Holden Acadia vs Audi RS Q3
What's the difference?

Holden Acadia

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2020 price

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Audi RS Q3

$83,888 - $99,990

2023 price

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Land Rover Discovery Sport

Mercedes-Benz EQ-Class

Mercedes-Benz G-Class

Mercedes-Benz G63

Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class

Mercedes-Benz GLS

Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class

Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross

Mitsubishi Outlander

Mitsubishi Pajero

Mitsubishi Pajero Sport

Summary

2020 Holden Acadia

2023 Audi RS Q3

By Laura Berry

By James Cleary

Safety Rating

Engine Type

V6, 3.6L

Turbo 5, 2.5L

Fuel Type

Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

8.9L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Truck-like looks
Advanced safety tech
Good value

Dynamics
Refinement
Quality

Dislikes

2000kg braked towing capacity
Engine needs to rev hard to make grunt
Wireless charging not standard on LT

Front seats tricky to get in and out of
Sizeable turning circle
Only six airbags

2020 Holden Acadia Summary

If the Acadia had an accent it would be a southern drawl because this big seven-seat SUV is built in Tennessee, USA, and wears a GMC badge when it’s at home.

In Australia of course it wears a Holden one and comes straight from the factory in right-hand drive. So how does it suit Aussie conditions? Does it even know the importance of a sausage on a piece of bread bought outside a hardware store on a Saturday?

All this and more was learnt when the entry grade LT front-wheel drive came to live with my family.

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2023 Audi RS Q3 Summary

Is 10 years long enough for a special birthday celebration? When you're a kid, hitting 'double figures' is a pretty big deal, and Audi's obviously in the mood to make some noise because it has lit the candles on a limited 10th anniversary version of its compact SUV rocket ship, the RS Q3.

Only 555 examples of the 'RS Q3 Sportback edition 10 years' will be produced for worldwide consumption, with Audi Australia capturing a batch of them and sending one our way for a brief blast as the fiery five-cylinder starts filtering into dealerships.

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Deep dive comparison

2020 Holden Acadia 2023 Audi RS Q3

Verdict

The Holden Acadia is a proper seven-seater SUV in that it will fit adults in the third row without turning your friends into enemies. It’s also practical and well fitted out with storage places and utilities such as USB ports.

I was particularly impressed with the advanced safety equipment on-board even at this entry LT level. Yes, it’s a V6 petrol and it’s not the most fuel-efficient SUV, but our time with it showed that with cylinder deactivation and the stop-start system it might not be as thirsty as you’d think.

Verdict

The Audi RS Q3 Sportback edition 10 years is dynamically brilliant, beautifully finished and surprisingly civilised on day-to-day duty. A polished compact performance package that even in this special 'get-it-while-you-can' guise offers compelling value relative to its direct competitors.

Holden Acadia vs Audi RS Q3 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Holden Acadia vs Audi RS Q3
What's the difference?