There’s a first. Usually, it's Audi's
sedans, hatchbacks and station wagons that get handed over to the firm's
Neckarsulm-based Renn Sport high-performance subsidiary to become
fire-breathing sports versions. With the RS Q3, however, Renn Sport's ingenuity
(and Audi's bravery) has been stretched can a compact SUV wear the RS badge
with conviction?
The folks at Quattro GmbH have neatly
managed to tread a fine line between cutesy and caricatured with this RS take
on the Q3. Go-faster staples like a more aggressive take on the single-frame
grille and a deeper, more sculpted front apron with enlarged lower air intakes,
along with optional 19-inch alloys and a slight swell of the haunches, have
been subtly applied to a pleasing overall effect.
The
necessary RS exterior addenda have been subtly applied
The interior is a similar story. The
asymmetrical facia design is one of Audi's most original, while the rest of the
cabin is about as reassuringly brushed-chrome-trimmed, rubberised and solidly
executed as you'd wish for, with just a smattering of RS badges and a tactile,
flat-bottomed steering wheel being the most noticeable differentiators.
Being underpinned by Volkswagen's PQ35
platform (it also did duty in the Golf 6) translates to a reasonably roomy
cabin, but taller testers remarked that headroom was tight owing to a lofty
seating position that couldn't be ratcheted down to their liking. This,
combined with fairly limited rake-and-reach adjustment for the steering column,
doesn't afford the driver a sportier stance befitting the RS's performance
proviso. The rear's sharply sloped profile means taller rear occupants will
also find their scalps grazing the headliner, although rear kneeroom is
adequate and the well-insulated cabin always feels very refined.
Cabin
design is one of Audi's more original efforts
Having delicately massaged the Q3's
packaging to RS requirements, Audi's engineers decided to go all out with the
power plant. In an automotive landscape where frugal, aurally innocuous
four-pot turbopetrols have become the order of the day for the latest batch of
sporty compacts, it's refreshing to see that Audi has slotted in a mildly
detuned version of the characterful, albeit somewhat thirsty, five-cylinder
turbo engine from the previous-generation RS3 and TT RS into this car's nose.
With a broad torque plateau that intersects
with the peak power at around 5,000 r/min, it's a flexible, hard-charging power
plant that lends the RS astonishing grunt. Stow the pedal fiat and the power
delivery arrives in a sudden swell accompanied by an offbeat five-pot snarl
with upshifts punctuated by resonant whumphs from the tail when the car's sport
Drive Select setting activates the exhaust flaps.
Standard
sports seats are a decent compromises between support and comfort
With 420 Nm on offer, this is dearly a
quick car, and a glance at the overtaking acceleration figures shows that the
RS is capable of giving larger-engined performance SUVs and some performance
sedans a run for their money. This observation is further enforced by a
sub-six-second 0-100 km/h sprint time.
The transmission, however, is more of a
mixed bag. At full bore, the seven-speed dual- clutch unit is in its element,
holding onto the revs and gleefully socking its way through the gears. But in
stop/ start driving, it struggles to pull its punches and becomes somewhat
jerky when gently accelerating on a trailing throttle in slow-moving traffic.
It's a low-speed quirk that we've previously encountered in a couple of dual-clutch-equipped
Au dis.
Being
a compact car, there's an inevitable nibbling of legroom. Some passengers may
find the swooping roofline inconvenient
The RS's dynamics are similarly two-sided.
Although Drive Select tweaks steering weight and throttle response, there's not
a marked difference between the three presets. The steering is evenly weighted
and, while not overly communicative, it is accurate in its feel. The
all-wheel-drive system is a slightly beefed-up version of the Quattro
drivetrain featured in most of Audi's compact models, here equipped with a
multiplate clutch at the rear that apportions torque fore and aft. Unlike some
RS models, it doesn't feature a torque-vectoring system on the rear axle and,
consequently, tends to edge its nose wide when piling on the power through a
sweeping bend.
Although the ride height has been dropped
from the stock Q3's 170 mm to 145 mm, aggressive cornering still induces
noticeable body lean because there's plentiful grip on offer. It's a sensation
that's slightly exacerbated by minimal seat bolstering that sets you sliding
about when things get lateral. However, once you've learnt to trust the level
of traction and adjust your driving style to its nuances, the RS proves
surprisingly nimble and entertaining.
Audi's
daytime running lights give some of the most aggressive in-mirror profiles
you'll see
Another surprise is the RS's ride quality.
Normally, the combination of stiffened suspension, reduced spring travel and
the test vehicle's 40-profile footwear wouldn't bode well for ride comfort. But
there's a good deal of pliancy to the ride that renders it unflustered by all
but the worst road imperfections and therefore more liveable than you'd think.
Test Summary
The RS Q3 makes absolutely no practical
sense. But, given the fact that our market is awash with capable but largely
unremarkable automotive fare, the desire to be different is the very crucible
in which cars such as this are formed. As one member of the test team neatly
surmised, it's not the sort of car you'd normally end up recommending to
anyone. They'd buy it purely because they want it.
Seats
up, the Q3 can stow 460 litres. Fold the seats down and you'll be offered 1,365
litres
Despite being the least conventional member
of an already quite unconventional stable, the RS Q3 possesses an appreciable
degree of the voice, punch and involvement that those two emotive initials
stand for. It is a seriously left of centre automobile, but a novel and brave
foray for which Audi deserves a good deal of credit.
