2016 Audi RS Q3 Performance first drive review

The concept of a hot-rodded luxury SUV still confuses codgers raised on the purity of performance best exemplified in a low-to-the-deck, rear-drive coupe or roadster or sports sedan, with handling and urge. Think Porsche 911, BMW M3, Mazda RX-7, even a Holden A9/X Torana or Ford Mustang…

There was a time when sporty cars and SUVs were mutually exclusive. Mixing them together in one strange recipe seems weird and unnatural. Like ice cream on a pizza. Like Donald Trump in politics.

But, plenty have done it. Porsche was one of the first with its super-quick Cayenne Turbo. Mercedes chimed in with an AMG variant of its ML.Others have followed, and people are buying them.  One of the more ridiculous was the BMW X6M. A big SUV with loads of grunt, it initially seated just four. Practical it wasn't. Yet, to prove I know nothing, it sold in solid numbers, mainly to people with few friends or children and who wanted to go places quickly while observing the world from a high perch.

Audi was late to the luxury SUV party, finally offering the big Q7. Other premium Audi SUVs followed, as did performance variants. The twin-turbo diesel Q5 RS was a serious butt-kicker. Then came the compact RS Q3, because Audi loves filling niches, even niches that are barely there.

One micro niche offered by Audi without a hint of reservation is targeted by this particular jigger - an SUV with sizzling performance. 

Who is it aimed at? Those urbanites with one car space who love real rally-inspired turbocharged sporting urge with quattro adhesion but unprepared to relinquish the practicality of cargo space and a high, easier hip entry?

Confusing, or sheer genius?

Either way, Audi's decision making has been confirmed by perky sales numbers. Australians are buying it. Since lobbing here in February, 2014, the micro-niche turbocharged five-cylinder RS Q3 has been selling steadily (more than 360 to date) on the back of Australia's fondness for SUVs and a love of high-torque, fast accelerating cars. 

Now Audi has done some upgrading – mainly in the form of a power boost and added equipment - and renaming it as the RS Q3 performance. (The Germans are a funny lot; read any Deutsch text and it is laced with capitals in the oddest places. Yet Audi elects to badge this model lower case performance, following a precedent set by naming its permanent AWD transmission quattro.)

It's the third so-called Audi performance-badged model on the market here after the RS 6 and RS 7.  The extra badging is supposed to suggest the level of performance above the already punchy RS (for Renn Sport or race sport) range.

Cynics might suggest it is the tougher variant that the RS Q3 should have been right from the start.

Increased radiator cooling capacity, an optimised the fuel pump and  a tweak of the turbocharger to hike the boost levels of the already enthusiastic hand-built in-line five-cylinder petrol TFSI engine, has pushed peak power another 20kW to 270kW, while torque is now a generous 465Nm (up 15Nm) and available from just over 1600 rpm all the way to 5500rpm. Yes, it's the same engine already in the hot RS 3 Sportback.

This propels the paddle-shifting RS Q3 performance, with its grippy AWD quattro, from standstill to 100km/h in a slick 4.4 secs – 0.4sec faster than the RS Q3 it supplants. That's genuinely in high-priced sports car territory and puts it ahead of rivals in sheer acceleration terms. Top speed is a (governed) 270km/h, information you probably don't need to swallow if your RS Q3 performance is mired in suburban school runs and trips to nana's place.

The turbo five-cylinder engine does its thing through Audi's S tronic seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, a combination already active in the RS 3 – and the AWD quattro system utilising an electronically controlled multiple-clutch differential.

The combined fuel figure of 8.8 L/100km – with a preference for high-octane premium unleaded - reflects the performance under foot, and the 1730kg weight of the little rig, offset by standard automatic engine stop/start and energy recuperation systems.

More generous equipment are also part of the new RS Q3 performance, now priced $84, 216, a fair jump up the dollar totem (but with loads more technology and standard equipment offerings) from the cheapest of the Q3 breed, the 1.4-litre TFSI two-wheel drive, which is $42,900.

