Audi Q3 Sportback long-term test: report 3

The car Audi Q3 Sportback 45 TFSI quattro S line S tronic Run by Will Williams, senior photographer  

Why it's here To see if the more style-led Sportback still works as a practical family SUV

Needs to Be comfortable, efficient and function as a mobile office, and have plenty of space for camera kit and the family

Mileage 4764 List price £39,725 Target Price £37,340 Price as tested £50,665 Test economy 26.0mpg Official Economy 32.1mpg

28 February – Looking the part

In my last update I briefly touched on the Audi Q3 Sportback’s rear wheelarch haunches, which remind this photographer's peepers of those on Audi's ultimate hero model, the original Quattro. And the more time I spend with my car, the more I like the way it looks – particularly in profile.

The chopped roof and tapering rear window pillars lead your eyes perfectly into those blistered arches. And these fuse into the lovely integrated lower boot lip spoiler that neatly wraps around the rear of the car.

True, I’m not so convinced by the rear diffuser but, hey, you can't always achieve perfection; a very brief look in the mirror every morning reminds me of that.

The front of the Q3 Sportback is not exactly disappointing, either, with the leading edge of its piercing matrix headlights scalloping into the lower bumper to perfectly continue the swage lines from the purposeful front wheelarches.

Add all this together, and I reckon the designers of rival coupé SUVs could certainly learn from the Q3 Sportback; BMW X2 or X4, anyone? If you're swung by a sharp suit or – more often than not in my case – a nice pair of shorts, the Q3 Sportback is seriously appealing.

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