Driven: The 2026 Audi Q3 Solidly Raises the Luxury Subcompact SUV’s Game

The new Q3 is an improvement over its predecessor, but we need to drive a U.S.-spec model to know how far it moves the bar.Mac MorrisonWriter

ManufacturerPhotographerSep 28, 2025

When Audi introduced the original Q3 for the 2015 model year, the luxury subcompact SUV segment was already chokingly competitive. Now, it’s maddingly so. The ensuing decade has only seen the arrival of ever more sport utilities/crossovers from across the spectrum; such is America’s unyielding appetite for high-riding conveyances.

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As for that first Audi Q3, while it drove competently for its time given its relatively dated underpinnings, it didn’t light anyone’s hair on fire, MotorTrend’s collective follicles included. Its replacement appeared for 2019 riding on a new platform and flaunting a larger, nicer cabin with updated exterior styling. But we’ve been somewhat critical of its shortcomings since then, leading us to rank the present Q3 10th in our luxury subcompact SUV ratings. Despite its flaws, the Q3 is still the second-bestselling Audi in the U.S. (behind the larger Q5 SUV), making the new, third-generation 2026 Q3 an important vehicle to get right given the intense competition.

New Threads

Audi considers the 2026 Q3’s revised MQB Evo platform to represent an all-new Q3, thanks to the updates made to its suspension, electronics, unibody, and transmission. The exterior design and its details are more aggressive while being classier than before, thanks in part to a wide grille (Singleframe, in Audi parlance) and a pronounced a beltline that runs from front to rear down the side of the new Q3 while bleeding into the tailgate. Europe will get a more coupé-like Sportback model, but Audi doesn’t plan to bring it (and some other trim variants) to the U.S. Narrower headlight and taillight designs look sharper, both figuratively and literally, and there’s a visually appealing rear light strip across the back that’s complemented by a light-up version of Audi’s recognizable four-rings logo. Both the front and rear lighting packages feature LED technology as standard, with optional OLED taillights.

Sadly, we won’t get the trick digital matrix LED light-bending/glare-reducing tech and its enhanced functionality present on European cars thanks to this country’s ongoing silly regulations that continue to render the latest automotive lighting tech illegal on our roads. One thing the new Q3s will get is a cruise-control/ADAS sensor array concealed behind the four-rings logo on the grille. According to Audi, it’s already heard some complaints about this design/engineering solution because it means the rings no longer protrude aggressively or “float” ahead of the grille, but to our eyes it’s a better compromise than having a clunky, unsightly, and conspicuous pod tacked onto the Q3’s otherwise handsome front end.

Inside, you first notice a new dashboard design and control solutions that move most adjustments to within the infotainment display that sits atop the dash’s passenger-facing edge. Thankfully, a physical volume-control knob is located on the center console, but Audi’s Digital Stage replaces the previous model’s more traditional (or outdated, depending on personal preference) approach of having the infotainment screen embedded directly adjacent to the glove-box area and below the main HVAC vents. The old design followed the classic center-stack arrangement whereas the Digital Stage employs a single rectangular physical housing for everything. The latter incorporates Audi’s Virtual Cockpit driver instrument cluster as part of an 11.9-inch display behind the steering wheel, plus a 12.9-inch touchscreen between the driver and front passenger.

One immediate practical/ergonomic improvement to this latest Android OS-based digital stage (complete with an Audi app store integrated into the Audi MMI setup for accessing third-party apps without any need for a phone to be used) is the navigation map being displayed directly in front of the driver within the Virtual Cockpit, meaning you don’t need to shift your eyes to the center screen to follow your travel route. Unrelated but also visually pleasing are some neat interior lighting solutions, from accent lights in the center console and dash to optional fabric door panels with 300 small, laser-cut perforations in them to allow lights inside the doors to illuminate the panels with various patterns and 30 programmable colors. Fun quality of life stuff, in other words.

How Does It Ride and Drive?

You notice another change immediately once behind the wheel: Two large “wings” or “stalks,” one located on each side of the steering wheel, now house the controls for exterior lights, wipers, and turn signals (left side) and gear selector (right side), which frees up center console space to allow for two reasonably sized cupholders, a welcome addition for everyone who shops for SUVs. Operating the various functions via the control stalks is intuitive once you quickly become accustomed to how the lights, wipers, and signals work. There’s now also a cooled wireless phone-charging pad (a good move that addresses one of our pet peeves) in the center console, though the sliding cover above it may not find its way onto U.S.-market Q3s.

A Not Entirely Clear Picture

Yes, the 2026 Audi Q3 we sampled near Glasgow, Scotland, was a European-spec example featuring other items that won’t make their way into the model when it goes on sale here sometime in the first quarter of 2026. Chief among them is a choice of three suspensions that includes a variable setup featuring two-valve damper control.

The Q3 we drove was equipped with the latter, and it’s much better than the outgoing car’s nonadjustable, American-market setup we’ve called out before as one of its shortcomings. Indeed, in a MotorTrend comparison test featuring a 2019 Q3, we said, “Steering is light, which we like, but it never quite firms up, leaving the driver guessing as to what’s going on at the front wheels. We’re no fans of the Q3’s body control, either, as its suspension never really settles. The Audi hits bumps and then continues to seesaw off its front and rear axles long after you’ve driven past the impact. It’s not what we’d call punishing, but it isn’t particularly nice, either.”