The RS is certainly handsomely endowed starting with visual differentiations intended to give owners unspoken bragging rights - design elements finished in faux matt-titanium, including the single-frame grille border, quattro air inlet frame, roof rails, rear diffuser and exterior mirror covers. LED headlights with dynamic rear turning indicators catch the eye.

The hot SUV now rides on 20-inch matt-titanium-finish alloy wheels over bright red RS brake calipers and a ventilated brake system with wave rotor design.

I never thought I'd say this about an Audi cabin, but this one, though clean and uncluttered with nice carbon inlays on the dash and doors, is just a bit dull, a little too much neutral-shaded blandness for a racy machine.

 Smarter than the standard heated leather sports seats are the diamond stitched alternatives which form part of a $4490 RS performance package which also bundles sports suspension with damper control, Bose sound, load-through rear seats and metallic/pearl effect paint.

Standard gear extends to power front seats with four-way lumbar support, dual-zone climate-controlled air conditioning, auto dimming interior mirror, folding exterior mirrors (driver's side auto dimming too), electric tailgate open/close function, tyre pressure monitoring, parking sensors with rear camera.

Infotainment is up to the mark too. There's a straight-forward MMI Navigation plus with a smallish seven-inch colour display front and centre, 20GB of hard drive storage and two SD card readers, digital radio, Audi music interface, Bluetooth interface with audio streaming and simply, greased lightning phone connection. No USB ports though.

The RS gets all the good safety stuff including an airbag suite and Audi side assist which warns the driver of cars in blind spots when he or she is changing lanes.

As impressive as this array of premium gear is and on-paper performance, the proof must come in the driving…

Audi's introductory drive programme was held in rural Victoria where stupidly draconian road rules dictate we motor along at 100km/h, eyes barely wavering from the speedo. Hardly a performance environment.

But we get to appreciate the adjustability of the snuggy seats and the knees clear the signature Audi RS flat-bottomed steering wheel which looks and feels right if you ignore the scary possibility that it may have been pinched from the Austin Allegro of decades ago.

The extra mumbo under foot is evident – this is a really marvellous engine - and accompanied by a delicious bellow from the exhaust when the driver gets energetic.  With the Audi drive select programme in the liveliest dynamic mode, down shifting is accompanied by a delightful throttle blipping crackle.

All the while, the smart quattro system distributes power between the front and rear axles as required – up to 100 per cent either way, depending on road conditions and throttle aggressivity, and even selectively to each wheel. 

The firmer RS sport suspension, lower than the standard Q3 by 20 mm, keeps the taller SUV body pleasantly controlled, and on the highway at 100km/h the ride quality is surprisingly comfortable, with no bottoming or floating off bumps.

It makes for rapid, composed transit in all but on-the-limit motoring.

Push hard and the 255/35 R20 Pirelli P Zeros remain tenacious though ultimately bowing to a some front-end push as the rest of the SUV-based machine doesn't quite toe the line.

A spell of wet-road driving underscored the effectiveness of the latest quattro system, and the P Zeros. 

In more ideal, consistent cruising conditions, the quattro auto-adjusts to mainly front-wheel drive for optimal fuel economy.

The lashings of torque from low in the revs is a boon when trundling around town and the S tronic always senses when it needs to get active.  Throttle reaction is commendably swift and without lag.

Stopping power comes from 365mm discs up front, in concert with eight-piston callipers.

All the time though, it's impossible to banish the thought that this SUV would be totally useless off the beaten track.

The rear seating is not for the generously bodied. But there's more back seat and leg room than a Porsche Boxster (joke!). The 356 litres of cargo space is not spectacular though it does expand to 1261 litres with the rear seats folded flat. There is no spare wheel.

The RS Q3 performance quattro is a very capable small SUV – maybe the most dynamic of all.  But it's not a sports car. And it's not cheap. We'd go for the RS 3 Sportback and keep the change.

2016 Audi RS Q3 2.5 performance TFSI quattro S tronic pricing and specifications

Price: $84,216 plus on road costs

Engine: 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol

Power: 270kW at 5550-6800rpm

Torque: 465Nm at 1625-5550rpm

Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, all-wheel drive

Fuel use: 8.8L/100km

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