The new Audi Q3 tested: Excellent, but why no hybrid?

Since its launch in 2012, the Q3 has been Audi’s best-selling model, with 2 million units sold to date. That’s what happens when you’re the smallest crossover in the manufacturer’s lineup, aside from the aging Q2. But market competition requires constant renewal. The third generation uses an updated version of the same platform, an evolution of the design, and slightly larger dimensions to make it a bit more spacious and practical. As usual, the inspiration comes from its larger siblings, the Q5 and Q7, while the new generation is produced alongside the new Cupra Terramar from Seat’s premium division.

The new Q3 looks impressive and larger than it actually is. Length has increased by 5 cm, now reaching 4.53 meters, but the rest of the dimensions remain unchanged: 1.86 meters wide, 1.60 meters high, and a 2.68-meter wheelbase. The front, rear, and the use of chrome around the window frames and roof rails - standing out against the dark paint of the test vehicle - give it a sporty, restrained, and respectable appearance. As usual for Audi, there is also a more expensive Sportback coupe version.

Here the significant change is noticeable. Audi has abandoned the old-fashioned design in favor of a large curved screen, including a 12.8-inch multimedia and control display, a smaller 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster, and in this version, an effective head-up display as well. The quality is clearly high, although there are some less premium plastics in the lower sections. There are not many revolutions in this car, but there is an attempt to reinvent the control stalks, which have become vertical touch surfaces for indicators, lights, and wipers. It took us some time to get used to it, as we ended up signaling with the wipers and vice versa, and it’s not clear the new system is better.

This is not a Chinese car - there are still several physical controls around the steering wheel - but climate control and audio are operated via a touch strip at the bottom of the infotainment screen. The strip is always visible, even when switching to Android Auto and CarPlay, and it’s easy to move between control and information screens. Physical buttons would have been preferable, but the execution is efficient - the lesser evil in exchange for innovation.

Front-seat space is good and the seats are excellent. Rear space is also adequate, with air vents and charging ports. The panoramic roof contributes to a sense of spaciousness.

The trunk offers a useful 488 liters of cargo space and an electric tailgate. It’s a shame that the space underneath, which could have housed a spare tire, is used for a subwoofer instead. At least you’ll have good music while waiting for roadside assistance in case of a flat tire that the emergency kit can’t fix.

19-inch wheels, an original navigation system in the infotainment screen (less accurate than Waze in travel time estimates, we checked), a flat-bottom steering wheel, leather upholstery, wireless charging pad, electrically adjustable front seats, a SONOS sound system with 12 speakers, and more.

The model received 5 out of 5 stars in the updated 2025 Euro NCAP crash test. It includes 7 airbags, autonomous emergency braking in forward and reverse, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping and lane departure correction, blind spot monitoring with clear indicators, automatic high beams, and door-opening warning for approaching traffic.

The base Q3 35 model comes with a 1.5-liter mild-hybrid turbo gasoline engine producing 150 hp. At the top of the range is now a 2.0-liter turbo engine with 262 hp, called the Q3 45. We drove the mid-range version with the same 2.0-liter engine but 204 hp - called the Q3 40 - paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox and Audi’s famous quattro all-wheel drive system. In an era of silent and emotionless electric cars, it’s a pleasure to sit behind the wheel of a car that produces a slight engine growl when you press the start button. Performance is strong (7.2 seconds from 0 to 100 km/h), with a more engaging engine sound and extra push in sport mode. This was not expected from a “regular” Audi crossover.

Every journey eventually comes to an end. Audi promises 12 km per liter for this version, while we achieved 10 km/l during mixed driving tests. There is also an interesting plug-in hybrid version with a 100 km electric range, which will arrive in Israel in about a year, but it’s time Audi also offered regular hybrid units and not just plug-in hybrids, like Lexus does. The fact that Mercedes and BMW also lack them is not an excuse - just a missed opportunity by the German automotive industry.

Ride comfort is generally good despite the slightly sporty character. On winding roads, the car is very stable with controlled body roll. The all-wheel drive system helps significantly. It also handles dirt roads without issue, and you can push it a bit and enjoy it, but without a spare wheel, Audi makes it harder to fully exploit the quattro advantages - maybe useful only in rare snowy conditions.

The Q3 continues to grow and become more expensive. NIS 336,000 is a lot of money, but it is still significantly cheaper than equivalent BMW X1 and Mercedes GLA models, although that may change once the Cupra Terramar arrives.

The new generation is not revolutionary, but it offers luxury buyers a fitting character, precise execution, and high driving quality. It is already close in size to previous generations of the Q5 and offers respectable interior space. There are no real compromises here, and there is a bonus of sporty character that competitors only offer in much more expensive versions.