Audi Q3 2015 News

Manufacturers including Hyundai, Holden, Jeep, Peugeot, Citroen and Audi have all issued safety recalls for various models, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The Australasian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced another round of national safety recalls, with models from Audi, Honda and Skoda impacted by the call backs.

Now the German manufacturer is about to run up the flag again with an improved version of the compact sports utility vehicle first seen in Australia in 2012.Audi Australia managing director Andrew Doyle says for the latest iteration of the Q3, the company had concentrated on equipment customers regularly chose when making a purchase.At the top of the new Q3 trim line is the S line sport package and the S line exterior package.Audi Q3 offers two petrol and two diesel engines, all turbocharged and Euro 6 emission compliant. The 1.4 TFSI engine in the Q3 entry-level model has gained Audi's innovative Cylinder on Demand (CoD) technology; two of its four cylinders shut down under light throttle loads up to 20 per cent to reduce consumption and emissions.Putting out 110kW of power and 250Nm of torque it is capable of pushing the Q3 to 100km/h from rest in 8.9 seconds.Such is the operation of the engine, that during a launch drive in northern NSW and south-east Queensland, switches of cylinder use from two to four were indiscernible.The two 2.0-litre engines – one TDI diesel and one TFSI petrol – produce figures of 135kW and 380Nm and 132kW and 320Nm respectively. The TDI reaching 100km/h in 7.9 seconds, with measured consumption of 5.4L/100km.The fastest Audi Q3, the TFSI petrol, sprints to 100km/h in 7.6 seconds, with only minor cost to combined fuel rating at 6.7L/100km.The Q3 1.4 TFSI COD makes use of the Audi six-speed S tronic transmission, while other models have the benefit of seven-speed S tronic and Audi's quattro all-wheel drive system.Generous ground clearance enables the Q3 to handle mid-range off-road driving conditionsChassis fine-tuning, Audi quattro all-wheel drive, plus speed-sensitive power steering, ensure agile handling and superior ride comfort, well illustrated on the launch drive on a range for roads from suburban streets to tight twists and turns, plus some highway cruising. Nothing too strenuous.The cabin interior was light on intrusive noise from any of the engines and road surfaces. Body roll in tight corners was kept to a minimum, with only a hint of understeer coming through when the vehicle was hard pressed.Generous ground clearance enables the Q3 to handle mid-range off-road driving conditions. And now for the first time the standard electronic stabilisation control can be deactivated in two stages.Interestingly, an ESC off-road mode provides optimal traction off the beaten track. This adjusts certain functions, such as ABS and the electronic differential lock, and the control function optimised for the surface. That's clever.The Audi drive select dynamic handling system, which is standard with the sport line, allows the driver to switch between comfort, auto, dynamic and efficiency modes by means of a button. The system combines the accelerator, power steering and S tronic transmission.The Q3 maintains the coupe-like profile that has come to characterise the modern SUV, while its 'Audiness' is announced by the sculpted single-frame radiator grille and wraparound tailgate.Redesigned standard headlights are xenon plus, daytime running lights LED. Optional LED headlamps are offered in combination with dynamic turn signals integrated into reworked LED taillights. The turn signals light up sequentially from the inside in the direction the driver intends to turn.Fifteen wheel designs – seven of them new – in 17 or 18-inch sizes are on offer as standard. Options are 19 and 20-inch. All tyres are low rolling resistance and a tyre pressure indicator is standard.Inside the cabin there is room for five. Cargo capacity of 460 litres can be increased to 1365 litres by folding the split rear seatbacks.Ergonomic instruments and controls, plus the use of quality materials fitted with top-notch workmanship mark the Q3 as a premium product. Clever options include a luggage compartment package, a pass-through and power tailgate. Roof rails and a new, extendible cargo cover are standard.The standard radio features MMI operation from larger Audi models. The fold-out colour monitor with 6.5-inch display, a memory card reader and an audio tuner with phase diversity are standard. The MMI radio also includes a Bluetooth interface and the Audi music interface for easy connection of a mobile player.At the top of the multimedia range is MMI navigation plus with rotary pushbutton and 7-inch monitor displaying graphics and navigation map in 3-D.Audi sound or Bose surround sound are on offer, the latter a ten-channel, 465 watt amplifier driving 14 speakers, including a subwoofer. It uses a microphone to analyse intrusive noises and adjusts playback accordingly.The Audi Q3 achieves the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating and owners can take advantage of a range of advanced driver assistance systems.For example, Audi side assist, active lane assist, high-beam assist and hill descent control, along with electric folding and dimming exterior mirrors can be combined into a new $2490 Assistance package.A Comfort package ($2490) consists of electric and heated front seats, and automatic tailgate, while a Technik package ($2990) includes MMI navigation plus, park assist and Audi sound system.Q3 prices start at $42,900, plus on-road costs, for the Q3 1.4 TFSI COD S tronic and top out at $56,900 for the 2.0 TDI S tronic quattro Sport.The ultimate option is a new Q3 camping tent that can be set up in minutes and fastened to the vehicle's open tailgate. One person with an air pump can set up the entire tent in just three minutes.Another four minutes is all it takes to connect the tent to the Q3 via the open rear hatch. Secured to the ground with eight camping pegs, it can withstand winds of up to 70km/h.

