Audi Q3 anything to be aware of

[Jcwjosh]

The time may have come that a family car is now needed in my household. Fed up of only having 2 door cars at my disposal with a growing child and all the crap that i now have to haul around.

I prefer VAG offerings and for around the 12-13k mark im finding it hard to see anything other than the Q3 that seems to offer what we want.

Im looking at 2013-2014 models if i can push for a 2015 with the facelift i will try.

Does anyone have one, is there anything i should be looking for ?

Is there anything else i could be considering ?

All the best Josh

[hman]

a Q3 is very small - get a q5

[Trailhead]

It’s a small car, you won’t haul much around in it.

A golf estate would be bigger (if you insist on VAG). Or an A4 estate, Q5, etc.

Would you consider a Merc estate? They are very good and fit into your budget.

[ukpolak]

We have a 2015 facelift auto. With 2 kids it is fine although with these staycations this year, we struggle to fit a lot in the boot (pushchair and not much else tbh). I read in a review somewhere that it had the same size boot as (say) a Focus or Golf.

We got the base petrol in S Line to munch motorway miles. 50k miles in 6 years (my wife was on mat leave for 2 years and has been WFH now for 18 months). The small petrol is somewhat underwhelming so our next SUV will be a) bigger and b) more powerful. It struggled with a full boot / passenger load as I think it’s just a 1.4L.

She has only got through one set of tyres in that time however and servicing is reasonable.

Audit told us last year that it was now due a timing chain replacement (50k mikes) even though the handbook says 100k miles. We have postponed as they all charge £600. Hopefully we won’t regret.

The only issue we’ve had is that the front passenger door mysteriously stopped opening from outside. The unlock from key would unlock the car but the handle wouldn’t engage. On some Audi forum apparently this is common and a few hard bangs on the door and whatever was loose then sorted itself and problem hasn’t come back.

Overall reliable, our version underpowered and the boot a little small but cheap-ish and economical.

[Jcwjosh]

hman said:

a Q3 is very small - get a q5

Would i get one with a similar budget do you think ? Would love an sq5 but a bit out of my budget at the moment

[Jcwjosh]

Trailhead said:

It’s a small car, you won’t haul much around in it.

A golf estate would be bigger (if you insist on VAG). Or an A4 estate, Q5, etc.

Would you consider a Merc estate? They are very good and fit into your budget.

Have been looking at a4-a6 avants too but trying to persuade the wife is another matter. Would consider a merc yes

[Jcwjosh]

ukpolak said:

We have a 2015 facelift auto. With 2 kids it is fine although with these staycations this year, we struggle to fit a lot in the boot (pushchair and not much else tbh). I read in a review somewhere that it had the same size boot as (say) a Focus or Golf.

We got the base petrol in S Line to munch motorway miles. 50k miles in 6 years (my wife was on mat leave for 2 years and has been WFH now for 18 months). The small petrol is somewhat underwhelming so our next SUV will be a) bigger and b) more powerful. It struggled with a full boot / passenger load as I think it’s just a 1.4L.

She has only got through one set of tyres in that time however and servicing is reasonable.

Audit told us last year that it was now due a timing chain replacement (50k mikes) even though the handbook says 100k miles. We have postponed as they all charge £600. Hopefully we won’t regret.

The only issue we’ve had is that the front passenger door mysteriously stopped opening from outside. The unlock from key would unlock the car but the handle wouldn’t engage. On some Audi forum apparently this is common and a few hard bangs on the door and whatever was loose then sorted itself and problem hasn’t come back.

Overall reliable, our version underpowered and the boot a little small but cheap-ish and economical.

Thanks for the detailed reply. Do you think a 2 litre diesel would have been better suited ?

Shame about the timing chain sounds a bit premature but ive never had to do one so could be wrong.

I could probably live with a golf sized boot if i had roof storage do they come with roof rails ?

Also been looking at passat r36 around similar money but a lot older and mileage is higher obviously not to mention tax and fuel costs

[ukpolak]

TBH the 1.2 or 1.4 (I can’t remember - the entry range petrol) is good enough for one person commuting but with a full load of passengers / boot it starts to struggle and doesn’t pull at roundabouts / junctions when you need it to. It’s no biggy.

Our biggest issue is the boot size however - we have a bugaboo travel system from when my 4 and 2 y/o we’re born and that fits in but not much else. Eg today we’re going for a long weekend and instead of taking the SUV family bus, we’re taking my BMW 4GC as the boot is a cavern.

We’re actively looking at changing the Q3 (gone up from £12k a year ago to £14.5k last week on WBAC) but replacement cars (eg X3) have also gone up considerably and we’re just not sure what mileage requirements will be like in the age of hybrid working.

[Jcwjosh]

Thanks UK polak.

