Audi Q3 first drive review: This luxurious compact SUV won’t cost you a fortune

It’s luxurious, feature packed, and surprisingly well priced.

Audi’s catchphrase for their 2019 Q3 is “hold nothing back” and that catchphrase couldn’t be more perfect for it. This sophisticated SUV packs in a ton of luxurious design cues and features, making it difficult to believe that a fully-equipped model prices out at around just $44,000.

We took the Audi Q3 for a test drive around Nashville and were blown away with what a smooth ride the vehicle offers. The car is able to go from 0 to 60 in 7 seconds, and the company’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system comes standard on all of the Q3 models. Personally, even though I’m prone to motion sickness, I never once felt sick while riding in the Q3’s passenger seat. As a driver, the experience behind the wheel is equally as impressive – the car feels powerful and fun to drive while offering incredible handling.

When it comes to design, the exterior of the Q3 is striking, yet seamless.  It’s significantly larger than previous Q3 models and it’s now rocking true SUV sized proportions, with its bold fenders helping emphasize its new width. Specifically, it’s 1.5 inches taller, 3.8 inches longer and almost an inch wider than its predecessor. There are seven color options to choose from for the Q3, but we’re especially digging the dynamic pulse orange and turbo blue color choices that really make the car pop.

The Q3’s interior is equally as attractive as its exterior and it too looks and feels unbelievably luxurious for its price tag. To that effect, the touchscreen hides behind the black panel, creating a seamless effect with the rest of the cockpit. Its little touches like these that make the interior look and feel like a car that costs nearly double its price. The car comes standard with a large 10.25” digital instrument cluster that is accompanied by an 8.8” touchscreen. You can also opt for a 12.3” Audi virtual cockpit with a 10.1” touchscreen.

The interior’s ambient lighting can be customized with up to 30 color choices. You can also choose wooden interior finishes for that extra ritzy touch. And for a limited time, you can opt for the Sport Interior package featuring a special Alcantara Orange interior.

The vehicle is no slouch when it comes to comfort either. The interior seats are super comfortable and there is a total of 7 different reclining positions. The rear seats can both recline and fold, and this is standard on all models.

When it comes to technology, the Audi Q3 is packed with it. Audi’s MMI system is the company’s new infotainment system and it’s one of the best we’ve encountered because of how it’s very smartphone-like, making it extremely intuitive to use. In particular, we appreciated how easy to use its GPS navigation system is and that its GPS assistant has a super soothing voice. Support for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come standard. When it comes to audio, the car can be configured with a Bang & Olufsen Premium 3D Sound System that is capable of a total of 680 watts!

But we especially appreciate that Audi has future-proofed the car by including a dedicated USB-C port for charging, along with their neat Audi phone box which serves as both a wireless charger and a signal booster for your phone. There’s also plenty of safety technology options available, including lane departure warning, rear cross-traffic assist, park steering assist, and Audi’s pre sense front feature for pedestrian detection comes standard.

Bottom Line

The term “affordable luxury” might seem like an oxymoron, but that’s exactly how we’d describe the 2019 Audi Q3. To that effect, the 2019 Audi Q3 is a luxurious, feature-packed compact SUV with a game-changing price that will likely attract a whole new audience for Audi.

If you buy something from a GEEKSPIN link, we may earn a commission