2024 Audi Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI Quattro S Line Review

Always big seller in the premium small SUV segment, the Audi Q3 has been around since 2011 globally and even though its 2023 Australian sales were down 11.7 per cent, it was still Audi’s best-selling vehicle in Australia with 4,457 sales. We wanted to see why that was the case so we tested the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI Quattro S Line to see if it’s the small premium SUV to buy.

In recent years, there has been quite a lot of competition added into the premium small SUV segment to take the shine off the Q3’s stellar sales: rivals include the BMW X1, Mini Countryman, Mercedes-Benz GLA, Lexus UX, Volvo XC40 and the Land Rover Range Rover Evoque. Being one of the first to launch, does the Audi Q3 have what it takes to sill come out on top? Let’s find out.

How much does the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback cost to buy?

The starting point in the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback range is the 35 TFSI S Line, which is priced at $58,200 plus on-road costs. Step up to the 40 TFSI Quattro S Line which we have here and the price jumps up to $70,800 plus on-road costs (roughly $78,200 drive away depending on location) which is a significant jump from the 35 TFSI but it receives more equipment, all-wheel drive and a more powerful engine for the extra cash.

Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI standard equipment:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Dusk- and rain-sensing automatic all-LED exterior lighting with scrolling rear indicators
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Keyless entry with push button start
• Electric tailgate with hands-free opening and closing
• Rear and side tinted privacy glass
• Auto-folding and heated exterior mirrors
• Auto-dimming rear view mirror
• S Line sports seats
• 12-way electric front seats with power lumbar adjustment and manual leg extensions
• Leather seat upholstery
• Heated front seats
• Leather-wrapped S-badged three-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters
• Dual-zone automatic climate control with rear air vents
• 12.3-inch ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital driver’s display
• 10.1-inch touchscreen
• Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Satellite navigation with live traffic
• AM/FM/DAB+ digital radio
• ‘Audi connect navigation and infotainment’ live services with traffic, weather and parking information
• ‘Audi connect plus security and assistance services’ including car finder with remote signal, remote lock and unlock, emergency call, online roadside assistance and Audi service request
• 180-watt 10-speaker sound system
• Wireless smartphone charging
• 4x USB-C ports

Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI standard safety equipment:

• Six airbags
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go functionality
• Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Low-speed automatic reverse braking
• Emergency assist (slowly and safely stops the car if the driver becomes incapacitated)
• Lane keep assist
• Lane departure warning
• Blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree surround view camera
• Automatic parallel and perpendicular parking capability
• Driver attention monitoring
• Auto high beam

The 2024 Audi Q3 range earned a five-star ANCAP safety rating in 2018 with scores of 95 per cent for adult protection, 88 per cent for child protection, 76 per cent for pedestrian protection and 85 per cent for safety assist.

Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI options:

• Premium plus package with a 680-watt 15-speaker Sonos premium sound system, black exterior accents, 30-colour interior ambient lighting, Matrix adaptive high beam, scrolling front indicators, headlight washers and a panoramic glass roof: $3,900
• 680-watt 15-speaker Sonos sound system: $1,000
• Ambient lighting (30 colours): $350
• Panoramic sunroof: $2,080
• Black exterior styling package: $1,000
• Adaptive dampers: $1,700

Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI colour range:

• Arkona White: $0
• Pulse Orange: $600
• Chronos Grey: $1,250
• Dew Silver: $1,250
• Glacier White: $1,250
• Mythos Black: $1,250
• Navarra Blue: $1,250
• Daytona Grey: $1,250
• Progressive Red: $1,250 (on our test car)

In Australia, black leather upholstery is the only interior choice for the Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI.

We believe the BMW X2 xDrive20i M Sport to be the most direct rival to the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI Quattro. The BMW is priced at $75,900 plus on-road costs (or around $83,000 drive away), or $4,100 more than the Q3. Over the Q3, the X2 adds an extra airbag, memory settings for the driver’s seat, a head-up display and interior ambient lighting, though the Q3 has 20-inch wheels and a sunroof over the BMW.

