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The 2026 Audi Q3's main ingredients are mostly the same as before: a single four-cylinder powertrain for the U.S., standard all-wheel drive, and a sub-$45,000 targeted base price. What's changed is that it now has better features and more power. The recently redesigned Audi Q5 is the brand's bestselling model in the United States, but last year the smaller Q3 rose to second place—despite its last major redesign dating all the way back in the 2019 model year. That means the sky's the limit for the third-generation Q3, as its substantial makeover should boost its appeal even further.
Our first impression of seeing the newly styled Q3 in person is that it has a stronger presence than its predecessor. Audi hasn't yet revealed the official dimensions, but we're told the Q3 has grown in every direction, including a slightly longer wheelbase. Whereas the old version could be called blocky and squat, the new one appears smoother and longer, which aligns with other recent makeovers from across the lineup.
Like those other models, the Q3 also picks up a trick set of OLED lighting elements in the taillights that are able to broadcast unique pixel-like patterns. Audi's high-tech matrix LED headlights remain unavailable in the U.S. due to federal regulations; after spending some time with a Europe-spec model in Scotland, that's fine by us. During a curated nighttime highway cruise, we watched as the headlights projected blinker-like markers and blind-spot warnings on the road ahead. When activated, it also permanently displayed the direction of the front wheels in the light path. Cool? Yeah. Useful? Maybe, but for us, it caused target fixation and felt gimmicky.
Forbidden fruit is a bit of a theme with the U.S.-spec Q3. In addition to losing out on the matrix LED headlights, we also don't get the Q3's coupelike Sportback variant, the sportier SQ3 and RS Q3 models, or any of Europe's hybrid powertrain options. Instead, the stateside Q3 lineup is a party of one, limited to an enhanced version of the VW Group's venerable EA888 engine. The turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder now produces 255 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, up from 228 and 251, respectively. Audi claims the added power gives the new Q3 the hustle to hit 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, much quicker than the last version we tested, which took 7.3 ticks.
While our future instrumented test will confirm any acceleration improvements, we can say that the Q3 we drove felt plenty peppy, with prompt initial throttle response and snappy shifts that kept the four-pot on boil, especially in the sportier drive settings. Every Q3 still comes with standard all-wheel drive, but the previous generation's eight-speed torque-converter automatic has been replaced with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Apart from slightly lazy engagement when pulling away from stops, we didn't feel any clunkiness at low speeds. Smoothly operating the brake pedal proved trickier, as it felt like we had to apply variable foot pressure to slow and stop at an even rate.
While the Sage Green Q3 we drove in Scotland included the sporty S Line exterior treatment, which is coming to America, it also included adaptive dampers, which is not. We'll be stuck with passive units when the Q3 makes it over to our shores. But there are still parts of the ride-and-handling experience that will transfer over from our time in Scotland. We appreciated the quick steering, which provided more on-center feel than we remember in the outgoing Q3. The interior sound isolation was also a high point; you can thank the new acoustically laminated front windows for that.
Inside, Audi has moved on from the Virtual Cockpit and is stepping onto the Digital Stage, the name for its new dual-display giant rising from the dashboard. The curved bezel houses an 11.9-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.8-inch touchscreen. The latter provides a hub for the Android-based operating system, which means there are plenty of apps on offer from Google and other parties. The infotainment system itself has a user-friendly layout, with large icons that are easy to select. Along with an AI-enhanced voice assistant and a Sonos-branded sound system, every Q3 includes a wireless charging pad and the usual smartphone-mirroring duo of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
Interestingly, Audi says it won't offer the S Line interior on the U.S. version (even though we're getting the S Line exterior). That means making do without sporty front buckets and having to look at wood trim instead of aluminum. Still, the Q3 provides a pleasant driving position, and there's room for two adults to comfortably occupy the back seats. We're still waiting on Audi to share specific dimensions, but we're told passenger space between the new and old models is virtually identical—quite the interesting factoid, considering the vehicle's exterior dimensions have grown nearly universally.
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We're also not sure how we feel about the brand's newfangled column-shifter assembly. We hope the Q3 is your only car, because you'll be relearning how to change gears, turn on your blinkers, and operate the windshield wipers. All those functions are now combined in a single unit mounted on top of the steering column. We appreciate that the unusual design freed up space on the center console—those Big Gulps have to go somewhere—but there is a learning curve. Thankfully, most of the basics stay true. Changing gears happens on the right side of the column, with signals and wipers on the left.
We'll be able to formalize our opinion on the one-stop stalk after we spend more time with the U.S.-spec Q3, which should appear on our side of the pond early next year. Final pricing has yet to be finalized, but Audi is aiming for a starting price in the low-$40,000 range. Its aggressive price and myriad improvements should make Audi's entry-level SUV a formidable competitor to rival luxury subcompact SUVs such as the BMW X1 and Volvo XC40.
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