Tccox

Anyone notice there’s a new engine choice for the Q3 for 2021, a 40TFSI vs 45TFSI. 186 HP vs 228 HP. $2000 cheaper

mobidutch

Interesting, but wow...that would probably feel really under-powered. The current 228HP engine is so-so to begin with.

Tccox

It’s all relative, When I went from a 186 HP Mazda CX-5 to my Q3 it seems pretty perky to me . And after driving my wife’s Honda Accord it REALLY seems perky

Tccox

The 40 TFSI package also gives you smaller non ventilated disc brakes. Only 2 mpg difference in milage . Oh and no s-line trim

Loafer123

Wow; how disappointing. It is not clear to me why Audi is unable to provide a 2.0 liter engine with better performance. In my opinion, the current 228 hp engine is not competitive with similar suvs in either acceleration or MPG.

Current Q3:
184 hp 25mpg; 0-60 8.6 seconds
228 hp 23 mpg; 0-60 7.0 seconds

I don't see the Q3 as competitive with the standard Q5 which has a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds while getting the same mpg. (25 mpg)

As a further comparison, the A3 has what appears to be the same (or very similar) power plant (184 hp) and achieves 30 mpg with a 0-60 time of 6.6 seconds. The S3 also with a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder with 288 hp achieves 25 mpg with a 0-60 of 4.6 seconds.

Clearly there must be some explanation as to the relative unimpressive performance of the Q3. Anyone have any ideas?

There are rumors out there of a possible plug in hybrid for the Q3. From what I have seen, the phev has been paired with the 184hp powerplant. There has been nothing definitive about this coming to North America. Similarly, there are rumors of a SQ3 which would have the high performance 2.0 liter engine. This powerplant would have anywhere from 300-350 hp with MPG similar, if not better, than the current 228 hp Q3- and clearly the 0-60 performance of either the PHEV or the SQ3 would be vastly improved over the 184 hp or 228 hp Q3.

TurboBlue5150

0-60 times are overrated, especially in an entry level SUV. For me, I prefer a well balanced package with decent handling, decent acceleration, and a well screwed together interior. The attractive exterior of the Q3 is just icing on the cake. To each his own though.

irenesbob

The Q3 and Q5 are not meant to be competitors withing the Audi range of product offerings. Also, they have different transmissions.

rez

We’ve had our Q3 for almost a year now and have noticed a very substantial difference between the day to day gas mileage and what we get on longer road trips. This is based on a couple of 3-4 hour trips and one even longer. What I’ve found that for the first couple of hours of steady state highway driving there is a continuous improvement of mileage that finally settles in at around 7.0 L/100 km indicated. The first time this occurred I was of course suspicious but since I keep a running tally of gas fill ups vs mileage I verified that on that leg my actual measured consumption was 7.2 L/100 km (32.7 miles/U.S. gallon). This was at an average cruise control speed of 110 km/hr (68 mph). This has been replicated on 2 other longish road trips. I’m wondering if this is a consequence of Audi not investing in a more sophisticated ECU software for this engine, so long periods of steady state driving allows the ECU to fine tune consumption but not so much when engine parameters are constantly changing in more dynamic driving situations causing the fuel economy to drop drastically? I’ve been tracking mileage since new - total of 17,700 km - and overal fuel economy is 9.72 L/100km (24.2 miles/US gallon) with about 40% highway and 60% city. So overall mileage is nowhere near what I get when going on long drives.

Loafer123

Rez
really glad to hear your fuel economy results: 32 mpg is much better.

I really like Audi cars. And I appreciate the entire package- looks, fit and performance. For me performance is more than 0-60 acceleration ; it has always included handling and fuel economy. And while I agree with the comments that the Q3 is not a competitor of the Q5, it is my expectation that a Q3 would have better fuel economy than a Q5.

Volvo, BMW and the Toyota RAV 4 all have better fuel economy than the Q3. I am glad each of you are happy with your Q3; I want to like it (I have owned 4 different Audis since 2002). But for me, the current Q3 as it is configured just doesn’t make the grade. And as loyal as I am to Audi, I am not going to invest in a vehicle solely on my past experience or it’s name. Audi, you are going to need to do better....and I know you can 😊

Eric Poulsen

You are doing much better than my average which is 12.6 L/100km over 16,500km with about the same city/highway split although my average cruise speed is a bit faster 115-120.
Using Shell 91.
With cold weather just around the corner as temperature drops consumption will rise.