It was at the Shanghai Auto Show in 2007 that we first saw Audi's small crossover concept, the Cross Coupe Quattro. And now, 4 years later, we've got images of the production version of the 2012 Audi Q3 bound for the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show. Of course, we've seen the Tiguan-based crossover along the way, most notably from recent renderings, but now we've got the full scoop.
Premium-ing up the Tiguan involves a heavy hand with the tech and luxury features including MMI navigation plus, Bose surround sound with illuminated woofers in front, Audi Drive Select, hill hold, "an ambient lighting package with a great many LEDs," panoramic glass roof, convenience key, two-zone climate control, adaptive lights, 12 paint colors, optional Quattro all-wheel drive. Also, there are, and again I'm quoting, "No less than five systems ready to help drivers park." This includes park assist which will do the steering for you in parallel parking spots.
In the future there will online Bluetooth phone pairing to connect your chosen route to Google Earth. (Awesome.)
The three four-cylinder engines (one diesel, two gas) range from 140 to 211 horsepower with all being turbocharged, direct injected and featuring stop-start.
questionlp says:
12:06 PM, 04/13/11
Kind of looks like the A3 Sedan Concept and the current Q5 mashed together. Not too shabby, but not interested. Wake me up when the A4 allroad quattro arrives here with either the 2.0T or 2.7/3.0TDI. :)
ed124c says:
12:32 PM, 04/13/11
Only the first photo makes it look good. Then again, we should reserve judgment until we actually see one.
I imagine it will be expensive, with lots and lots of expensive options. Adding options and overlapping, price-wise, into other Audi models, may doom it.
I like small, but affordable cars. This one is not for me.
93aero says:
01:35 PM, 04/13/11
How does this compare in size to the Q5? I know its supposed to be smaller, but how much smaller are they side by side.
questionlp says:
01:50 PM, 04/13/11
@93aero,
Looking at the dimensions for the A3 Sportback, A4 and Q5 (length and height):
A3: 168.9" x 56" (4.3" ground clearance)
A4: 185.2" x 56.2"
Q5: 182.2" x 65.1" (7.9" ground clearance)
With those numbers in mind, I'm guessing that the Q3 will come in at around 171" x 62.5" with a ground clearance of about 5.5-6".
questionlp says:
01:54 PM, 04/13/11
Okay, spoke too soon... Audi has released some more information on their news site:
http://www.audiusanews.com/pressrelease/2313//audi-q3-premium-suv-compact-form
"The Audi Q3 is 4.39 meters in length (14.4 ft), 1.83 meters in width (6.0 ft), and 1.60 meters (5.25 ft) in height – roof rail included. Its drag coefficient of 0.32 raises the bar in this segment; moreover, its underbody fairing facilitates optimum airflow – underneath the vehicle, too."
So length is just about 172.8 inches in length and 63 inches tall. All of that starting at around 3300 pounds.
cr_driver says:
06:49 PM, 04/13/11
The ugliest Audi interior I have ever seen.
WOW.
audipilot says:
02:13 PM, 04/14/11
Interesting...I was expecting something similar to the Q5 but this looks a lot more muscular. I've always liked how clean the Q5's design was, so I'm not sure how I feel about the Q3. I'll wait and pass final judgment until I see one in person.