Audi’s small SUV, the Q3, is updated with a 1.5-litre mild hybrid system and remains a solid choice for upper-crust soft-roading in Singapore

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SINGAPORE

The Audi Q3 now has a mild hybrid drivetrain, but just what sort of fuel efficiency can you expect from it in Singapore?

The CarBuyer Team went the literal distance with it before: In November ‘22, they drove 1,700km to Hat Yai and back, taking part in Audi’s fuel efficiency challenge. They clocked 5.4L/100km in the Q3.

But of course, that was a long run on the highway which means impressive-sounding scores which usually won’t translate to an accurate in-Singapore experience, which is why we’ve driven the car back on Singapore’s roads, with its creeping urban traffic. 

To bring you up to speed on history, the Q3 is Audi’s small SUV, a rival to the BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA. We first tested the new second-gen model in 2019 with a 1.5-litre engine in Germany. But when it landed here, the first years saw the Q3 make do with the older 1.4-litre engine.

With this update, it’s mildly electrified. The Q3 gets the same mild-hybrid drivetrain that we first saw in the Audi A3 hatch/sedan, namely a 1.5-litre turbocharged inline four, with a tiny motor and equally tiny battery pack. This fact is TBC by Audi, but if it’s the exact same drivetrain as the A3, that means the 12hp electric motor only adds its power to the main engine’s, or occasionally during coasting at high-speed/low load situations.

At the wheel though, the power output remains the same as the 1.4 – 150hp – so the user experience really doesn’t change much except for the range/efficiency factor. The official figures are no help, since the world has switched to WLTP reporting for efficiency since 2019,  which is why on paper alone the 1.4 appears to be more efficient than the 1.5 with its 6.0L/100km compared to the 1.5’s 6.9L/100km. 

In Singapore, we covered 350km over a few days, and the Q3 1.5 delivered 7.6L/100km, which translates to nearly 800km on its large 60-litre tank. Quite stupidly, we didn’t record our fuel efficiency with the 1.4-litre back in 2019, but at the very least the current Q3 stacks up well against its prime competitor – the third-gen BMW X1 as reviewed here – in fuel-sipping terms. Caveats: We used the regular drive mode, so we expect with careful driving and the ‘Efficiency’ mode, you could squeeze out more miles. Also, it was raining the entire time during our test drive, and cooler conditions can contribute to improved mileage.

All that aside, the new 1.5 has a more obvious diesel-like clatter, but otherwise the Q3 experience is largely unchanged. Despite identical power, and the same gearbox, the 0-100km/h time is a little slower than the 1.4, going from 8.9-seconds to 9.4-seconds. From behind the wheel, you probably can’t tell the difference, and the important thing is that the Q3 is still much peppier than an equivalently-sized East Asian car.

What we said about the car’s dynamics in 2019 still holds true: “The handling is excellent, it doesn’t urge you to carve corners, but never feels like it comes up short…There is a little of the SUV-judder, where the suspension feels slightly stiff. It’s the only major point of contention in an otherwise comfortable, easy-to-manage driving experience.”

Inside is the same simple, clean cockpit and dual display screens, a spacious passenger and cargo section with adjustable second-row seats and lots of luggage space (530-litres). The Q3 comes with a decent haul of equipment, such as dual-zone AC, Audi’s full-featured MMI Touch system is also nearly identical to that on the bigger Audis, and it’s simple enough to use, though its dark theme means fingerprints are very obvious.

Overall it remains a very solid choice. We listed the Q3 as one of the best luxury SUVs here in 2019, and the more efficient drivetrain only builds on that.

In German terms, the competition has heated up though. The Q3’s biggest rival has to be the new third-gen X1, which is now better in every respect, and with more of that all-important road presence too.

Active safety systems are present, including AEB and lane departure warning, but we would have liked to see more alphabet nannies, like adaptive cruise and rear cross traffic alerts. There is a 360 view parking camera, which isn’t a given in the small luxury SUV segment.

For competing cars, BMW’s aforementioned X1 just landed and has the most attention on it now. Alternatively, Mercedes-Benz’s GLA is the only car in the lux SUV segment with a Cat A model, in the form of the cheaper GLA 180, though the Q3 equivalent GLA 200 is more expensive. It is, however, less spacious.

It might not be an Upper Class German, but Volkswagen’s Tiguan 2.0 is quite a bit less expensive, at just over S$200k, and no less capable than either car. And to talk of 2.0’s, with COEs at this level, if you want more power, it’s really not that far off :  The 2.0-litre all-wheel drive Q3 (see our review of the Sportback version here) is just S$7k+ more than the 1.5, with 190hp and a lot more drivability, though at the cost of fuel efficiency.

It’s a result of Singapore’s own car price ‘distortions’ and controls of course, but against that sort of price scaling, it makes less sense to buy the efficient and solid 1.5. When COE prices become a little more tame, the 1.5 should come into its own, but for now it’s ironic that a green-minded driver needs to fight against economics to save money. 

2023 Audi Q3 1.5 

Drivetrain type	Petrol-electric mild hybrid
Engine	1,498cc, inline 4, turbocharged
Power	150hp at 5700rpm
Torque	250Nm at 1500-3500rpm
Gearbox	7-speed dual-clutch
Electric Motor	12hp/50Nm
Battery	Lithium Ion, Unknown kWh
System Power	Not stated
System Torque	Not stated
0-100km/h	9.3 seconds
Top Speed	206km/h
Fuel Efficiency	6.9 L/100km
VES Band	B / Neutral
Agent	Premium Motors
Price	S$253,444 with COE and VES
Availability	Now
Verdict	One of the stand-out small SUVs in the luxury segment, now more efficient