onsumer Guide's Impressions of the 2011 Audi Q3

Audi does a premium take on parent VW's Tiguan SUV to create a second compact crossover. With sporty style and available turbodiesel economy, the Q3 should be as much a timely recession-fighter as bigger-brother Q5.

What We Know About the 2011 Audi Q3

The 2008 election has come and gone, but the bad economic news keeps rolling in. An Election Day headline in the New York Times aptly summed up the auto industry's worsening woes: "Steep Decline in October Auto Sales Leaves No Seller Immune." Well, almost. BMW's Mini was up a dramatic 56 percent from October 2007, and Volkswagen's premium Audi division eeked out a 0.3-percent year-to-year gain in U.S. sales. Audi said in a press release that its 2008 deliveries through October were "down only 3.5 percent [despite] a double-digit decline in the luxury market due to the softening economy."

OK, homeland rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz still lead by 4-to-1 margins. But the fact that Audi is showing some upside, however modest, should not be underestimated in a market hobbled by fear and uncertainty. As in politics, momentum means a lot in the car business.

New products usually help sustain that momentum and bolster sales. That's why Audi is forging ahead with the new-model offensive it began a couple years ago. Prime among the latest hoped-for successes are the redesigned version of Audi's top U.S. seller, the 2009 A4 premium compact car, and a pair of five-seat compact crossover SUVs, the 2009 Q5 and the 2011 Audi Q3.

The 2011 Audi Q3 follows Q5 to market by about a year as a sportier, somewhat trimmer running mate, much as Audi's A3 hatchback now supplements the A4 line. Q3 should also cost a bit less than Q5, as the nomenclature hints, but will be no less well equipped, or so say the spies. Both models add to the growing field of premium-compact SUVs inhabited by the Acura RDX, BMW X3 (being redesigned for a calendar-2010 U.S. arrival), and the Infiniti EX35 from Nissan's upscale brand. By the way, it appears the Q3 will indeed be called that. Infiniti raised doubts in claiming dibs on Q-names, but we understand the companies have settled this dispute.

The 2011 Audi Q3 will be much like the 2007 Cross Coupe Concept--"Cross" as in crossover--with near-identical dimensions and quieter styling. Unlike the Q5, where structural elements and some underskin components are mixed-and-matched from several VW/Audi vehicles, the Q3 is basically an upscale version of parent VW's Tiguan compact SUV.

There are differences, however. Take engines. While the 2011 Audi Q3 should mimic Tiguan with a standard 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder, the Q3 unit is said to be a newer, Audi-specific design making more power and torque. In addition--and despite Audi's recent denials to the contrary--the Q3 is expected to offer a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel 4-cylinder that's not currently available in the U.S.-market Tiguan. Though similar to the 140-horsepower turbodiesel option in VW's 2009 Jetta compact cars, this engine is also said to be Audi-specific and rumored to pack 200 horsepower, plus a strong 295 lb-ft of torque instead of 236.

Spies report that both engines will mate only with a 6-speed automated-manual transmission, Audi's now-familiar S-tronic unit, allied to Quattro all-wheel drive. A front-drive Q3 may be listed, but probably not at launch. Tiguan, by contrast, already lists a front-drive base model with a straight 6-speed manual gearbox, and VW's automatic option is a conventional torque-converter transmission.

Judging by the Cross Coupe Concept, the 2011 Audi Q3 will have a rakish coupe-like profile instead of a wagon shape like Tiguan and the Q5. Think steroidal A3 hatchback on stilts. We'd look for standard 18-inch alloy wheels, with 19s and perhaps 20s available. Other chassis hardware will be adapted from the latest A4. That means front and rear multilink suspension, large 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS, Audi's ESP antiskid/traction-control system, and electric power steering. Among expected functional options are an adaptive suspension with auto-adjusting electromagnetic shock absorbers, a feature shared with Audi's hot and pricey R8 sports car. Another expected extra is a new version of Audi's Drive Select system. As in other models that offer it, this allows tailoring powertrain, brake, suspension, and steering response for normal and sporty driving. But the Q3 setup reportedly adds an "efficiency" mode that maximizes fuel economy by keeping the transmission in top gear virtually full-time and by limiting throttle response when going up steep grades, even though it means losing some, er, momentum. How much this might improve mpg remains to be seen, but it's the kind of electronic fuel-saver that's fast spreading throughout the industry to help lower fuel consumption and nasty carbon emissions with it.

