First Drive: Audi RS Q3 2.5T FSI Quattro 5dr S Tronic

The RS Q3 isn’t exactly ancient…
 
Audi’s performance SUV is barely a year old, but it’s been included in the Q3’s mid-life refresh nonetheless. It launched with no real rivals, but now has the equally niche Mercedes GLA45 AMG to scrap with, as well as an altogether more cohesive competitor in the shape of the Porsche Macan.

And fans of TG maths will approve: ‘refresh' in this case means more power and torque. The RS Q3's 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo engine remains, but it's 29bhp and 21lb ft pokier, with 335bhp and 331lb ft peak outputs.

The result is a slicing of its 0-62mph time, which drops to 4.8 seconds, while the standard seven-speed S-tronic paddleshift gearbox now offers quicker shifts.

Anything else new?

Extra performance comes with improved efficiency, the engine meeting stricter EU standards and its claimed 32.8mpg and 203g/km a couple of per cent better than before.

The RS Q3's appearance is subtly tweaked, too. There's a bolder front grille, standard 20-inch alloy wheels and LED lights at both the front and rear. They come complete with the scrolling indicator effect that looks so swish on the R8.

Any closer to working out the point of it?

It remains a complete oddity, it's fair to say. A compact SUV that uses a high-performance petrol engine and costs around £45,000 is only ever going to have niche appeal, yet appeal the RS Q3 seemingly has: it's the third bestselling RS model in the UK, and the examples sold thus far in 2014 equate to over three per cent of Q3 sales.

Not a huge number, admittedly, but a bigger fraction than the Polo GTI or Clio 200 typically claim in their respective ranges, for instance. And while it's hardly the most glamorous figure to judge cars by, the RS Q3's 47 per cent retained value after three years makes it one of the slowest depreciating cars in any class. Ooh.

Enough sales numbers. How does it drive?

It's a surprising thing. Surprising because it's one of the more involving cars to currently wear Audi's RS badge. The incongruity of a warbling five-cylinder engine in a car so prosaically shaped has appeal in itself, and there's no denying this engine is a peach: strong throughout its rev range and a joy to extend thanks to its sonorous soundtrack.

Bloody fast it is, too, the RS Q3 projecting itself to its 155mph limiter with laughable ease (on derestricted autobahn, we hasten to add). The smooth, slick shifts of its gearbox - whether you leave it in 'D' or manhandle the paddles yourself - also make it a fun thing to build up speed in.

You sit too high for this to ever feel like a sports car. Once you get going, though, the elevated view through corners allows you to maintain momentum where you might otherwise back off a touch. Coupled with the prodigious grip of the Quattro all-wheel-drive system, you can very quickly get into a fast, satisfying flow.

The ride quality doesn't even offend, despite those humongous wheels, though full judgement must be reserved for when we try it away from meticulously maintained German roads.

The drive select system comes with Comfort, Auto and Dynamic modes. You'll want Dynamic for sharpest throttle response and most gratuitous exhaust histrionics, but the steering's ensuing artificial weight could easily grate. Frustratingly, you can't mix and match settings like in other Audis.

How does it compare to that Merc?

Subtly specced, Merc's GLA45 AMG probably feels a bit less silly than the RS Q3. But its 2-litre four-cylinder engine is far flatter than the Audi's five-pot, and comparatively very short of character. Dynamically, the Merc is extremely adept to the point of lacking any real exploitability, certainly at sane road speeds.

Any that Macan?

The Porsche is quite possibly the best handling SUV yet made, and it's made to look good value by the niche-within-niche pairing from Audi and Merc. A similar £45,000 outlay will secure a 335bhp Macan S with some light options box ticking. The waiting list is long, but if you can exercise some patience, it's as good as cars this shape get.