Audi’s latest missile on four wheels has finally been unleashed on Indian roads.
Watch out, competitors, the Q3 TFSI is here. It was already a competent small luxury SUV that impressed the enthusiasts and critics alike and won the hearts of many in India. People loved it so much that it received 500 bookings within the first five days of its launch. Yet there was something missing from the equation.
Audi’s Q3 is a great product with excellent quality, fit-and-finish, handling and a superb diesel engine, but the petrol heads were missing the gasoline motor. But they need not worry any longer, since the company has launched a 2.0-litre TFSI, 211-PS variant of the Q3 in India. The range begins at Rs 27.37 lakh (ex-showroom, Maharashtra) for the base model and goes up to Rs 32.66 lakh (ex-showroom, Maharashtra) for the top model tested here. So what exactly does one get after spending that kind of money? Well, we were curious to find out and here is what was revealed as we road-tested this new baby Q that has a lot of zing.
Aesthetically, it’s the same old, cute little Q. The paint quality is immaculate and the detailing on the outside as well as inside is great. The quality, precision, fit-and-finish and the sheer feel of the material let you know that this is still a Q SUV despite being the smallest of the lot. The interior is still class-leading and looks great. It is an SUV that compels a lot of heads to turn.
The biggest change is the 2.0-litre TFSI engine that is highly competent and packs quite a punch for a small SUV. It develops 211 PS of power and a massive 300 Nm of torque. And here is the best part: all of this power comes from a 1,984-cc, four-cylinder motor. Such numbers from four cylinders were possible because of the TFSI technology that is applied to this motor. The power of direct injection and turbo-charging is evident in the high power and torque delivery. It’s simply amazing. Plus it gets Audi’s start-stop system that boosts the fuel economy even further.
This powerful and torquey engine is mated to Audi’s seven-speed S tronic transmission. This gearbox has already proved its mettle and it does quite a good job on the Q3 TFSI as well. Along with being powerful, this motor is also pretty silent. Usually, petrol engines with high output and performance have a deep growl even at idle, but you really have to strain your ears in order to hear this motor at low revolutions. It’s quiet, very quiet. But feed it some petrol and you hear what I would like to describe as one of the best sounding four-cylinder engines in India. This is how a four-cylinder performance motor should sound.
Driving the Q3 TFSI was like déjà vu. The memory of the diesel Q3 was still fresh in my mind and my expectations from the TFSI were really high. On paper, this engine promises to be a lot of fun and Audi also say that it is quite fuel-efficient, but more on that later.
The performance of this 2.0-litre TFSI motor in the city is pretty impressive. Its 211 PS and 300 Nm provide more than enough power at lower revs to get you out of any situation in no time. Plus the brisk acceleration and linear power delivery give the Q3 petrol a smooth ride. The refinement level of the Q3 is probably the best in the segment. The seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic transmission also helps a lot in city driving. The gearbox tends to shift to a higher gear as soon as possible to maximise fuel efficiency. This may bother you sometimes, but the smooth and quick downshift ensures that you are never waiting for the power to return when you need it. Our roll-on test showed that the Q3 TFSI takes just 3.8 seconds to go from 40 to 80 km/h, which is a great time and more than enough for city use.
The Q3 handles well in the city thanks to its perfect suspension set-up that is optimally set for India. It absorbs the bumps and potholes well without disturbing the occupants. This set-up also gives the Q3 TFSI an excellent ride quality. The light steering wheel is pretty direct and has good feel and feedback, though sometimes it feels a little too light.
The real potential of this new engine is seen on the highway where you can exploit it to the maximum. Our acceleration test shows that the Q3 takes just 8.87 seconds to do 100 km/h from standstill, which may not sound quick enough and it’s because the car takes almost a second to jump out of the blocks. But the top speed of over 200 km/h proves that this cute Q is not a kid when it comes to performance. The engine does not feel stressed at all even under hard acceleration. The smooth and linear delivery makes the car a fun to drive on the highway as well. Plus the quick roll-on timings give you the confidence to overtake anything on the road without hesitation.
The S tronic gearbox performed exceptionally well on the highway too. The perfect and seamless gear-shifts are result of Audi’s well-matched gear ratios that work in harmony with the engine. Besides, the superb handling and excellent body control give you the confidence to push the Q3 even harder in the corners. The steering also weighs up nicely as the speed goes up, boosting your confidence even further.
After all this it comes down to one thing: fuel efficiency. How well did it do in our FE test? Well, it did pretty well for an SUV that deserves the performance tag. In the city run we were able to get nine kilometres from a litre of petrol. But I reckon that we could have easily squeezed a couple of more kilometres with the start-stop switched on. Start-stop is a very useful thing and in a country like India it can save one a huge fuel bill if one uses one’s car more within the city rather than on the highway. Anyway, the highway FE figure stood at 14 km per litre, which gave us an overall figure of 10.6 km/l. Pretty good for an SUV capable of that kind of performance.
Overall, I would say that the Q3 TFSI is not a thirsty SUV; in fact, it is one of the most fuel-efficient compact luxury petrol SUVs around. It has a powerful engine that not only gives you a lot of power, but can also be economical when needed. It is great fun to drive and features superb ride quality that is the trademark of the Q family. And for a starting price of Rs 27.37 lakh, it’s a bargain. The diesel variant impressed us a lot and I must say that the petrol variant of the Audi Q3 was equally good in every aspect. It is a practical option if you are looking for a compact luxury SUV with a petrol motor.
Photography: Sanjay Raikar
