Renault Koleos vs Audi Q3
What's the difference?

Renault Koleos

$12,980 - $26,990

2022 price

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Audi Q3

$58,700 - $84,327

2026 price

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Summary

2022 Renault Koleos

2026 Audi Q3

By Tim Nicholson

By Stephen Ottley

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Inline 4, 2.5L

Turbo 4, 1.5L

Fuel Type

Unleaded Petrol

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

8.1L/100km (combined)

5.8L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Decent value
Visually appealing
Spacious, comfortable cabin

Stylish, premium looks
Well-integrated technology
Good active safety calibration

Dislikes

Average ride quality
Dated multimedia and in-car tech
Lacks engagement as a driver’s car

No PHEV option (yet)
A few rattles in our test car
Small back seat

2022 Renault Koleos Summary

There’s no shortage of models to choose from if you’re after a family-friendly medium SUV. The problem is, it might take a while to get your hands on one, with lengthy wait times for some of the best sellers due to current delays caused by a global parts shortage and supply chain dramas.

But there are a handful of models with healthy stock in dealerships right now and available for immediate delivery. One of them is the Renault Koleos.

It's coming to the end of its life cycle and lacks the shine of some of its fresher rivals, but it’s a lot of car for the money.

We spent a week with the limited edition Koleos Black Edition to see if it is worth a trip to your Renault dealer, or if you should sit tight and wait for one of its newer rivals.

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2026 Audi Q3 Summary

Replacing a popular model is fraught with danger. Existing customers will tell you they love it, while focus groups of non-customers will tell you why they hate it and sometimes carmakers get caught trying to appease both groups.

Sometimes they’ll make it too big or change too much in the search for more sales and ultimately end up removing the elements that made it popular in the first place.

Which is why Audi has been extra careful with some subtle evolution for this new-generation Q3 SUV and Sportback. This isn’t just a popular model for Audi Australia, it has been the best-selling model for the German brand for more than five years, so getting it wrong would be a disaster.

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Deep dive comparison

2022 Renault Koleos 2026 Audi Q3

Verdict

To be fair to Renault, when the second-generation Koleos launched in 2016, it was a competitive offering. The problem is, a bunch of medium SUV rivals have been replaced in that time and some of them - Toyota RAV4, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Hyundai Tucson, to name a few - are high-quality offerings with an engaging drive and the latest tech and in-car features.

Unfortunately, that leaves the Koleos towards the rear of the medium SUV pack.

It offers solid value-for-money, handles reasonably well and is still one the best-looking SUVs on the road. But beyond that, the Koleos can’t keep pace with those top-notch rivals.

Verdict

So is this new Q3 good enough to remain Audi’s number one choice? In a word, yes.

Audi has resisted the temptation that some brands fall into by making too many changes to a proven sales performer. This new Q3 isn’t radically different from the old Q3, but it has improved in almost every way.

It isn’t different enough to widely expand its appeal to a new wave of customers, but there’s no reason it won’t remain Audi’s most popular choice for the foreseeable future.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

Renault Koleos vs Audi Q3 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

Renault Koleos vs Audi Q3
What's the difference?