A different kettle of swish

These posh family SUVs promise a little something extra to justify their premium prices. But should you buy Audi's latest contender, or stick with the proven Volvo?

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YOU MIGHT BE familiar with the phrase ‘doing things right the first time’, which emphasises the benefits of doing a job properly and thoroughly at the outset to save time and money spent on further revisions in the future.

The Volvo XC40 is a great example of this. Over the years, this upmarket family SUV has seen off numerous new rivals – and it's done so without the need for any major tweaks since it first went on sale back in 2018.

This time it’s facing the new, third-generation Audi Q3, which is aiming to address the disappointing interior quality and refinement its predecessor suffered from. We're testing it in mid-level S line trim, which is popular with buyers because it brings a sportier appearance. This version has a similar list price to the XC40 in mid-tier Plus trim. So, has the latter finally met its match?

DRIVING

Performance, ride, handling, refinement

While the Q3 has enough performance for most buyers, its 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine needs working hard when you venture above town speeds and require a burst of acceleration, emphasising the fact that this relatively small engine is lugging around a fairly bulky car. The XC40 has no such problem; its 161bhp 2.0-litre engine provides a bigger dose of grunt to help you not only accelerate from a standstill to 60mph slightly quicker but also join motorways or overtake a slower car with greater ease.

The Q3’s automatic gearbox compensates for this in part by being more eager to change down a gear when you floor the accelerator pedal. Fortunately, like the XC40’s, it shifts smoothly, and the Q3 is the only one here with paddles behind the wheel to allow you to change gears manually.