Photo: Guido ten Brink - SB-Medien
At the beginning of August, the Audi Q3 range was expanded with the introduction of the Sportback, a body style meant to attract new and younger buyers to the brand with four rings. A month later, the SUV is on the floor of the Frankfurt Motor Show, hoping to entice imagination.
Looking a bit longer than the usual Q3, the Sportback brings an unconventional look to an otherwise mildly successful range. The shape of the car is responsible for making the car look longer, as it shows a low roofline and flat D-pillars drawing back towards a roof edge spoiler.
Whereas the exterior has obviously changed compared to the stock Q3, not the same can be said for the interior. There are very few things setting the two SUVs apart in this respect.
But the Q3 Sportback does add a few more functionalities when it comes to connectivity. Using two screens (one as infotainment and the other as instrument cluster), this SUV deploys Audi's recently launched Car-to-X services.
That means the car receives information about traffic light phases and it advises the driver on how fast or how slow to proceed between lights. For now, that's all the system does, but the potential for more applications is huge.
Amazon Alexa voice control, Google Earth navigation, and Audi smartphone interface complete are also available.
Under the hood, the Q3 will eventually hide pretty much the same engines as the regular line. At first, though, only one gasoline and one diesel engines will be offered.
The gasoline unit, a 2.0-liter TFSI, is the most powerful of the range and comes with 230 hp, while the diesel, a 2.0-liter TDI, is rated at 150 hp.
Audi hopes that with the launch of the Sportback the Q3 will get a much-needed kick in the behind. Since its introduction in 2011, the model has sold on average under 20,000 units per year in the U.S. and around 70,000 in Europe, making it one of the less successful models of the brand.
Whereas the exterior has obviously changed compared to the stock Q3, not the same can be said for the interior. There are very few things setting the two SUVs apart in this respect.
But the Q3 Sportback does add a few more functionalities when it comes to connectivity. Using two screens (one as infotainment and the other as instrument cluster), this SUV deploys Audi's recently launched Car-to-X services.
That means the car receives information about traffic light phases and it advises the driver on how fast or how slow to proceed between lights. For now, that's all the system does, but the potential for more applications is huge.
Amazon Alexa voice control, Google Earth navigation, and Audi smartphone interface complete are also available.
Under the hood, the Q3 will eventually hide pretty much the same engines as the regular line. At first, though, only one gasoline and one diesel engines will be offered.
The gasoline unit, a 2.0-liter TFSI, is the most powerful of the range and comes with 230 hp, while the diesel, a 2.0-liter TDI, is rated at 150 hp.
Audi hopes that with the launch of the Sportback the Q3 will get a much-needed kick in the behind. Since its introduction in 2011, the model has sold on average under 20,000 units per year in the U.S. and around 70,000 in Europe, making it one of the less successful models of the brand.
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