If your lifestyle demands the use of a small SUV, but you don’t want to give up on the dream of a sporty car just yet, then the Audi RS Q3 might be the car for you. It’s a very fast yet eminently practical machine that can take your family to school and the shops, while also being able to deliver acceleration to rival proper sports cars.
Very fast acceleration.
Lots of space inside and a big boot.
Choice of 2 body styles.
If you opt for the regular RS Q3, you’ll get all the practicality of the normal car. That means plenty of room in the back, even for those more than 6-foot tall, although that lessens slightly in models with a sunroof.
The Sportback model also has compromised rear space, but it’s still pretty good – unless you’re regularly ferrying tall people, you shouldn’t have too many issues. You can slide back the rear seats to give extra legroom or slide them forward to increase boot space, which is pretty decent at some 530 litres.
You can also fold the seats down in a 40/20/40 split for extra space, giving you up to 1525 litres in the regular car or 1400 litres in the Sportback. As for general storage, there are big door pockets, 2 cupholders between the front seats and a generous space under the centre armrest.
The RS Q3’s 5-cylinder, 400hp engine isn’t the most efficient thing in the world, but that’s the price you pay for performance. Officially, you’ll get up to 29.4mpg, but if you’re even halfway enthusiastic with the accelerator then that’ll drop quickly. Insurance will be pricey, too – the Audi sits in group 40 of 50. That said, some models of the aforementioned Porsche Macan are in higher groups.
The most obvious competitor for the RS Q3 is Porsche’s Macan, which is also the best-driving SUV of its type. It’s also higher quality inside and will get slightly better fuel economy, although that depends which one you get – there are more engine choices than the RS Q3. The Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 is worth a look, too, as it has a very similar premium performance vibe to the Audi. If you like the idea of a performance SUV but have a smaller budget, you should really check out the Cupra Ateca and the Volkswagen T-Roc R.
The RS Q3 is the performance version of Audi’s Q3 SUV. It offers the practicality of the regular Q3 but adds plenty of pace and power.
The RS Q3 and RS Q3 Sportback are both made at Audi’s plant in Gyor, Hungary.
Production of the RS Q3 started at the end of 2019.
Audi doesn’t have the best reputation for reliability, but that’s true of most of its premium rivals, too. We don’t have specific data for the RS Q3, but the regular Q3 hasn’t fared too badly in independent customer satisfaction surveys.
Yes, all versions of the RS Q3 have Audi’s quattro 4-wheel-drive system.
Yes it does. If you want, you can enable launch control for maximum acceleration from standstill.
Our Price Promise ensures you’ll get the best deal, every time. Just check out our 5 star Trustpilot reviews. To add to that, there’s extra protection with all brand new cars and vans, as well as lots of flexible options for you when choosing your Audi RS Q3 lease deals.
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