RISE AND SHINE

Audi's Q3 is more than an elevated A3, especially in Mk2 guise from £10k

- ALEX WOLSTENHOLME

T here's no guaranteed recipe for success in today's fiercely competitive car world, but taking a best-selling model and raising its ride height is a fairly safe bet as Audi showed in 2011 when it launched the A3-based Q3, now one of its most popular models.

With the compact SUV recently entering its third generation, this is a good time to consider the appeal of the Mk2 - which represents the opportunity to bag a practical, plush, modernlooking Audi from only £10,000.

At just under 4.5m long, it's a little larger in footprint than an A3 and so a little roomier. To drive, it's pretty similar: the ride is fine, if a bit wooden over rougher stretches, while the controls are easy to use and the refinement is strong.