Volkswagen T-ROC vs Audi Q3

What's the difference?

For a small SUV that technically starts under the $40,000 mark, the 2024 Volkswagen T-Roc has a fair bit going for it.

It’s still in its first generation, but updates have made some parts of the T-Roc feel properly up to speed. And the parts that haven’t? Well, maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

We’re driving the mid-spec Style 110TSI, which sits above the base CityLife, but below the R-Line. Then of course, there’s the wicked R variant.

But is this a Euro that could replace your trusted Japanese small SUV?

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.