Hot on the heels of our new favourite compact SUV, the Q3, Audi has confirmed Australian pricing for that cars sleeker Sportback cousin. The Q3 Sportback is bound for Aussie shores in March 2020 with the 35TFSI S line starting at $49,900 (driveaway pricing not yet available).
So what is the Q3 Sportback? Well at a glance it looks mighty similar to the regular Q3, but the Sportback body is both lower and longer lending a sportier stance to the wagon-style crossover, it almost looks like a shrunken Urus.
If the Q3 does battle with BMW’s X1, the Q3 Sportback is aimed squarely at the X2, but of course, it’s also a foe for the Mercedes GLA and Lexus NX while providing a more premium nameplate than similarly sized Mazda CX-30.
Opting for the athletic Sportback will cost an extra wad of your hard-earned – $3,500 to be exact – with the regular Q3 35TFSI starting at $46,400 ($51,804 driveaway).
That extra $3,500 isn’t just for the different body-style though, with all Sportbacks fitted with S line exterior pack and an RS-look set of 19-inch wheels instead of the 18-inch items, small tweaks but they elevate the styling of the Q3 in our eyes.
The Sportback’s interior will remain the same – a great thing in our books – as will the 550 litres of cargo capacity. The lower roofline may affect the rear-seat headroom, but we’ll have to find out.
Much like the wagon-bodied Q3, at launch, the Sportback will be available only with the 35TFSI engine, a 1.4-litre turbocharged unit with outputs of 110kW/250Nm.
Power will be sent to the front wheels only via a six-speed dual-clutch gearbox, though for off-roading hill-descent control is standard. Audi has confirmed an all-wheel-drive 40TFSI Quattro with 132kW/320Nm will join the line-up shortly after.
The entry-level Q3 Sportback mirrors its wagon bodied brethren, that means a generous level of specification including Audi’s excellent MMI system with virtual cockpit, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless smartphone charging, leather-appointed seats and keyless entry.
Also available in march will be the Q3 Sportback 35TFSI launch edition which includes metallic paint, coloured ambient lighting, electrically adjustable heated front seats, adaptive cruise, 360-degree camera and – an absolute must-tick option in the Q3 – the premium Audi stereo system.
The launch edition packs a fair bit more in for its $56,450 (driveaway pricing not yet available), the extra $6,550 is quite a hike but adding each option individually to the S line model will inevitably cost more.
All Q3 Sportbacks also get AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, rear cross-traffic alert, rear-view camera and hill-descent control. There’s also a neat connectivity system that uses a sim card for live-traffic updates and Audi connect functionality.
Given the similarities to the normal Q3 which we reviewed here, the Sportback should make for an enjoyable punt with the highlight being the splendid interior, we’ll certainly be getting our hands on one in March.