Im open to other suggestions around this price range have noticed a few SEAT Atecas at this price also, seem an okay place to sit and maybe lower running costs.

[Dave Hedgehog]

Jcwjosh said:

hman said:

a Q3 is very small - get a q5

Would i get one with a similar budget do you think ? Would love an sq5 but a bit out of my budget at the moment

get a sportage they offer fantastic value, warranty and rear access for kiddie seats etc.

[dmsims]

Jcwjosh said:

Have been looking at a4-a6 avants too but trying to persuade the wife is another matter. Would consider a merc yes

Golf estate has much bigger boot compared to Q3 ??

[How u doing]

In a similar predicament and for a bit less than your budget I purchased a brand new dacia duster.

It fails as a prestige badge, and isn't the last word in refinement. But as a family holdall to kick the st out of, hard to beat.

[Jcwjosh]

All good suggestions, i do find myself swaying more towards suv route rather than an estate at the moment, never had one and wanting to try something different i guess. The sportage rear end is very nice but im not sure what happened at the front. Do they come nicely specced inside ?

[ZX10R NIN]

If you're willing to look at alternatives then there are two standouts for me at this price point:

Kuga Titanium Sport very good cars well spec'd with reliable petrol/diesel drivetrains & sensible running costs

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107064...

Titanium X Sport 180

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106143...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105293...

If you want something that has a fit & finish that's up there with the Audi but much better spec'd with Q5 levels of space & go then I think it's impossible to beat the Infiniti QX50 & you'll benefit from Nissan running costs.

GT Premium

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...

GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106013...

[loskie]

you need an Octavia or Superb estate

[joropug]

We just picked up a 2015 S Line 2.0 TDI Auto -

Our budget was a smidge more, but we managed to get Heated leather, the high tech pack (Higher res screen, colour screen in dash). It has the dynamic indicators on the back which are cool, and what I think are LED headlights. Haven't had a proper look yet.

I didn't actually realise there was a facelift in 2015 but judging by this site ours is:
https://www.carmagazine.co.uk/car-news/first-offic...

I've seen newer ones that don't have the dynamic rear lights so guess they weren't an S line based on that article. Our front DRLs wrap around the headlight whereas i've seen some with a solitary light bar - again this must be non S Line.

Overall I'd look for the S Line in 2.0tdi Quattro trim. I didn't like the idea of a 1.4t and didn't realise they aren't quattro not that we particularly need it in the south.

[loskie]

I got a Q5 March '20.

When I test drove the cars in Feb I drove it (Q5 Tdi S Line) Back to back with Q3 base spec.

The Q5 did feel fairly premium whereas the Q3 noticeably did not.

I did look at a Karoq which I did like too but Q5's were heavily discounted and worked out about £32.5k(TDi Sport) although in the end I leased.

[AudiMan9000]

Jcwjosh said:

The time may have come that a family car is now needed in my household. Fed up of only having 2 door cars at my disposal with a growing child and all the crap that i now have to haul around.

I prefer VAG offerings and for around the 12-13k mark im finding it hard to see anything other than the Q3 that seems to offer what we want.

Im looking at 2013-2014 models if i can push for a 2015 with the facelift i will try.

Does anyone have one, is there anything i should be looking for ?

Is there anything else i could be considering ?

All the best Josh

I urge you to avoid buying this car.

I had a 2017 Q3. It is tiny and antiquated, both cosmetically and mechanically. However, it does have premium build quality. There are so many better alternatives to fit your needs.

However, I replaced this with a 2020 Q3 which is a substantial improvement in all areas save for build quality which was sadly downgraded to cost cut.

[Jcwjosh]

ZX10R NIN said:

If you're willing to look at alternatives then there are two standouts for me at this price point:

Kuga Titanium Sport very good cars well spec'd with reliable petrol/diesel drivetrains & sensible running costs

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202107064...

Titanium X Sport 180

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106143...

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202105293...

If you want something that has a fit & finish that's up there with the Audi but much better spec'd with Q5 levels of space & go then I think it's impossible to beat the Infiniti QX50 & you'll benefit from Nissan running costs.

GT Premium

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010094...

GT

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202106013...

I dont mind the look of the Kuga, they seem to have a lot of options.

Also been looking at OCTAVIA VRS as someone else suggested Skoda

[Jcwjosh]

loskie said:

I got a Q5 March '20.

When I test drove the cars in Feb I drove it (Q5 Tdi S Line) Back to back with Q3 base spec.

The Q5 did feel fairly premium whereas the Q3 noticeably did not.

I did look at a Karoq which I did like too but Q5's were heavily discounted and worked out about £32.5k(TDi Sport) although in the end I leased.

Do you think the same goes for older cars ? Will an 2011 - 2013 Q5 still feel better than the same year Q3 ?