How powerful is the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback?

Powering the 2024 Audi Q4 Sportback 40 TFSI is a familiar 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine that sends its power to all four wheels via a seven-speed ‘S Tronic’ dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The ‘EA888’ engine used in the Q3 is used in an endless amount of other Volkswagen Group products, including many Audis, and it’s a great engine thanks to its ample low-end torque. In the Q3 40, it produces 132kW of power (between 4,000 and 6,200rpm) and 320Nm of torque (between 1,400 and 3,900rpm) – that’s versus 150kW/300Nm in the X2 xDrive20i. The Q3’s claimed 0-100km/h time is 7.8 seconds and it hits a top speed of 220km/h, versus the X2’s 7.4 second and 231km/h stats.

While the Q3 40’s engine is not new – and there are newer and more powerful versions of this engine in other Audi products – it feels very modern thanks to its linear torque curve and more than enough grunt for both urban and country driving. Around town the engine is quiet and has enough grunt low in the rev to happily accelerate from standstill, while at higher speeds it can overtake with ease. We’re big fans of the EA888 engine here at DiscoverAuto and even though we would like to see the Australian-spec Q3 offered with the 180kW ’45’ variant, the 40 is speedy enough for most buyers and we think it actually feels faster than its numbers suggest, particularly because of its wide strong peak torque band.

The seven-speed dual-clutch ‘S-Tronic’ gearbox that is paired with the 2.0-litre engine, which has been a source of complaint from some in the past, was generally fine in our time with this particular test car. There is still a bit of slow speed hesitation from standstill that is typical from many dual-clutch transmissions from a variety of manufacturers, but once you’re moving, it shifts quickly. Our biggest gripe with the transmission is that it changes into second gear way too early and almost meshes first and second together. A way to fix this is to keep the transmission in sport mode as it holds gears for longer, though that will increase fuel consumption.

The claimed average fuel consumption for the Q3 40 Sportback TFSI is 8.2L/100km with CO2 emissions of 187g/km, which is not amazing but considering its 1,695kg tare weight, not too bad. In comparison, the X2 is rated at 7.2L/100km and 164g/km. In our week with the Q3 40, we saw an average fuel consumption figure of 9.7L/100km with mostly urban driving, which is a touch thirsty, but our test car was quite new with under 500km on the clock and previous experience with this engine tells us that it will be more efficient with more distance under its belt.

What is the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback like to drive?

Like the drivetrain, the 2020 Audi Q3 40 Sportback also shares its platform with other Volkswagen Group products – in this case it’s the MQB platform that also underpins the Volkswagen Tiguan, Skoda Kodiaq, Audi A3, Volkswagen Golf and so on. That gives the Q3 an excellent positioning for a sold dynamic package and thankfully, it delivers – Audi has given us a surprisingly adept and fun car that moves around its driver. The inherent tautness from other MQB products is very much evident in the Q3 – especially on the huge 20-inch wheels of our test car. We’d choose a lower spec if all out comfort is your priority but despite big wheels, the Q3 40 S Line rides well. It’s firm, but it’s never uncomfortable.

The Q3 handles well, too. Push it and you can really feel the all-wheel drive system shuffling power around, and the steering is nicely quick and offers reasonable feel as well. Combine that with the grippy chassis and the Q3 can be a fun car to drive – don’t think you need the RS Q3 for a good time. The Sportback’s visibility is just not as good as the regular model however, and on the huge 20-inch wheels, road noise levels aren’t amazing but on par with the X2. 

How practical is the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback?

As you’d expect for an Audi, the interior of the 2024 Audi Q3 is well built, it’s well featured with tech and is easily comfortable enough to live with on a daily basis. Material quality is pretty good – there is a soft touch dash, soft touch portions to the doors and a nice suede portion of the dashboard as well. We would like to see more soft touch materials used on the centre console – especially where your knees rest – but the material quality is otherwise pretty good. The leathers used – particularly on the lovely steering wheel – all feel great as well, and the doors close with a satisfying thud.

