Q3 Sportback is Audi's new Crossover Coupe
Crossover coupes are all the rage and Audi has now produced a coupe version of its smallest gravel travel platform. Meet the Q3 Sportback.
Q3 crosses over into coupe territory
Over the last few years, crossover coupes have become very popular. Having some ground clearance with a sloping roofline is now considered the most adventurous vehicle configuration for on-trend buyers. As a fashion brand within the automotive realm, Audi has now added a new crossover coupe derivative, evolving its Q3 platform into something with a slightly more striking appearance.
Sufficiently comfy in the back
A crossover coupe might look great, but rear passengers often have to sacrifice headroom and outside visibility. Cognisant of these issues, Audi's engineers applied a considered approach to the Q3 Sportback. Its rear seats have been designed in such a manner as to allow the maximum amount of headroom and comfort for passengers, despite the vehicle's sloping roofline structure.
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Taper that roof into the tailgate
This rear 3/4 view of the Q3 Sportback shows how Audi has sculpted is roofline to achieve the coupe proportions. In reality, the Q3 Sportback is only 1.1-inches lower than a conventional Q3, but due to it being 0.6 inches longer, and with some styling tricks around the fenders and bumper lines, it creates the illusion of being a substantially longer and lower vehicle. And that is exactly the point of a coupe.
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Can take a lot of gear in the rear
The roofline might taper down to where it meets the tailgate, but that does not mean Audi's Q3 Sportback is a compromised load carrier. This compact crossover can accommodate 18.7 cu ft of gear in the back, and with the rear seats folded flat, that utility capacity increases to 49.4 cu ft.
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A typically brilliant Audi interior
Like any contemporary Audi, the Q3 Sportback features a fantastically intuitive and ergonomic interior. Digital screens relay vehicle and infotainment information, while your Smartphone's screen can be mirrored in functionality on the central screen. Materials are outstanding, build quality peerless, and the general design aesthetic, typically avant-garde.
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A turbopetrol four
Powering the Q3 Sportback are a choice of two types of four-cylinder engines. The one above is Audi's 226-hp option, which is a 2-liter turbocharged gasoline engine. Paired with Audi's seven-speed dual-clutch transmission and all-wheel-drive Quattro system, acceleration should be brisk, delivering great all-round driveability.
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Two oil-burners
The other engine options are two turbodiesels, both featuring the same 2-liter engine architecture, but boasting different outputs. The most potent of these two turbodiesels, makes 187 hp, with a milder 147 hp also available. Audi is offering a stick-shift option for both these diesels.
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A very tidy coupe nip-and-tuck
A completely reshaped rear bumper and those redirected styling creases around the wheel arches work excellently with the evolution of Q3 to its coupe-like Sportback configuration. The overall proportions are so neatly complementary that one could nearly imagine this Q3 originally having been designed with an eventual coupe-roofline in mind.
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A vehicle with great presence
The sloping roofline profile is less noticeable when viewing the Q3 Sportback from its three-quarter front perspective. But here you have the opportunity to appreciate its single-frame grille, typical of Audi's SUVs, finished in black. And if you look at the lower bumper area, you'll notice trapezoidal air inlets, connected by horizontal blades. All told, this new Audi Q3 Sportback is one of the most convincing coupe crossovers yet.
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