2022 Audi Q3 first drive review

We have one thing to say about the 2022 Audi Q3: It makes a good first impression.Known for its sharp architectural looks, Audi always seems to appeal to those with a keen appreciation for modern industrial design.It's easy to mistake it for the pricier Q5 or even the Q8.The interior isn't quite as impressive, but it still marvels with its large, sharp display and rich functional content.Its price tag should also be noted, as it costs less than most other subcompact luxury crossovers but offers more standard equipment.

However, the second, third and fourth impressions were less successful.Acceleration from the base engine is terrible for a luxury car, and the more powerful 45 TFSI upgrade is 2 to 3 mpg worse than similarly powered rivals.We repeatedly experienced the unnervingly delayed response of the eight-speed automatic transmission and found the numb steering more indicative of a Volkswagen than an Audi.The same goes for some cabin plastics.In the end, this smallest Audi crossover is simply too small.All of its rivals have more cargo space, as do larger non-luxury models (especially those from Mazda) that are priced higher than they started in the third quarter.So, we can understand why it might catch your attention, but we recommend taking a closer look a few times.

What's new in 2022?

Blind-spot and rear cross-traffic warning systems are now standard along with parking sensors - all of which were previously part of the Convenience Package.Premium Plus comes with a 360-degree parking camera system.

How is the Q3's interior and in-car technology?

Like other Audis, the Q3 interior is tech-centric, with a rather architectural design with lots of sharp corners.It's a bit reminiscent of the 1980s.Materials are ok for the price.There's more hard plastic than you'll find in other Audis (even the surprisingly disappointing Q5), and the metal or wood trim on the right side of our test car's dashboard signature epitomizes the word "fixed" -- No other such trim is present elsewhere in the cabin.

Audi has tech inside, including a standard 10.25-inch digital instrument display and an 8.8-inch touchscreen, tall and within reach.However, both can be upgraded to Audi's Virtual Cockpit system, increasing the gauge unit to 12.3 inches and the central touchscreen to 10.1 inches.We only tested the latter setting and found the resolution to be excellent, it responded quickly to input and even clicked when the virtual button was pressed, as Audi's real buttons have done for years.want to.Feature content is also strong, as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, and we love that the car automatically pairs the phone with CarPlay to work wirelessly after plugging the phone into the USB port.

The touchscreen doesn't function perfectly.We like that menu options remain in the channel on the left side of the screen at all times, reducing toggling back and forth between menus.However, there are some weaknesses related to the audio controls (we couldn't figure out how to keep the list of radio presets on screen), and there's no getting around the fact that the touchscreen pulls your eyes off the road for longer.Audi's old knob-and-screen MMI system can be operated without looking at the dashboard.