over one hundred miles per hour. We may not drive that fast in Texas, but Audi owners still benefit from all of the German engineering built into each car.
The base Q3 comes with a window sticker price of $34,700. There’s only one powertrain offered, a newly designed 228 hp, 2.0 liter engine mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. EPA rated fuel economy numbers are less than spectacular with the Q3 getting 19 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Those mediocre gas mileage numbers might be related to the added weight of the Q3’s quattro all-wheel drive which allows for active torque distribution to both axles.
The Audi quattro drive gives this compact crossover superb handling characteristics with an electronic system that can add additional traction across each axle through individual wheel braking application. There is also a drive select feature, which allows the driver to choose five different drive modes along with a sport mode that holds the transmission gears longer for more power. Like most Audi vehicles, the fun is in the driving.
Although the Q3 is a compact crossover, the front seats offer loads of legroom and headroom. The innovative interior design takes advantage of Audi’s all-new design architecture, which comes directly from the brand’s more expensive vehicles. The interior controls are angled toward the driver, creating a driver-centric cockpit. The central elements are a standard ten inch digital instrument cluster alongside a standard nine inch touch response display. These control the infotainment functions and seamlessly blend into the black panel stretching across the dashboard.
The new Audi Q3 may be marketed as an entry-level luxury crossover, but there’s so much more to this car that you’ll enjoy once you get behind the wheel.