NEW AUDI Q3 REVEALED

UNVEILED Compact SUV follows in the footsteps of the brand's larger models, with a mature and luxurious new look

- Jordan Katsianis

YOU'RE looking at the all-new Audi Q3, the brand's critically important compact SUV that makes up a huge proportion of its sales in the UK and across Europe. Lots of new Audis have been flying out of factories of late, but the new Q3 is the first from the brand's next generation of smaller models, and packs some impressive powertrain figures, plus a high-end interior.

Priced from £38,300 when it arrives in September this year, UK model range will be offered in three trim levels, topping out at just over £50,000 for the fully loaded Edition 1, which has the highest-performing 262bhp petrol engine and comes with quattro all-wheel drive.

A sleeker Sportback variant will join the range in a few months' time, but Audi has been a little more coy on the possibility of a faster S or a new iteration of RS Q3 model - for those we'll have to wait and see. Yet from launch, buyers should find plenty to like, starting with the Q3's new plug-in hybrid powertrain.

The new Q3, just like the old model, finds its base in the VW Group's MQB platform, giving it a transverse engine layout and front-wheel drive on most models. Yet despite a design that closely resembles the Q5, which uses Audi's more traditional longitudinal arrangement, the two are actually very different under the skin.

The key difference is largely down to packaging, with Audi being able to squeeze in the engine, gearbox and, in some cases, hybrid elements with less of an impact on passenger space. It's therefore no surprise to see the Q3 sharing many of the powertrain options from the smaller A3 hatch, including its plug-in hybrid set-up.