The Drive Select
system, with its options of Comfort, Auto and Dynamic, varies the steering,
making it feel more direct on Dynamic. On this setting, it also heightens the
response to the accelerator pedal, alters the change-up points of the S tronic
gearbox so that the gears are held to higher revs, and affects the valves in
the exhaust system, allowing it to sound more tuneful and aggressive.
The suspension and
handling of the RS Q3 is one area where we had some doubts. Because of the need
to provide the off-road ability which some owners would expect from an SUV, the
engineers could not reduce the ride height too much and, in fact, the
suspension is only lowered by 25 mm when compared to the regular Q3s. This
means that the centre of gravity is still quite high when you compare it with
other high-performance Audis, which have a much lower ride height. As a result,
the RS Q3 never feels as assured during fast cornering as most other fast
Audis. It also mean that the ride is a big jiggly, whichever of the Drive
Select settings you have it on, something which passengers frequently commented
on. We feel that the RS Q3 would benefit from having variable damper rates, but
magnetic ride dampers are not offered as an option.
The RS Q3 has big
wheels and tyres. The rims measure 8.5 x 20-inches, and carry 255/35 tyres. The
standard wheels are called ‘5-twin-spoke-V’, and two more are available, both
of them called ‘5-arm Rotor’. All three are the same size.
The
cockpit of the RS Q3
In dynamic terms,
though, the RS Q3 is a very rapid car, accelerating from rest to 50 mph in only
3.4 seconds, and climbing to 60, 70 and 80 mph in 5.3, 6.3 and 8.0 seconds
respectively. When you are on the move and kick the accelerator pedal to the
floor for maximum acceleration, you can get from 30 to 50 mph in only 1.8
seconds, and from 30 to 50 mph in 2.6 seconds. These are all very quick times
and mean that you can get past slower-moving traffic surprisingly easily. This
is helped by the fact that you sit quite high and this enables you to see more
of what is ahead on the road.
Because this is,
essentially, an A3-series car, one might expect the fuel consumption to be
quite favourable, but there are several factors which militate against this.
The RS Q3 is a relatively heavy car, and the ride height and general
aerodynamics do it no favours in terms of wind resistance. It has big, wide
tyres, involving plenty of drag, and it is powered by a high-performance
2.5-litre engine. When you take all of these factors into account, you begin to
realise that it is no good expecting it to be particularly economical. After
all, it is an RS model, where the emphasis is on acceleration rather than fuel
economy.
Our overall fuel
consumption figure was 22.6 mpg and this needs to be taken in context. There
are two other cars which are powered by this engine, the RS 3 and the TT RS and
the overall fuel consumption of these two vehicles proved to be, respectively,
24.7 and 28.4 mpg. Why the difference? Well, both the RS 3 and the TT RS are
more aerodynamic than the RS Q3 but, more importantly, they are lighter, the RS
3 by 4.8 per cent, and the TT RS, which has so much alu-minium in its body
shell, by 12.4 per cent.
RS
Q3 interior back seat view
Driving the RS Q3 with
economy in mind, we were able to improve the fuel consumption to 28.2 mpg, but
it would be difficult to do much better than this. Perhaps, on a long run and
with very modest use of the throttle you might get to 30 mpg, but that is not
how most owners will want to drive this car.
The RS Q3 is just as
practical as less powerful Q3s, the body providing plenty of room inside for
passengers, and a versatile space for luggage. With the split-folding rear seat
backs down, it becomes almost like a small van, although the load deck is quite
high. Despite this, there is no spare wheel beneath the floor and, even if
there was, the average person would find that lifting out a big 20-inch wheel
and tyre is an almost impossible task.
RS Q3 Folded Rear Seats
