Audi Q3 (2012-2019)

I have my own workshop and I specialize in Servicing ,Aircon and Tyres. Last week an audi Q3 TFSI 2 LT Turbo came in.The car was pretty much like new only having done 63000kms.The customer complained that the coolant light was on and goolant level low.Upon further examination ,the coolant was coming out of the water pump/thermostat Assembly.The car just being out of warranty i explained to my customer that the engine was mounted East/West and that it was hard to get to.The part quoted from.Audi Melbourne was 1400 +fitting, and to fit looks like a nightmare taking off the front end to reach the parts to be replaced.I advised my customer that perhaps he should speak to Audi and see if they would cover it as a sign of goodwill,the answer was no,even though he always had it serviced at Audi and that the leak started while indeed car was still under warranty(customer should have advised Audi then) but unfortunately he didnt inform them as there isnt a close Audi dealer to Bowral NSW.Ultimately you would think that a car such as a Q3 Quattro with the 2 lt TFSI engine would last a tad more then the 63000kms travelled.!!!This fault is extremelly common and highly chatted about on many internet pages.the parts aren't even upgraded and often have to be changed more then once...My customer is deeply upset by the whole saga and really did not expect for such a problems to rise at 63000kms!.

The car is very comfy i bought the car for my wife and she uses it daily basis with her business (Btw im 6 foot 6 and fit comfortably in it, have done road trips in it with my back not hurting). We used to own a toyota yaris and that thing was bullet proof it was good one fuel, we had to fill it up every now and then .But the audi is refinded to cater for fuel consumption we fill it up every 2 weeks. Everything is good on the vehicle but some points i must point out.

-low revs can feel sluggish on gear change
-the auto engine shut off should be a switch to turn it off, that can be annoying as hell start and stop, then when we need to take off it can jolt you feels awkward.
-stereo system needs a usb input for usb based music, we have to use an SD card cause i dont wan't to buy the audi cable to convert to usb.
-usb ports for charging phones required.
-fuel release button, no electric open or nice flap open. you gotta go out of the car and press it to open it.
-The original manufacturer brake pads kick up some crazy dust on the front wheels (after my first service they must of done something about it because i don't have it as bad anymore)

Other then that the car is premium and feels nice to drive did i mention I've got 1 kid and another coming and it will be able to handle it!

Just purchased 2018 Q3 2.0 TFSI quattro sport.
Disappointing drive experience (drives like a diesel van at low speeds and a small car being thrashed when you want to go faster) - and you have to put expensive premium fuel in it for this lacklustre performance.
I struggle with the antiquated MMI technology and its clumsy controls. Amazing that Audi doesn’t use touch-screen technology like its Japanese competitors. Perhaps a marketing strategy to direct purchasers to the higher end Q5 and Q7 models?
Voice activated SatNav disappointing (have to spell out words instead of saying them).
Confusing speedometer (speed graduation marks represent non-uniform speed increments and with numbers misaligned with the graduation marks it is illegible at a glance).
The Q3 is comfortable inside and stylish, but so many little things that I hadn’t initially appreciated have made it a disheartening purchase for me.

There is a reason why this car is so popular - stylish looks, excellent handling, good fuel efficiency and a premium Audi badge at a reasonable price. Improvements from the 2014 model are to the powertrain, suspension, and most notably the updated front grille and new bi-xenon headlights with daytime LED runlamps.
Would not hesitate to reccomend this car to anyone.

One of the very few SUVs on the market still available in manual transmission! Very smooth handling with great insulation meaning that you can barely hear road and traffic noises in the car. Does 720ks on a full tank and pay an average of $80 to fill it up every 3 weeks. If you’re looking for an suv for a bigger boot capacity this may not be the car for you as the boot space is average, however it will fit 2 large suitcases and 2 carry on luggage exactly (tried and tested!). Personally I love this car having gone from a Ford Fiesta hatchback and finding that the size suited me perfectly as I didn’t want anything too big and scary!

Yes it was expensive but it was worth every penny ALMOST! It has pretty much all the bells and whistles including a great sound system, sunroof, heated front seats, lane assist and beautiful Alcantara leather seats. For the 2018 model, the only thing I am not 100% happy with is the screen is a bit thick, the newer models have a more streamlined screen and for a 2018 model, it would have been very easy for Audi to upgrade it. Also, the side windows do not fold in and there is no front collision technology. While I got 3 out of the 4 package upgrades, these extra features get very expensive and compared to the new cars that are not considered luxury brands they come with more features for a lot less money. Something for Audi to consider in the future especially if it wants to keep customers! I will have to wait and see what the resell value is in a few years time when it is time to upgrade. I kind of worry that the lack of these features won't make the car very competitive when it is time to resell and upgrade.