As for other features, the 2011 Audi Q3 will certainly come with front side airbags and curtain side airbags, plus full power assists. Optional rear side airbags are very likely. Ditto a navigation system with rearview camera and disc-drive digital-file storage, an XXL sunroof, the inevitable S-Line package of sporty suspension and cosmetic tweaks, and one or more trim suites with leather upholstery or a combination of leather and suede-like Alcantara cloth.

Audi may not need two small crossovers when rivals field just one, but German automakers seem determined to plug every possible market gap with specialty models that blur the usual categories--witness the BMW X6--and Audi has its sights set on becoming the world's top-selling premium auto brand. Sounds like another race for the White House, doesn't it?

A Notable Feature of the 2011 Audi Q3

Perhaps the most notable thing about the 2011 Audi Q3 is what it won't have: serious off-road capability. And why should it? This is, after all, a crossover SUV, which basically means a good old-fashioned station wagon that may look something like a truck and even have all-wheel drive, but is intended mainly as a car-like on-road vehicle. It's this more user-friendly formula that explains why crossovers way outsell traditional truck-based SUVs, with compact models the most popular of all. Indeed, the top-three sellers in 2007 were the mainstream Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Toyota RAV4. Small wonder, then, that Audi is pitching two crossovers into the more-lucrative premium-compact segment.

Buying Advice for the 2011 Audi Q3

Considering how nice the Tiguan is, the 2011 Audi Q3 should be one of the sportier compact-SUV drives regardless of price, and the expected 4-cylinder turbodiesel engine promises class-leading fuel economy, although some rivals will likely offer "oil burners" in the next year or two. Audi's reputation for first-rate interiors is another Q3 asset. Still, this "crossover coupe" will enter a growing field where competition is heating up. As mentioned, the Acura RDX, BMW X3, and Infiniti EX35 are already here. So is the Land Rover LR2, which tilts toward honest off-road capability despite a car platform. Mercedes-Benz will soon weigh in with its GLK, and there's talk of a second Lexus entry to supplement the granddaddy of all crossovers, the RX. And, oh yes, the Q3 will to some extent compete with bigger-brother Q5.

Choice is always good, but getting the best value is more important than ever in today's rough economy. Consumer Guide can help you do that with authoritative reviews and complete price information, available both here online and in the pages of our Car and Truck Test magazines. Speaking of the rough economy, even premium brands are now using deal-sweeteners to help stem the general sales slide, and Audi should be no exception with the Q3. Just be sure to have a platinum-level credit rating and be prepared to make a heftier-than-usual down payment.

2011 Audi Q3 Release Date: There's no word yet, but we'd look for sales to begin in the second or third quarter of 2010.

2011 Audi Q3 First Test Drive: Assuming we're correct with the above, U.S. media previews would probably happen in February or March of 2010.

2011 Audi Q3 Prices: As mentioned, the Q3 should cost a bit less than its Q5 running mate, which we think will run in the $40,000-$50,000 range, depending on equipment. Audi hasn't yet released final U.S. pricing for Q5, but our guesstimate suggests the Q3 might open at around $36,000 and top out in the mid-40s. But don't hold us to that. Markets and commodity prices are obviously moving in strange and unexpected ways, so actual pricing for both vehicles could differ--and probably will.

Article key :  Audi Q3 Review, Audi Q3, Audi, Q3 Review, New Car, 2011