Audi Q3 Sportback review

The Audi Q3 Sportback adds a bit of coupé styling to the regular Audi Q3 family SUV. The design changes are most noticeable at the back of the car, with a roofline that tapers more heavily towards the Q3 Sportback’s smaller rear window and an aggressive-looking rear bumper.

The Q3 Sportback is available with most of the petrol and diesel engines you can get with the Q3, and power outputs range from 148bhp to 242bhp. There's a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) option that combines a 1.4-litre petrol engine with a motor and a battery to allow you do up to 31 miles (officially) on electric power alone.

Audi also gives you the choice between front or four-wheel drive (quattro), as well as a six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic gearbox. If you're interested in tying that sleeker look with hardcore 395bhp performance, check out our Audi RS Q3 review.

You do have to pay a small premium to get into an entry-level Sportback compared with the standard Q3. The range starts with higher-spec Sport trim rather than Technik. 

As a coupé SUV, the Audi Q3 Sportback is aimed directly at other swoopy-looking and sporty SUVs, including the BMW X2 and Range Rover Evoque. So is it as fun to drive or smart inside as those rivals? Is it a practical family car, or just a pretty face?

The next few pages of this review will tell you, as we compare it with key rivals for performance, interior quality, running costs and more. We'll also tell you which engine and trim combination we recommend.

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We reckon the Audi Q3 Sportback's 1.5-litre 148bhp petrol engine (badged 35 TFSI) should be enough for most drivers.

Its mild-hybrid technology recuperates a small amount of energy as you brake, stores it in a small battery and deploys it through an electric motor to assist the petrol engine. It works well, improving acceleration and fuel economy, but the engine still feels strained when worked hard.

The 2.0-litre (45 TFSI) petrol gives you 242bhp for a hot-hatchback-like 0-62mph time of 5.8sec, delivering its best if you keep the engine spinning at 3000rpm or more. It's not cheap, though. The 45 TFSIe plug-in hybrid has an identical power output, but with a slower 7.3sec 0-62mph time.

If you plan to go for a diesel, the 35 TDI 2.0-litre can feel a little flat when overtaking on faster roads but offers a good compromise between pace and efficiency if you do lots of miles. The 197bhp 40 TDI diesel is noticeably stronger but considerably more expensive, partly because it's available only with quattro four-wheel drive.

Audi gives you a six-speed manual gearbox as standard on the 35 TFSI petrol and 35 TDI diesel engines. It's reasonably light and easy to use, but it doesn't have the most precise shift action.

You can pay extra to have a seven-speed automatic (S tronic) gearbox. Most of the time it shuffles through the gears quickly and smoothly, but it can be slow to respond as you set off from stationary. That's less of an issue with the more powerful 40 TDI and 45 TFSI versions, though.

The Q3 Sportback’s diesel engines are fairly loud when you accelerate hard and, to a lesser extent, the same is true of the 35 TFSI petrol engine. However, it gets close to matching the Range Rover Evoque for low levels of wind and road noise, even with 20in wheels (the largest available).

Audi's Drive Select system is standard across the range, and allows you to adjust how the car feels on the road. Dynamic is supposed to be the sportiest mode, and combines heavier steering and sharper (if often jerky) accelerator responses. It also firms up the adaptive suspension, if you have it fitted.

Unfortunately, despite having plenty of grip, the Q3 Sportback is rather short on driver involvement. If you’re a keen driver, the Evoque, BMW X2 and Seat Ateca are considerably more fun through the corners.

The standard sports suspension is relatively firm – you’ll notice most road imperfections as you drive along. With adaptive suspension fitted, the Q3 Sportback rides fairly smoothly in Comfort mode, but if comfort is a priority, the Evoque is a better bet.

The dashboard of the Audi Q3 Sportback looks smart and feels solidly screwed together. Most of the buttons and switches operate with a feeling of precision, and certain versions spoil the occupants with metal accents and touchy-feely Alcantara suede trims.

When you examine it in more depth, not everything lives up to the premium standards of the dashboard. Some of the materials on the door panels and below the touchscreen are more “that’ll do” than “this is nice". In terms of general plushness, the Range Rover Evoque and BMW X2 have a clear edge.