Audi Q3 receives styling enhancements for 2015, plus more poke for the range-topping RS Q3.

New Honda Jazz sets new benchmark for rear view cameras: $14,990.

Audi’s RS Q3 is on its way to Australia in the first quarter of 2014, but until we see it in the metal, we'll have to make do with this tasty trailer.

Hot-shot SUVs from Germany have been big, beefy beasts with M or AMG badges until now. Get ready for the RS Q3 - the first Q-series SUV to wear the Audi performance acronym and it's here next year.While Audi is not talking specifics on prices, expect it to follow the sliced-price policy of the new RS4 wagon and be the first RS model under $100,000 when it lobs in the first quarter of 2014. The four-ringed brand will rip the covers from the production RS Q3 at the Geneva motor show next month, boasting a 5.5 second sprint to 100km/h and a governed top speed of 250km/h.Powered by a slightly less frenetic version of the 2.5-litre direct-injection in-line five-cylinder intercooled turbo from the 250kW/450Nm TT RS, its got 228kW and 420Nm on offer in the RS Q3. Peak power is available across a broader rev range - 228kW is produced from 5200 through to 6700rpm (as opposed to 5400 to 6500 in the 255kg-lighter TT RS) and 420Nm is around from 1500 to 5200rpm, 100rpm earlier.The super-swift SUV also claims an average fuel consumption of 8.8 litres per 100km. The powerplant - teamed with a seven-speed S-tronic twin-clutch gearbox with paddleshifters and all-wheel drive - features launch control, an active exhaust system to produce an engine note reminiscent of the brand's rally heritage and it also has the stop-start fuel-saving system.Sitting about 25mm lower than the standard Q3, the RS version has a sports mode to its stability control for some leeway and comes to a halt by means of front cross-drilled and ventilated (front and rear) brakes, with eight-piston front calipers, which will have a kerb weight of 1730kg to retard. Body extras, cabin trim upgrades and addons including the de rigeur black honeycomb grille, larger front air intake, rear diffuser, sports leather seats, the RS flat-bottomed steering wheel, xenon headlights, LED tail lights and alloy mirror housings will set it apart from the standard Q3 line-up.Final specification is yet to be determined for Australia but its home market will get the RS Q3 with 19in alloy wheels, although there are going to be 20in options on offer as well. Audi Australia's Anna Burgdorf says the RS model line-up was set for an expansion over the next 18 months with RS 5 Cabriolet and RS6 wagon and then RS7 and RS Q3 in early 2014."SUVs in Australia are strong in our market, we'll have the SQ5 in the market at the end of April this year and then the RS Q3 adds another layer altogether, it's going to be our most affordable RS model," she says. "I think it will do very well in Australia, we love a performance carand we love an SUV, this is the perfect combination of both," she says. 