After months of shopping around for a family car, we decided on the Audi Q3. Back when we purchased it in 2015, it was the smallest in the SUV family although it suited us just fine when we were a family of 3. However, now with a second car seat, the middle seat of the car is unusable - I can just manage to fit a handbag in there. That said, the car handles greatly, looks sleek and stylish and has a very comfortable interior. The customer service at Audi is second to none and it is for these reasons that we’ll be upgrading to a Q5 or Q7 in the near future. The only downside to buying is that the base models are very basic and quite expensive to add extra features, and the servicing costs are quite high.

We have owned this car for almost 4 years. To date we have had VERY little issues with this car. We do daily round trips of around 180km and we have found this car to be very economical with especially diesel petrol.

The car handles very well on all types of surfaces including wet and dry. The internal of the car is nice but certainly not in the same class as any luxury vehicles.

We bought this car on a bit of a whim after some solid haggling at Audi Centre Sydney. My wife traded her old ML500 for a new Q3, so a bit of a change. This car just does everything really well, its nippy comfortable and great visibility. My wife absolutely loves this car. The sound system is great, MMI and phone works really well and the sat nav is very intuitive. The only down side (only reason i took one star off) is that the kids whinge that its a bit squashy in the back seat with all 3 of them in there, but this is one baby seat and 2 kids aged 9 and 13, also there is a bit of turbo lag in the 1.4l engine sometimes from a standing start. She really comments on how good the rear camera is and beepers at that parking is just a breeze, which is helped by the auto parking mode. Fuel consumption is excellent as we only fill it up every 3-4 weeks compared to every week in the ML. Its not really a car for me but the good woman in my life absolutely loves this car and it ticks all the boxes.

I love the car, its very easy set up, and seating very comfortable, Great steering,petrol consumption is little higher than normal , but its AUDI!!!
style and exterior look is stylish- entertainment and navigation system is very good
large boot,and easy access via the car
cup holders and door storage very spacy

My opinion/review is based on performance mainly. I personally don't see a car as an entertainment centre although there are some things I do look for regarding music etc.
My biggest disappointment is the frequent erratic take offs. Sometimes, bordering on often, it's just way too slow to accelerate from the stationary - at times I find myself near screaming at the car "COME ON!!! MOVE!!!! ". I am in my late 50's so I am not looking for formula 1 capabilities, but sometimes i just need to enter traffic or overtake quickly but I've come to be mistrustful in doing this with this car. And too often, when it does 'move' it's a sporadic jolt foward like it's being catapulted into motion. I find that leaving either of the "auto-engine switch off" or the 'auto electromagnetic brake' features active also interferes with the performance, so most of the time, I leave these inactive. A waste of a feature considering what I paid for the car.

Also, on subsequent reading, it turns out that the gearbox is perhaps not the highest regarded one and doesn't match well with the turbo. This makes more sense now, when I experience what feels like a mismatch or poor feeling of automatic gear changes when driving around the city.

Some reviews speak of numb driving regarding the steering and the feel of the road. Quite frankly I had no idea what they were talking about, but I have since been enlightened. I don't quite know how to explain it, but compared to other cars, I simply can't feel the road like I did in other cars....I guess that's something one experiences when you drive the car. As an example, in other cars, even if you looked away from the road for a few moments, you could feel the veer, but not in this car. And that's a completely different thing from suspension, which i believe is a bit ordinary. It's reportedly good on the open road, but in my opinion, it is a bit ordinary in city driving where for a relatively new car, it's almost a little too rough at times again, considering what the car is worth.
I find the seats uncomfortable but that's me, and I experienced the same thing with my previous car (Subaru Forester) but I got used to that as I am confident I will here. (As an aside, I found the Forester a much more responsive and enjoyable car to drive - performance wise ).
As for the infotainment. All I need is a radio and the SD card and they work perfectly fine. I hardly use the hands free/bluetooth feature for the phone but when I have, that too works perfectly fine. I have no hangups with there not being any usb ports (I personally would like to see mobile phones scrambled out of cars but I think at least one usb port should be available as an option for the consumer). There are a number of 12V points in the car so the use of an adapter is a workaround for this.
The MMI screen in my opinon is small. My only gripe with that is when i use the Navigator. A larger screen would have been ideal for visibility. Also, when using the navigator without a destination, it would have been wonderful to have had names available for most of the visible streets - at the present , only some street names are presented and these are often placed ambiguously so that I can't make out which street is being named. Also, I would have loved to have had the central driver display more customisable. Some items are displayed which i have no use for while others can't be displayed together. For example, having the option of displaying the tripmeters, digital speed, time, and outside temperature all on the one screen but this can't be done.

