The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Well-designed cabin
- Good NHTSA scores
- Well-executed infotainment
- Roomy back seat
- High-output zip
Dislikes
- Plain look
- Bigger than small, smaller than big
- Top version’s too pricey
- No free maintenance
Buying tip
features & specs
The 2023 Audi Q3 brims with safety and technology, but its small-SUV stance comes with a weight penalty.
What kind of car is the 2023 Audi Q3? What does it compare to?
The smallest of Audi’s crossover SUVs, the Q3 seats five and powers along with a turbo-4 and standard all-wheel drive. Rivals include the Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class, BMW X1, and the Volvo XC40.
Is the 2023 Audi Q3 a good car?
It earns a TCC Rating of 5.8 out of 10, with fuel economy a sour note. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
What’s new for the 2023 Audi Q3?
Now in the third year of its current edition, the Q3 gets wireless smartphone charging and LED headlights standard, with new wheel designs for all versions.
Otherwise, the Q3 carries over, with a wind-cheating but unmemorable shape graced by an interior that’s a cut above, both in pixel count and in fit and finish. You’ll remember the Q3 less for its sense of style than for the wash of digital gauges and maps that dance behind the steering wheel when it’s on the go—it’s perfect for the generation raised on iPads.
All Q3 crossovers rely on a 2.0-liter turbo-4 for power, but some are better than others. The Q3 40 has 184 hp, all-wheel drive, an 8-speed automatic, and 3,900 pounds of weight to contend with; the Q3 45 breathes more freely with 228 hp, which lightens its road load a bit. Acceleration’s quick enough, but the Q3’s hallmark performance piece is its deftly tuned steering, which responds intuitively, when the crossover’s big wheels and suspension try to cope with big pavement seams. The SUV-like ride motions are damped well at speed on smooth roads, but get squirrely on under-maintained routes.
Spend up for the heated power front seats: they’re finer and more supportive than the stock chairs. All versions have leather upholstery. The Q3’s back seat gets the thumbs-up, with a sliding mechanism to expand legroom at the expense of cargo space, which remains pretty good nonetheless.
The NHTSA gives the Q3 five stars overall, and blind-spot monitors and automatic emergency braking come standard.
How much does the 2023 Audi Q3 cost?
The $37,995 Q3 40 Premium and $41,295 Premium Plus are stronger values than the $40,395 Q3 45 Premium and $43,695 Q3 45 Premium Plus—but the latter two are the only versions to get the top option packages, which bring the price closer to $50,000.
Where is the 2023 Audi Q3 made?
In Hungary.
2023 Audi Q3 Styling
Chunky and pert, the Q3 opts into subtlety.
Is the Audi Q3 a good-looking car?
With its now-standard S-line body kit—deeper sills and air dam, mostly—the Audi Q3 reaches for sleek SUV stardom, and pulls up short. It’s a handsome car with a legible, well-fitted interior, but it doesn’t have much flair. For its interior’s digital flair, we give it a point above average, for a 6 in all.
The Q3 doesn’t have much of an edge, thanks to its softly rounded roofline and shoulder lines. It’s crisp and clean like celery, with almost no aftertaste. Big wheels and a chunky grille set it off better than previous versions, and it does cloak its hefty curb weight well—but it’s hard to compare with a rival like the stylish Volvo XC40.
The Q3 cabin drapes itself in plain but high-quality materials. A touchscreen caps the dash, and a ribbon of metallic trim ties the cockpit together. Frankly, it’s a VW look, less Audi, particularly when body-color panels fit into the dash. It’s at its best with the welter of digital screens on its dash and in its gauge cluster fully lit, when it comes off as vibrantly and youthfully as intended.
2023 Audi Q3 Performance
The Q3’s steering shines through its heft.
Is the Audi Q3 4WD?
Yes, all-wheel drive is standard.
How fast is the Audi Q3?
The Q3 gears up with two versions of a 2.0-liter turbo-4, both teamed to an 8-speed automatic. The lower-output “40” engine has tepid acceleration; it’s better by a margin on the “45” version but not tremendously so. With an extra point for handling, the Q3 earns a 6 for performance.
