Surprisingly, Q3 also outshines the Q5 in handling department at high speeds.
BHPian Lux_Noob recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Random observations on Q3 vs Q5 over a long drive event organised by Audi Mumbai west. I got a chance to drive Q5 tech variant and overall it made me feel current gen Q3 to be a better product overall compared to the current gen Q5.
- Q5 superiority showed up only at the peak kick down acceleration where the 45 TFSI outshines the 40 TFSI. In most other scenarios, I would not find a day/night difference between the two, and not that the 40 TFSI is underpowered by any means.
- Q5 also seemed to to have slightly better suspensions but where the new Q3 complete outshone Q5 was the seat comfort. Q5 seats are much harder and when combining the suspensions plus seat comfort factors, new Q3 wins hands down.
- Surprisingly, Q3 also outshone Q5 in body roll/handling department at high speeds, even though Q5 is supposed to have the more advanced AWD (Torsen) compared to Haldex one in Q3. Maybe it is the higher center of gravity of the Q5 which causes this, not sure, but the difference is noticeable.
- Q5 interiors look quite dated compared to Q3 especially with the new embedded MMI screen of the Q3 and the added silver/padded rubber accents on the lower dashboard which give the latter a much more modern appeal. In isolation, however, Q3 itself can have better dashboard compared to its direct rivals. At least a two tone interior front would help compared to all black plastic it has. Q5 gear knob looks much better however compared to the “analog” shifter in the Q3.
- Q3 dimensions are almost perfect. It looks big enough to have a fantastic road presence (along with amazingly proportionate body lines which give it a soft look) but is small enough compared to the Q5 from a manoeuvrability respective, especially within city limits.
Overall, I think Q3 is a clear winner in its category as it gets the CORE CAR right (power, ride quality and handling and LOOKS) even though it is missing out on very few features (which seem liveable to me at least in the PP version – auto hold, seat memory, key start and manual boot open). If it is available at discounts mentioned above, it is a no brainer for sure, though I may go out on a limb to say it is the best product at full prices too compared to competition on a core car basis.
Keyword: Test drove the 2023 Audi Q3 & the 2021 Q5: 5 reasons why I liked the Q3