As for cabin space, general comfort, back seat comfort, visibility, lighting, boot space etc I am happy with all these.
One other general gripe I have - I have come to believe that the blind spot assist package is a waste of money. The side rear view mirrors, especially on the driver's side, are nice and large with a hint of fish-eye. They provide very ample viewing of traffic on both sides, and nothing beats a direct eyeball visual. As it is well stated in the manual, the blind spot warning is not to be exclusively relied upon so it serves purely as just an assistance. I will always look over the shoulder before overtaking etc. and find that the warning signals, nice enough though they are, for me, serve only as a distraction - another piece of information presented amongst many others during driving. In my opinion, I am not flying a spacecraft at the speed of light where an electronic warning system like this becomes essential. It's handy, but for the price of the option........ But. that is me, and my partner seems to like it. And, it is an option, so it's up to the individual to decide to buy it. Personally I see it as a novelty.

On subsequent reading of numerous other reviews, the Q3 is also not well regarded for fuel economy, but I haven't reached my own conclusions about that yet.

Ultimately, the car is a product of German engineering so as far as safety is concerned, it is reputedly up there with the best. Same as for manufacturing where it has a strong reputation for reliability. That, and it falling within my price range, is why I bought it (and because my wife threateningly insisted on getting this car and would not consider any other, so for the sake of marital harmony........).

Personally, based on my driving experience with this 2017 Audio Q3 1.4 litre, I would not buy it had I known all this. The issues I have outlined are not major, but they become significant considering what I paid for this class of car. Some other cars I drove albeit only briefly were much more enjoyable to drive (performance wise) with almost all the same features, and at a significantly less cost. But then one has to factor in things like safety and reliablity etc. which will only become evident over time. It's a great looking car, but beauty is only skin deep, or in this case, metal deep.

Love this car! Great steering, awesome speed pick up! Quiet for a diesel. The interior is slick - Audi can always make things look great in a simple and not over the top way. Great on fuel - I get over 1,000km's a tank. The owners before us had children, and considering they were young - the leather has held up pretty well! I was worried if we would have enough cabin space when the seats where down, but compared to my car before (Jeep Patriot), it is very similar. We will definitely look at Audi again when we are ready to upgrade.

We have had our Q3 2.0 TDi Quattro for 3 months. The diesel is sooooo sluggish at take off its silly. Thought I would get used to it or learn how to handle that after coming from a 2lt FSi VW but not so far. It absolutely slugs around our uphill corner near home. The economics are good but not worth the trade off. I do wish these stop start motors would be off by default as IMO they are just plain dangerous. I really do not like it that you lose steering control when it cuts out. It also is not suited to this sluggish diesel! Next, the MMi in the Tecknik package. I really don't know how they got away with actually selling this. Its the most hopeless navigation system I have had. Speech recognition - what a laugh. Literally. We have cracked up in hysterics trying to get a destination so resort to the slow dial method it has. Easier to use our google maps on the phone. Not even touch screen to make it quicker to use. My old car 2009 model had a better system!
Pro's. It is extremely quiet. My husband loves how it hugs the road being a quattro (that is lost on me). Plenty of room for the size.

We have had our Q3 for a year now and it is a great car, it can sit 5 adults comfortably, we can turn down the seats for added boot space, but its still easy to park around town. Fuel wise (Diesel) for $65- we get up to 900Km of mileage out of it. Great all round car.