Storage inside the Q3 is also plentiful with deep door bins, a large centre console, a big glovebox, two large cupholders, a wireless charging pad to store your phone and another vertical spot in between the cupholders to store another phone. As for other charging options, there are two USB-C ports next to the wireless charger.

The power adjustable leather front seats are comfortable and supportive, while the leg extension is also handy for taller drivers. The four-way electric lumbar adjustment is also quite nice to have, and it means that drivers can explore almost endless driving position adjustability. However, we would like to see memory settings for the driver’s seat as that should be standard equipment for the money.

The 10.1-inch touchscreen used in the Q3 is a joy to use with an excellent quality screen, a quick response time and an easy to use software system. It has a lot of features, including wireless smartphone mirroring, digital radio, satellite navigation and even online services for features like live traffic reporting and even weather information, including a rain radar. The optional 680-watt 15-speaker Sonos sound system is superb too with a great level of punch and a lot of personalisation options. As you’d expect for a modern Audi, the ‘Virtual Cockpit’ digital driver’s display is excellent.

Step into the rear of the Q3 Sportback and you’ll note that thanks to the sloping roofline there isn’t an abundance of head room, but it’s still a reasonably spacious space. Two six-footer adults will be fine, though any taller adults might struggle thanks to the headroom. Helping practicality further is that the rear seat both slides and reclines in a 60:40 split. Those in the rear will enjoy a centre armrest (which doubles as a ski pass through for snow bunnies) with two cupholders, door pockets, two USB-C charging ports, a 12-volt power outlet, air vents and map pockets. For child seats, there are three top-tether points and two ISOFIX points as well.

The boot of the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback is power operated and opens up to reveal a healthy 530-litres of cargo space – fold the seats down and that opens up to 1,400L in total. As you’d expect for an Audi, there’s helpful practicalities in the boot like a 12V socket in the left side storage tray, cargo hooks and under floor storage, while a space-saver spare wheel lies underneath the boot floor.

What warranty covers the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback?

As with its other new cars, Audi Australia covers the Q3 with a five-year/unlimited km warranty with five years of roadside assistance. The Q3’s service intervals are once-yearly/every 15,000km, whichever comes first. Audi doesn’t quote pay-as-you-go service pricing, but a five-year/75,000km service pack for the Q3 40 costs $3,330 for an average yearly service cost of $666.

BMW offers the same warranty term as Audi for its vehicles, though its roadside assistance only lasts for three years. A five-year/80,000km service pack for the X2 xDrive20i is $2,500 ($500 annually) with the same 12 month/15,000km service intervals as the Audi.

Should I buy a 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback?

We like the Audi Q3 here at DiscoverAuto because it’s a great size, it looks good, it drives well and it’s well equipped. Plus, the Sportback bodystyle adds some extra visual pizzaz without taking away too much in practicality – though, if you don’t mind the more traditional SUV look we would save $2,400 and forgo the Sportback for the regular Q3 wagon as it’s still quite handsome. Overall though, we were impressed with the 2024 Audi Q3 Sportback 40 TFSI Quattro. It’s a keen handler, has a stylish and feature packed interior and looks great.

The Q3 is not perfect however – the rear seat is not huge, it’s become more expensive compared to when we last tested it, it should offer more performance for the money and it can be touch thirsty. All of that considered, would we buy a Q3 over its rivals? Well, while the we prefer the interior ergonomics of the Q3 over the X2’s rather complicated touchscreen layout and we much prefer the quality of the Audi’s interior too. In all, the Q3 is a very compelling option in the premium small SUV segment and it would definitely be on our test drive list if we were after one.

Looking for a more powerful Q3? Read the DiscoverAuto review of the RS Q3 Sportback Edition 10 Years here.