In the article "The Origin and Development of Audi SUV", we reviewed the well-known quattro four-wheel drive technology. After 25 years of continuous evolution, quattro technology developed to an important node of the sixth generation, and the story of Audi Q series slowly unfolded. From the stunning appearance of the family flagship Q7 in 2005 to the continuous sales of the mainstay Q5 in 2008, Audi has achieved great success in the high-end SUV market of luxury brands. With the passage of time, the Audi SUV family has been growing, and in 2011, the third member was welcomed.
● (|)(2011 -2018)
As early as the 2007 Shanghai Auto Show, Audi released the concept car Cross Coupé quattro, a compact SUV designed by Julian Hoenig, and its production version became the third member of the Audi SUV family in the future. Audi Q3 came out in 2011. The car was built on the PQ35 platform of Volkswagen Group. The overall design continues the styling style of Audi Q series, but the body is more compact and sporty, with a length of 4385mm and a wheelbase of 2,603 mm. The interior design is younger than Q5, and the central control panel needs to be pressed and bounced by hand. In terms of power, Q3 provided two different tuned 2.0 TFSI gasoline engines and 2.0 TDI diesel engines in the early stage, matching 6-speed manual or 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Audi only comes standard with quattro full-time four-wheel drive system for some Q3 models, but different from Q5 and Q7 with Torsten differential, in Q3 with transverse engine, multiple clutches are responsible for distributing the power of front and rear axles.
In 2012, the imported Audi Q3 was listed in China with a price range of 377,000-479,000. In April 2013, FAW Audi launched the domestic version of Audi Q3, and the initial listing price range was 285,000 yuan-428,800 yuan. The functional configuration is optimized for the China market. For example, ESP and panoramic sunroof are standard in all departments, and the service life of speakers is increased from 50,000 times to 1 million times, because the research team found that drivers in China honked their horns much more frequently than drivers in Germany. In 2014, Q3 added a 1.4 TFSI engine with a maximum power of 150 HP. In 2015, the Audi Q3 was redesigned in the middle term, and the exterior and interior details of the new model were redesigned. At the same time, the power system was fully optimized, and the output power was significantly improved.
At the 2013 Geneva Motor Show, Audi brought the high-performance model RS Q3, which is more radical than the ordinary version, especially the large-area honeycomb grille with huge air intakes on both sides, making the front face look domineering. In terms of power, the RS Q3 is equipped with a 2.5T five-cylinder turbocharged engine with a maximum power of 310 HP. With the cooperation of 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, the official 0-100km/h acceleration time is 5.2 seconds, and the electronic speed limit is 250 km/h. In 2015, the RS Q3 was redesigned and upgraded, and the engine was re-adjusted. The maximum power was increased to 340 HP, and the 0-100km/h acceleration time of the new car was 4.8 seconds. At the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Audi RS Q3 performance was released, with a maximum power of 367 HP, an acceleration time of 4.4 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h and a top speed of 270 km/h.
● New Audi Q3(2018-present)
After Q7 and Q5 were successively replaced, in 2018, Audi launched a new generation Q3 based on MQB platform. Using Audi’s new generation SUV design language, the integrated octagonal air intake grille is wide and full of visual impact, and the headlights on both sides of the grille extend laterally to both sides of the car body in a wedge shape. The wide wheel arch shape and brand-new shoulder line derived from quattro racing gene outline the three-dimensional sense of the side and stretch the visual length of the whole vehicle. The waist line with low front and high back and the D-pillar leaning forward create an image ready to go. Compared with the previous generation, the body size has increased by 7mm and the wheelbase has increased by 77mm, which brings more comfortable front and rear driving space.
The interior instrument and center console of the new Audi Q3 are in a double-layer horizontal layout, and the embracing integrated design increases the visual width inside the car. Equipped with Audi virtual cockpit and MMI central control touch screen, the sense of technology is further upgraded. At the 2019 Shanghai Auto Show, the new Q3 made in China by FAW Audi went on the market, providing a double-faced version design for the first time in the compact SUV market, fully meeting the individual needs of users. The power system is equipped with 1.4 TFSI and two different tuned 2.0 TFSI engines, which match the 7-speed S tronic powershift. The 45TFSI quattro model is equipped with quattro four-wheel drive system, which can realize the flexible distribution of front and rear axle torque and feel more sports driving pleasure. The initial listing price range is 27.18-35.98 million.
Due to the adjustment of European regulatory strategy, Audi shortened the whole life cycle of the current generation Q3, and cancelled the mid-term change project in Europe. Considering the situation in China market, the domestic Audi Q3 launched a mid-term change in May 2023, becoming the first batch of models with brand-new 1.5T engine under FAW Audi, helping enterprises to achieve double points. At the same time, the car is also the pilot project of Audi brand’s domestic fully leather-like seats, laying the foundation for the subsequent models.
With the further subdivision of the luxury brand compact SUV market, BMW responded with X1, X2, Mercedes-Benz with GLA and GLB, while Audi only had Q3. Therefore, in 2019, Audi launched Q3 Sportback for the compact crossover coupe SUV, which has no rivals for the time being. Its body size is 4518×1843×1573mm, and its wheelbase is 2680 mm. It is perfectly balanced with the unique aesthetic hatchback shape and body muscle sense, and its more radical and ready-to-go backsliding style shows the personality charm of the coupe SUV.
In May, 2020, FAW Audi Q3 Sportback was listed in China, with three power options. The low-end 35 TFSI was equipped with a 1.4T engine. The 40 TFSI of the mid-car adopts a 2.0T low-power engine; The 45 TFSI is equipped with a 2.0T high-power engine. The transmission systems are all 7-speed dual-clutch gearboxes, and 45 TFSI also provides quattro four-wheel drive system. The initial listing price range is 287,300-361,800. In May 2023, Q3 Sportback launched a mid-term change, and the entry version used a new 1.5T engine.
The new high-performance successor product, RS Q3/RS Q3 Sportback, came out in 2019, completing self-improvement. In terms of power, the new RS Q3 family is equipped with an upgraded 2.5-liter turbocharged inline five-cylinder engine. Compared with the 2.5T engine of the previous generation, its weight is reduced by 26kg, the maximum power is 400 HP, and the peak torque is 480 Nm. The transmission system is matched with the 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox and quattro four-wheel drive system. The official 0-100km/h acceleration time is 4.5 seconds, and the electronic speed limit is 250km/h. The starting price of the new RS Q3 in Europe is 63,500 euros, and the starting price of the RS Q3 Sportback is 65,000 euros.