We have zero such gripes with the 2026 Q3, as the variable-rate steering system has been revised to deliver better feel and feedback, even seeming almost too heavy at parking lot speeds when set to Dynamic mode; we preferred to leave it set to either Balanced or Comfort for most of our test drive.

Meanwhile, the suspension provides much better damping and chassis control than before, and the Q3’s overall dynamic personality and behavior over bumps and through corners is now much more in line with what we expect from a car adorned with the four rings. Of course, the caveat here is that this conclusion is somewhat moot, since U.S.-spec Q3s will offer only a single, fixed-suspension package.

We need to wait until we drive one of those cars to gauge how much improvement there might or might not be, but Audi certainly aimed to address previous ride-quality criticisms. As a result, it says the U.S. suspension will lean a bit more toward the sporty side of things rather than floaty comfort. That statement, combined with our first experience with the European version, makes us cautiously optimistic that the American Q3 will likewise feel much better than before.

Another main complaint we had with the old Q3: Even the more powerful of its two available 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engines (228 horsepower, 258 lb-ft of torque) didn’t make for a quick ride. In our testing, the nearly 4,000-pound Q3 Quattro S Line (all 2026 Q3s will come standard with Quattro all-wheel drive, too) needed 7.8 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph. That figure wasn’t impressive even for a relatively entry-level German luxury SUV, so this time around Audi equips it standard with a turbocharged engine of the same displacement and cylinder count but making 255 hp and 273 lb-ft. These aren’t massive output increases on paper, but they absolutely benefit performance—as does a quicker-shifting seven-speed dual-clutch transmission (replacing the old eight-speed torque-converter automatic) that brings the Q3 into line with the rest of Audi’s lineup and allows for launch-control starts.

To boot, Audi says the new Q3 will hit 60 mph in a massively quicker 5.5 seconds. Even if we ultimately find the official number to be a bit optimistic once we can put our timing gear on one of these cars, our first-drive experience confirms it feels significantly gutsier and more satisfying than before. It’s also more sportingly amusing on an emotional level, thanks to a “squircle” steering wheel and meaty sound from its accoustically adjustable exhaust. As with the improved suspension, it’s far better focused on what we expect from an Audi, irrespective of body style or model designation. Top speed is electronically limited to 130 mph versus equivalent European Q3s being capable of 149 mph.

Speaking of Europe, for the record and for Audi afficionados, the continent gets a choice of five powertrains, ranging from a much-lower-output 1.5-liter gasoline-only version to a diesel to a plug-in hybrid; the good news is the U.S. spec is the most powerful one Audi will offer at launch, though it carries a 6-horsepower and 22-lb-ft deficit to the equivalent Euro version due to different emissions tuning. Audi’s official acceleration numbers are based on the Euro spec, hence why we won’t be surprised if we find our version needs a couple of extra tenths to hit 60. Anyway, TBD—and regardless, there’s no doubt this Q3 is clearly seat-of-the-pants quicker than in the past.

Practical Matters

Other key highlights: The 2026 Audi Q3 will come standard with the S Line exterior seen here, though it won’t have red brake calipers. (Perhaps a signal of a forthcoming higher-performance SQ3 package of some kind?) It’s also marginally larger in its dimensions, though we don’t know precisely how much bigger because the manufacturer hasn’t yet provided specific measurements. It is, however, 1.6 inches longer in the cargo area, mildly addressing the previous Q3’s smaller capacity compared to some competitors, but still coming in well short of something like BMW’s X1. It retains its notably roomy cabin for front and rear passengers—this 6-foot-1 author was reasonably comfortable riding directly behind a 6-foot-5 driver—and the rear seats again come standard with much appreciated manually operated slide/recline adjustments. Likewise, the rear seats retain their 40/20/40 split-folding design.

The example we drove rode well on 20-inch wheels, and 18- and 19-inch options will be available for people who think that’s overkill in terms of ride quality (though the adaptive suspension, at least, coped with that large size quite well) and inevitable tire-replacement cost.

Look at the interior photos here and also know U.S. buyers are going to get less aggressive, non-sport, comfort-oriented front seats trimmed in leather as opposed to the well-bolstered microfiber-covered ones our European test car came equipped with. Likewise, the rear seats, door panels, and armrests also will have that material replaced by leather/faux leather, and North American Q3s will get a standard panoramic glass roof panel. The aluminum dashboard inlay earmarked for other markets will be replaced with open-pore Anthracite Tulip wood—neither is the way we would go if given the option, but according to Audi, American buyers continue to assign lower value to cloth seats and, apparently, think wood represents more premium quality than metal. YMMV. And if you lean in the direction of sporty comfort and need to tow things, acoustic glass is standard, as is trailer-hitch prewiring. Towing capacity is about 4,630 pounds.

Pricing is TBD, but we expect the 2026 Audi Q3 to start around $43,000 when it arrives early next year, though moving tariff scenarios might well impact that estimate.

Taken all in, the new Q3 rises to a noticeably higher level than the one it replaces. We’ll have more to say about it once we experience a final U.S. model in the coming months and put it side by side with other standouts in the luxury subcompact SUV segment.