Checked Nissan, Hyundai, VW, Mazda before and after purchase, couldn't find a better SUV. I knocked out the competitors as being too big, too noisy, too bouncy and lacking interior refinement.
My 110 kW , AWD diesel is the right size for the city and comfy on the highway. A smooth, quiet ride, hatchback manoeuvrability and easy parking. The interior is great and uncomplicatedly German. You really need the one hour sales introduction to the MMI screen otherwise it's easy to forget the goodies it contains.
Rear screen parking view is triffic, Hands-free parking ,which also helps getting out a tight spot, is also helpful occasionally. Comfort Pack with power seating and tailgate is a necessary extra for mature backs.
Buying one is like a raffle however. The dealer goes through the computer to tell you what's on the ship, knocking out or adding extras as he goes. You need to be precise about colour and options ,so lots of showroom exploration is recommended. With your list of preferences you can haggle between dealers and save a lot. If they don't offer a discount try for a five year warranty or free servicing. With the new VW And newish BMW models Audi is prepared to fight for q3's continuing success.

I am very happy to drive around my sliver Audi q3, it's make me feel good about myself and the car is very quite with very little noise, the handling is very good I only have a bit problem for the signal cause most of janpanese car the signal is on the right hand side

Overpriced comfy plasticky with a pointless spare that you have to INFLATE to be able to use ???? Yes you have to inflate the spare to use. Audi needs to review there own choices either have a spare that you can use instantly or go run flat either way you not wasting peoples time to Inflate a damn tyre

By way of background, the Audi Q3 is the smallest SUV/crossover in the Audi range. It is based upon the existing VW Tiguan platform shared also with the SKODA Yeti and MK VI Golf as well as Audi A3.

This is a review of the 125kw TFSI Petrol model.

First impressions are a very well built, German engineered car. Although this Audi is built in Spain in the Martorell factory. Fit, finish are top notch. It differs from the Tiguan both in terms of finish, fit, styling and construction. Although the engine and DSG drivetrain are relatively identical, the Audi has greater use of aluminium and lighter weight components from the chassis up. The interior layout is similar, but more AUDI than VW ... as well as the Audi MMI being an Audi innovation not seen in the VW model.

From the front, it is a visually very appealing car especially when optioned with LED runtime lights and XENON headlights. The rear however is steeply raked, giving it more of a 'hatch' or coupe appearance.

Compared to the Tiguan, the drive is not dis-similar. I also own the VW Tiguan and can make direct comparisons. The steering on the Audi however is lighter, perhaps too light. Both at speed and parking making it almost feel detached. Die hard enthusiasts won't like it although it has grown on me and makes the car very easy to park.

The engine torque is relatively linear and zippy enough, reaching 100km/h in 8.2s. DSG transmission is smooth and seamless. It picks well in normal driving and rolling acceleration. The ride on 17" wheels relatively compliant and comfortable. No complaints about ride quality.

The interior is luscious. Fine nappa is an upgrade but is smooth, supple and electric adjustable seats don't have memory function but are fully adjustable if you have the comfort pack.

Some glaring options given the >$50k price range. No auto dimming mirror, no interior LED or convenience lighting over the vanity mirrors. Many options ... are OPTIONS! Including Sat-Nav, Audi Drive select, safety features like lane assist.

Standard are the radio, Bluetooth streaming and integrated handsfree with the MMI.

Front legroom and space is fine. Rear space is adequate unless the driver is 6 foot and has the seat all the way back. Boot is as you would expect in a small SUV. No surprises here. Adequate but obviously this is not a big car.

Is is a better drive than the CX5? The petrol version - Yes. The CX5 2.5L petrol is still relatively gutless without a turbocharger. The diesel CX5 however is a better drive, with superior driver engagement, feel and engine and also has all the 'option' perks included standard in the top of the range CX5 at the same price. The refinement, seats and interior are however superior in the Audi and you pay for the German privledge.

Overall, 4 out of 5 ... and compared to the other prestige SUV's like the BMX X1, Range Rover Evoque certainly near the top of the game.
Overall refinement in a single package
Expensive options, European price premium. Steering too light.

I love the interior design. However, after the first week I picked up my car, the steering become very heavy and resistant in certain condition. The car service department told me this is normal. The petrol consumption has doubled. Is this normal? But, I love the interior design and ergonomic seat.
I like the ergonomic seat
The heavy steering and rusty exhaust in brand new

Ride quality is good. Pick up on 1.4 litre engine is surprisingly good also. Hard to distinguish from 2 litre engine. Good drive around town. Interior is smart. Overall great to drive. At $45.5K with technic and style packs its a great deal, especially compared to X1 and Evoque. Haggle for a deal.
High driving position, compact size yet decent interior head/leg room, price compared to competition
Options can be expensive, steering light, boot size