The compact Q2 is being previewed at the Paris motor show as the Crosslane Coupe concept.Nobody is fooled by the concept tag, as the mechanical details are almost identical to a range-extender hybrid A1 - with a combination of battery power and three-cylinder petrol engine - I drove in Munich earlier this week.The body is a good looking crossover design with a four-seater cabin and overall dimensions shorter and lower than the Q3 already on sale, although it is likely to become a five-seater by showroom time. Audi is expected to pitch it as a rival to the Mini Countryman.The Q2 is the second new model from the Volkswagen Group to be built on the company's flexible MQB mechanical platform, which is also the base for the latest Golf Mk7. More details soon. 

At the world launch of the sub-compact SUV in Zurich last week, Audi allowed journalists to drive a prototype model featuring the engine from the TT RS Coupe and RS 3. The 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI engine produces 228kW of power which is detuned from the TT RS with 250kW and the A3 RS with 258kW. Torque is expected to be about 450Nm. Whatever the final figures, it shames the 155kW in the four-cylinder TFSI "hot" model which arrives in Australia about this time next year. The prototype is wicked-fast with a howling note, quattro drive, seven-speed S tronic transmission and S Line sports suspension. Matthias Nothling, spokesman for Audi's performance arm, quattro GmbH, says the prototype is designed to show the potential for the Q3. But will it go into production? "Not this year," he says. "It's not been decided yet. We don't even have a name for it." Nothling says no other mechanical changes were made to the Q3 prototype, except to install the engine. "It's got the same suspension as the S Line," he says. "It shows how a Q3 can perform. "We just wanted to show that the four-cylinder engine is not the end of the Q3's potential." He says there are no other Q3 derivatives planned yet. "We are just at the beginning of the Q3's life," he says.

BMW axed its $700 optional speed-zone recognition technology in May, blaming the frequent varying speed zones in Australia for bamboozling their system. However, Audi's new Q3 sub-compact SUV which arrives about this time next year will "eventually" come with an optional speed limit display. The technology uses cameras to identify speed signs and displays the relevant speed on the satnav screen and on an LCD screen in the instrument binnacle. The recognised signs are cross-referenced with satnav information. Audi Australia spokesman Sean Poppitt says the technology will be used in Australia. "The speed limit display technology will eventually be introduced into Australia but we don't have a firm timeline as yet," he says. "Each country has its own unique road sign systems and idiosyncratic details, and it takes time to integrate all of these different countries with the technology. So it's not always a quick process, but the technology will come to Australia." Other speed zone software includes Holden's advisory system in its latest VE II Commodore, while speed limits are also included in most of the latest aftermarket satnav systems, such as TomTom. The BMW satnav software has been available in the 7 Series sedan and 5 Series wagon this year, but was withdrawn in May. BMW spokesman Piers Scott says the company has not had any issues with the equipment functioning properly anywhere in the world, except Australia. "The high number of variations of speed limits, especially in urban areas, meant the accuracy wasn't what it should be for a BMW product,'' he says. "Accuracy was still in the 90 per cent region but, nonetheless, there were enough little niggles and anomalies for us to withdraw it. We've had engineers here on three separate occasions fine-tuning the system, but it's still not what it should be.'' Scott says BMW has not permanently shelved the potentially life-saving technology for Australia. "We are confident we can overcome it. It is a problem that is only occurring in Australia. They're happy elsewhere because there aren't the number of changes in speed zones we have here. "The technology and data are no different from other markets, but here we have such a high level of variable speed zones, it's struggling to keep up with it. And the very draconian way in which speed limits are patrolled here means there is no margin for error.''