Bigger is best is an idea embedded within the minds of conventional Indian car consumers who’ve universally equated measurement with worth. So the larger the car, the extra they’re joyful to pay for it and, conversely, if it’s smaller, the prospect of sticker shock is at all times greater, particularly with a luxurious car. But it’s a mindset that’s slowly altering because of a fast-maturing client who, after coping with chaotic visitors and parking hassles, sees the worth in slipping into one thing that’s good and compact, however isn’t quick on luxurious. And it’s cars just like the Audi Q3 that may catalyse that change in mindset. 

Small measurement is welcome in our ever-crowded Autocar car parking zone.

After driving the Q3 for a month, it’s proved to be the right city SUV for a number of causes. Let’s begin with the Q3’s compact measurement and strong construct, which provides you the arrogance to tangle with cabs, bikers and aggressive bus drivers. The Q3 is slender sufficient so that you can squeeze previous gaps you’d assume twice about in a much bigger car, and sitting good and excessive, you may spot these gaps simply. And one such hole I attempt to wiggle by means of nearly each day on the drive house is on the Mahalaxmi station sign in Mumbai, the place the free left flip is perpetually obstructed by a slew of autos trying to wedge their approach into an additional lane with the intention to flip proper and beat the fleeting inexperienced mild. But now and again, you get a niche so slender that solely a compact car can nimbly manoeuvre by means of. Sitting excessive up within the Q3’s elevated seat, I can higher decide the perimeters of the car while the frenzied beeps of  proximity sensors inform me how harrowingly shut I’m to different cars and bikes. 

Outstanding experience high quality smoothens out Mumbai roads.

Then there’s the comfortable experience, now an Audi signature that the Ingolstadt model has seized from Mercedes. On Mumbai roads, it’s truthful to say Audis have the very best experience and the Q3 is not any exception. It’s a mixture of well-judged damping, which is barely on the softer aspect and the comparatively excessive profile 235/55 R18 tyres, that are your finest defence in opposition to atrociously paved roads. And being an SUV, there’s adequate floor clearance to not fear concerning the new rash of pace breakers sure areas of Mumbai are infested with.

The 2.0-litre TFSI engine within the Q3’s ‘40’ spec produces 190hp and 320Nm of torque, which is modest for a 2-litre and efficiency feels simply that. There’s no robust rush of acceleration however for day-to-day driving, this engine is completely calibrated to offer a clean step-off and even the 7-speed DSG  transmission is among the smoothest twin-clutch items round. The extra you drive the Q3, the extra you realise its health for goal, which is to supply a really relaxed driving expertise.  

Lower down plastics really feel arduous and lack a luxurious really feel.

Our new workplace’s parking space is sort of tight, and when there are extra cars than out there areas, we’ve to do a little bit of jostling to suit all of them in. That’s while you respect the compact footprint of the Q3. It doesn’t stick out neither is it vast, which lets you squeeze one other car in the identical spot.

I haven’t sat within the Q3’s again seat but and for now am having fun with the well-contoured and beneficiant driver’s seat, which doesn’t provide the impression that it is a compact SUV. However, what betrays the Q3’s place in Audi’s Q-range pecking order are bits of arduous plastic across the seat base and on the decrease sprint. It doesn’t look low-cost, however in case you put it within the context of the Skoda Kodiaq, which feels extra plush within the cabin, you’ve got greater expectations from an Audi, nevertheless small it’s. 

Front seats very snug with beneficiant cushioning.

The different concern with the Q3 is the fairly dated digital screens, which lack the crisp and vibrant graphics you discover within the competitors. The as soon as much-vaunted ‘digital cockpit’ falls quick on content material and wow issue, and clearly, the Audi infotainment system is a era behind, however that’s not at all times a foul factor. Unlike fashionable dashboards the place there may be not a button in sight, the Q3 has loads of them for vital features just like the aircon, which you might be at all times twiddling with. The steering-mounted buttons, too, are bodily and that feels satisfying to make use of in contrast to the capacitive contact controls in fashionable Mercs.

Yes, the Q3 feels a bit old-school from the within, however it additionally has a reassuring familiarity and ease of use, which makes you are feeling at dwelling each time you drive it.

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