The 184-hp Q3 40 churns out 221 lb-ft of torque, and Audi pegs its 0-60 mph time at about eight seconds. It’s not quite as quick as the Q3 45: its 228-hp turbo-4 twists out 258 lb-ft of torque and can reach 60 mph in 7.0 seconds, doling out tasty chunks of power distributed evenly. It just doesn’t feel entertaining until it’s flipped in a sport mode and the powertrain and handling response get sharper. With either engine, however, it’s electric-car quiet and smooth at a steady clip of about 80 mph, but there’s occasional jitteriness to the transmission and some slight noise from the turbo engine on takeoff.
The Q3 weighs more than 3,900 pounds, though, and that ultimately hampers both drivetrains beyond their good spec-sheet ratings. Audi’s flawless 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive combine here for excellent all-weather traction, not off-road driving.
The Q3’s hallmark trait is its tight steering. It darts around town with fuss-free charm, thanks to a tight turning circle. The steering doesn’t have a lot of feel or a lot of weight to it, but it’s pretty quick to respond.
By contrast, the Q3, with its standard 18-inch and available 19-inch wheels, has the ride motions and ride harshness of a heavier SUV. Rolling over tar strips and pavement seams sends a jolt through its structure and even smaller imperfections can be detected in a way that just wouldn’t happen in a Q5.
2023 Audi Q3 Comfort & Quality
Four adults fit well in this compact crossover.
The Q3 has a wider and longer body than some compact-crossover rivals, which earns it an extra point for back-seat space to go with its point for cargo room. It’s a 7.
The Q3 misses a point for front seat comfort; its base buckets are OK, but the optional 8-way power front seats have much better bolstering and adjustment. The center console presses against the driver’s leg, no matter what, and the dead pedal sits too far left and back to be comfortable. Leather upholstery comes standard on all versions, as does front-seat heating.
Every Q3 has ample storage in the cabin, with good small-item storage for keys and smartphones. Controls are elegant and simple; the cruise control’s tap-to-resume function works ideally. Metallic and wood trim grace the dash, but lots of black plastic on the console mars the effect some, as do the standard-issue VW Group start button and volume knob.
In the rear seat, the Q3 sports 36.1 inches of legroom, which lets two adults sit in great comfort. The rear seat slides to trade off between passenger and cargo space. The fold-down seat backs boost cargo room from 18.7 to about 48 cubic feet—but mind the trench between the rear seat backs and the cargo floor. It can swallow small items that roll free of grocery bags, if you’re not careful.
2023 Audi Q3 Safety
Crash scores are mixed.
How safe is the Audi Q3?
The NHTSA considers the Q3 a top performer, with an asterisk. It earns five stars overall, but its front-impact scores check in at four stars.
The IIHS has given the Q3 mostly good ratings under its old scoring regimen, but stiffer standards have hurt some of those test results—and its base headlights still earn “Poor” ratings.
With a point for standard automatic emergency braking and one for its NHTSA scores, the Q3 earns a 7 here. Outward vision isn’t great, and that misses out on a point, but the crossover offers safety gear to overcome that hurdle—tech that includes a surround-view camera system, active lane control, and adaptive cruise control.
2023 Audi Q3 Features
Better value’s had with the base Q3.
Audi sells the Q3 in two versions. There’s a Q3 40 spec, which costs $37,995 in Premium and $41,295 in Premium Plus trims; it’s companioned with the Q3 45 S-line, which costs $40,395 in Premium trim and $43,695 as a Premium Plus.
With a point for infotainment and a point for standard features, any Q3 would score a 7 here.
Which Audi Q3 should I buy?
The base model’s a better value. It has a 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8.8-inch touchscreen, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, heated front seats, blind-spot monitors, 18-inch wheels, leather upholstery, LED headlights, and a panoramic sunroof. Audi sells optional memory-preset power front seats, too.
How much is a fully loaded Audi Q3?
The $43,695 Premium Plus has the higher-output engine as well as the surround-view camera system and adaptive cruise control. A $2,700 option package bundles Sonos audio, digital gauges and the “virtual cockpit,” as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. At those prices, we’d take a look at the larger and not much more expensive Q5.
Every Q3 comes with a 4-year/50,000-mile warranty, but Audi doesn’t include free maintenance as BMW and other luxury brands do.
2023 Audi Q3 Fuel Economy
The Q3 gets SUV-like fuel economy.
Is the Audi Q3 good on gas?
It’s more like that of an SUV than a compact crossover. The EPA scores it at 21 mpg city, 28 highway, 24 combined. That earns a 2 here, about the same as Audi’s larger Q5 and Q7 SUVs, which also sport turbo-4 engines. No hybrid or electric versions are offered in the U.S.
