We’re keen on small crossovers like the 2021 Audi Q3, and by looking at the road outside our windows, everyone else is too.
This year, the Q3 returns and it’s largely the same as last year, except the price. The 2021 Audi Q3 nets a 6.7 TCC Rating, propelled by good safety scores and standard features. (Read more about how we rate cars.)
Audi offers Premium and Premium Plus versions of the Q3, starting from $36,995. New this year is a standard sporty appearance package (which was optional last year) and a small shuffle among features.
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What hasn’t changed? The Q3’s big proportions compared to others in its class, and its sedate style that we think will wear well. The Q3 relies on the same 2.0-liter turbo-4 that makes 228 horsepower teamed to an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive.
The Q3’s best gifts are inside, where it’s comfortable and svelte despite its 2-ton heft. Rear seat passengers get more than 36 inches of leg room, which is admirable among its contemporaries. Behind the rear seats, the Q3 holds up to 23.7 cubic feet of cargo (with the rear seats slid back for more passenger comfort that figure drops to 18.7 cubic feet). With the seats down that space expands to 48 cubic feet, which in our testing was only hampered by a stylish roofline that descends toward the rear liftgate.
The IIHS called it a Top Safety Pick+ last year and we expect that rating to carry over soon. In addition to top safety scores, the Q3 gets standard automatic emergency braking and lane-departure warnings to complement those crash-test scores.
A 10.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 8.8-inch touchscreen are standard on all Q3s. Same goes for wireless Apple CarPlay (sorry Android users, bring a cord) and leather upholstery. The Q3 beams with luxury touches that we’d expect for its $37,000 starting price, but spending more gets a lot more. Bigger wheels, better audio, and nicer interior shades are all on the menu and we’re hungry for all of the above.
If $40,000 makes you wince for Audi’s smallest crossover, perhaps its bigger size over the competition will cushion the blow?