Fit and finish have long been Audi strengths, but the firm has added an impressively fine-tuned sense of aesthetics to its interiors in recent years. The Q3 typifies its effort to meld function and premium feel in a clean-cut, purposeful environment.
The dashboard is set high and bulges indulgently towards the occupants. Soft-touch trim and brushed buttons feature throughout much of the handsome matt black centre console. In daylight, it’s all pleasantly appealing, but at night the peerless use of subdued LED spotlighting bathes the cabin in a mesmerising glow.
There are mis-steps – the clickable climate controls are not satisfying to use, for example – but most are so immaterial that they serve only to highlight what a first-rate effort the overall aura is.
You sit high, with a traditional SUV vantage point, and the car feels sufficiently compact to pass as an overgrown A1 rather than A3. Nevertheless, up front, the overall impression is one of satisfyingly snug surroundings rather than an unnecessarily cramped cabin.
That perception alters in the rear. Moderate-sized adults should be able to fold themselves into the allotted space adequately enough, but tall passengers might feel short-changed by both the legroom and the lack of headroom caused by an even-lower-than-it-looks rear roofline. However, young, affluent families are a natural target and parents may conclude that, with good access, there’s an appropriate amount of room for little ones.
They’re likely to be content with 460 litres of boot space, too. Tip the rear seats forward and there’s 1365 litres – 250 more than in an A3 Sportback.
