Audi RS Q3 review

The RS Q3 is not a cheap car - but because it exists in a class of one, for now anyway, Audi can basically set its own price. Things kick off at £52,450 for the standard RS Q3. At least it’s generously specced from the get-go, with pretty much everything you could ever want or need. Next comes the ‘Audi Sport Edition’, which costs £56,800 and adds bigger 21-inch wheels (20s are standard), Matrix LED headlights, blacked-out trim and a sports exhaust. At the top of the tree is the Vorsprung - for £60,350 you get all of the above, plus the adaptive dampers (called DCC, or dynamic chassis control, in Audi speak), Bang & Olufsen audio and adaptive cruise control. For the worse-looking, less practical, less cool Sportback you’ll back a £1,150 premium across the board. And Audi expects most people to do just that. 

Our suggestion is to stick with the standard car, then cherry-pick the bits you want from the options list. That’ll be the DCC at just under £1,000, plus the Comfort & Sound Pack, which gets you the big stereo, ambient lighting and a reversing camera. 

Running costs shouldn’t be too bad. The RS Q3 isn’t as uneconomical as you might think - Audi claim 28.8mpg, but you’ll get 30mpg on a run. 202g/km of CO2 is pretty rich though, meaning your tax bill will be quite high. Insurance could be pricey too.

The order books are open, with first deliveries expected by the end of 2019.