All Q3 Sportbacks come with the Audi Virtual Cockpit digital instrument panel, which takes the place of conventional analogue dials behind the steering wheel. It allows for far more configurability than conventional instruments, as well as enabling navigation maps to be displayed right in front of the driver. The panel is 10.3in with all trims except Vorsprung, which gets a 12.3in one.

There’s a good range of adjustment to the steering wheel and driver’s seat, but adjustable lumbar support costs extra on all but the top-spec Vorsprung models. You don’t sit quite as high as you do in an Evoque, but you still get a good view of the road ahead, helped further by fairly slim front pillars.

The rear view suffers from the low roof and small rear window, though, so the Sportback is harder to see out of than the standard Audi Q3 when you're reversing. Thankfully, rear parking sensors are standard across the range, and a rear-view camera is available as an option (you get a 360-degree bird's eye view camera with Vorsprung trim).

At night, the standard LED headlights provide good illumination. On Vorsprung trim, they're upgraded to adaptive matrix LED headlights that automatically shape their light pattern to avoid dazzling other road users.

All Q3 Sportbacks get a 10.1in touchscreen infotainment system, but using it on the move can be fiddly and frustrating. We prefer the iDrive system with rotary controller in the BMW X2, which is much less distracting. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone screen mirroring come as standard on all models, and you get a punchy-sounding Sonos stereo if you go for Vorsprung trim (or pay extra).

There’s generous headroom in the front of the Audi Q3 Sportback and the seats slide back far enough to allow even those with particularly long legs to get comfortable. The interior is wide enough that you won’t be rubbing shoulders with your front passenger, although it’s worth noting that the armrest is a bit narrow, so there might be some elbow bashing. 

The Q3 Sportback has reclining rear seats that allow passengers to kick back and relax (the BMW X2 and Range Rover Evoque don't have these). Unfortunately, the sloping roofline means that anyone approaching six feet tall will find their heads brushing the roof lining – and that’s without the optional panoramic sunroof fitted. The Evoque has a little less leg room in the back, but has more headroom. 

Those reclining seats slide back and forth, so you can prioritise rear legroom or boot space accordingly. The shapely rear end comes at a cost: the boot can't swallow as much luggage as the regular Audi Q3 (or an Evoque, for that matter).

If you opt for the TFSIe PHEV, there’s even less boot space because of the battery stored beneath the floor. You still get more capacity than the BMW X2 boot has, though. A large buggy will fit in easily, and you can fold down the rear seats if you need extra load space.

The Q3 Sportback is keenly priced against the Range Rover Evoque but the equivalent BMW X2 will cost you less, as will the regular Audi Q3.

Our favourite 35 TFSI petrol engine will return just over 40mpg officially, which is rather more than the 32mpg promised by the 45 TFSI. The 45 TFSIe plug-in hybrid has an official figure of more than 140mpg, but you’ll need to be running on the electric motor as much as possible to get anywhere near it. This mpg figure will also tumble if you run on the petrol engine alone.

The diesel 35 TDI will be a safe bet if you frequently cover long distances, consistently beating the petrols and being a relatively affordable choice as a company car thanks to its low CO2 output.

The Q3 Sportback broadly follows the regular Q3 when it comes to trim levels and standard equipment, starting with a slightly higher spec Sport as the entry-level model. This remains our favourite and gives you pretty much all you need, with 18in alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, cruise control and an electric tailgate, plus the infotainment system with Virtual Cockpit.

S Line brings a more aggressive exterior look that includes 19-inch wheels, but doesn’t add a whole lot more in terms of practical equipment. It's a similar story with Black Edition trim, and while Vorsprung trim boasts virtually every feature in the Audi catalogue, it's too pricey to recommend.

Every Q3 Sportback gets automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection and lane-departure warning, while blind-spot monitoring, which Audi calls Side Assist, is available as part of the Driver Assist pack or comes as standard if you go for Vorsprung trim.

The Q3 Sportback was awarded five stars for safety by Euro NCAP when appraised in 2020, with a strong showing across the board. Its ability to protect adult and child occupants in a crash was found to be very similar to the rival Evoque.

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