- Audi is testing a Sportback version of its new Q3 SUV at the Nurburgring.
- The slinkier version sacrifices some headroom and cargo space to earn style points.
- Engines options will include petrol, diesel, and for the first time a plug-in hybrid.
Audi launched its new Q3 compact SUV this month, and you don’t need to be a savant to know that if there’s a new Q3, then a new Q3 Sportback must be right around the corner. And here it is, in prototype form negotiating one of more than 100 corners at the Nurburgring.
As with the previous model’s range, the new Q3 Sportback is 85 percent identical to the regular version of the SUV, but swaps that car’s fairly upright tail for a more sloping one that gives off a coupe-like feel. The roof, rear doors, rear quarters and hatch are all unique to the Sportback.
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We’ll have to wait for the Q3 Sportback’s debut sometime later this summer to know exactly what the exact trade-off is for the sportier profile in terms of interior dimensions, but a small reduction in rear headroom and less cargo space above the window line are a given.
What we don’t have to wait for is information about the rest of the Q3 Sportback package, because it should be identical to the Q3 unveiled last week. The new face features two-deck lights, with Audi’s segmented DRLs mounted above bumper line and the real headlights located in a dark section of the bumper itself.
At the back, posher trims will get an illuminated Audi badge and LED light bar running across the hatch, though if the Q3 Sportback follows the Q3’s lead, base models might be denied those features. There’s a good chance though that the Sportback will be pitched more upmarket and not be available in poverty-spec.
All versions should get the same supersized dashboard display comprising an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12.8-inch infotainment system, and new tech features include an AI assistant and controversial multi-function column stalk that handles both turn signal and wiper control, leaving space on the right side of the wheel for a new gear-shift lever.
Familiar ICE Powertrains
Exactly what powertrain that lever controls will vary by market, some countries getting the option of 2.0 diesel or 1.5-liter TFSI petrol engines (both making 148 hp / 150 PS) and the US skipping both in favor of a 2.0-liter TSFI that pumps out 261 hp (265 PS).
There’s also the option of plug-in power via the Q3 e-hybrid, which generates 268 hp (272 PS), can travel up to 74 miles (119 km) on electricity alone and can charge at up to 50 kW, boosting the battery from 10-80 percent in less than 30 minutes.
Baldauf
