The new Audi Q3 is a family SUV with great all-round talents.
Just like the Audi top-of-the-line models, it features a digital cockpit and a large MMI screen with touch response.
Numerous infotainment solutions from the full-size segment connect the compact SUV with its environment.
New assist systems support the driver when parking, in town and on long journeys. These features also enhance comfort, as does the further developed suspension.
The Audi Q3 range is priced as follows, along with the standard Audi Freeway plan (5 year / 100 000 km) and inclusive of all taxes:
- Audi Q3 35 TFSI S tronic at R 565,000
- Audi Q3 35 TFSI S tronic Advanced at R 585,000
- Audi Q3 35 TFSI S tronic S line at R 599,000
The new Audi Q3 looks much sportier than its predecessor.
The operating and display concept of the family SUV has been overhauled from the ground up – Audi has done away with the analogue instruments.
The digital instrument cluster with a 10.25 inch screen is standard equipment, which the driver operates using the multifunction steering wheel.
Customers can also upgrade the instrument cluster to the Audi virtual cockpit with additional functions. It incorporates, for instance, the MMI functions and, in addition to road and engine speed, also displays information on music tracks. If the customer has specified navigation, the display also includes the navigation map.
The driver can configure the display according to their needs and has all the data in their direct field of view.
The displays appear in the 10.25 inch Audi virtual cockpit, which the customer can upgrade as an option to the Audi virtual cockpit plus with a 12.3 inch screen.
In addition, the Audi Q3 with MMI navigation plus also comes with new natural-language voice control.
It also understands a freely structured wording. The ingenious dialogue manager asks questions if necessary, allows corrections, offers choices and defers to the speaker when interrupted.
Intelligently configured: infotainment
The MMI navigation plus in the Audi Q3 offers the same technical functions as in the higher segments – here too the SUV sets a new standard in the compact class.
The navigation, for instance, recognizes the driver’s preferences based on previous journeys, allowing it to generate suitable route suggestions.
The route is calculated – in parallel to the planning in the car – on the servers of the map and navigation provider HERE, using real-time data for the overall traffic situation.
A range of hardware modules supplements the infotainment portfolio
The Audi phone box links the owner’s smartphone to the vehicle’s antenna and charges the phone inductively. To play music from the MP3 player, USB stick or smartphone via the loudspeakers in the car, the Audi Q3 offers two USB ports – one of which is the latest new type C.
This innovation supports faster transfer rates and makes it easy to connect thanks to a symmetrical plug. The standard Audi smartphone interface links customers’ iOS and Android cell phones and places their Apple Car Play or Android Auto environment on the MMI display.
Convenience and safety: driver assistance systems
The Audi Q3 is also at the top of its class when it comes to assisting systems. Substantially enhancing comfort on long journeys is the lane departure warning system. It is active from speeds of approximately 60 km/h and helps prevent the vehicle from inadvertently drifting out of the lane. If the driver has not set an indicator and the car is about to cross the lane markings, the system assists with corrective steering intervention. As an option, the driver can set the steering wheel to provide additional vibration.
The Audi Q3 makes manoeuvring easier thanks to functions such as the park assist. It steers the SUV automatically into and out of parking spaces.
The driver only has to accelerate, brake and shift gears.
If the driver wants to reverse out of a parallel parking space or a tight entrance, cross-traffic assist is activated. The system monitors the area behind the vehicle using two radar sensors and alerts the driver in critical situations.
The four 360 degree cameras provide another useful function. They show on the large infotainment screen the immediate surroundings of the Audi Q3 when moving at speeds up to 10 km/h. Touch operation allows the driver to switch between various views.
In addition to the virtual bird’s eye view, the reversing camera view and the front and rear 180° panoramic view, there is a detailed view of the front and rear wheels. This enables the driver to manoeuvre precisely up to the curb.
