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Used 2021 Audi Q3 Consumer Reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
36 reviews

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We have a limited number of reviews for the 2021 Q3, so we've included reviews for other years of the Q3 since its last redesign.

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Pros
Cons
5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic vehicle

Karen Keane, 04/13/2021
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus S line 4dr SUV AWD w/45 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
58 of 58 people found this review helpful

This is my second Audi Q3, the first being a 2015. I've had many different luxury vehicles, but this car I'm keeping forever. Love the look, comfort, but most importantly the smooth ride, visibility and safe feeling I get whenever I'm driving it. The trunk holds a lot for a small SUV, the car fits in any parking space imaginable and the highway pick up while entering an 'on' ramp with trucks coming is second to none.

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5 out of 5 stars

Value Value Value

GG, 01/20/2021
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus S line 4dr SUV AWD w/45 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
60 of 61 people found this review helpful

Overall I love this car. My favorite features in my 2021 Premium Plus include, 360 degree camera, Upgraded sport seats, kick to open trunk, wireless phone charger, wireless Apple Car Play, integrated infotainment screen, and keyless entry and locking. I test drove the Q3, Q5, X1, X3, C300, Macan, and the Evoque. The Audi Q3 was my favorite and having the lower base price, I was able to add many upgrades that I would not have been able to afford on the other brands. Some of my upgrades included the Black Optic package which allows you to get the Sport seats! They are beautiful and look amazing! I also included the Navigation/Technology package, Audi beam rings, 20" rims, and several others. I love being able to drive a fully loaded car instead of a base model Evoque or Macan. If you have the extra room in your budget to deck out those cars then go ahead they are beautiful! But i was very unimpressed with the base trims on both of those cars. My only complaint so far has been the poor charging quality of the wireless charger. It makes my iphone very warm, almost hot to the touch, and charges very slowly.. On a 20 minute drive I can get about 4% of charge on my iPhone 12 mini. I brought the car in to Audi to be inspected and they gave me a BS answer and told me it was working the way it should. Despite this, I would 100% recommend this car and I believe it really is the best bang for your buck.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
4 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

I liked it on paper and in my test drive

Karen, 08/16/2020
updated 08/19/2022
2020 Audi Q3 Prestige S line 4dr SUV AWD w/45 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
56 of 57 people found this review helpful

I went down the black hole of car reviews for two years or more. I buy cars outright then keep them for a very long time. I owned my last two for 15 years each. I really like the all wheel drive and blind spot monitor. The seats are a little firm but comfortable, visibility is good, the back seat is built for adults and there is plenty of door pocket storage and the trunk is a good size. The a/c works well, I like the ability to change the dash display depending on my needs, plus it's fun to drive with enough pick-up to merge easily, and sticks on the corners with the all wheel drive. I've been pleasantly surprised at how stable it feels in a turn and on snow. It also doesn't lean much in the corners. The cons are I still haven't gotten my Android Auto to send my voice texts and no one at Audi can tell me how to do it short of "just plug it in". I've found neither the sales staff or IT department at the dealership can help solve those problems as they seem only to know the basics. For instance, my email address changed and no one could tell me how to update it in the car. I've had more luck with Audi USA IT department, (to update: the son of a salesman straightened out my Android Auto. It will text and make phone calls which is not as nice as the full service function but works well enough for me and saves the $400 per year fee). The 6 month Audi Connect service touted in all the advertising, which works as one would expect (permitting you to reply and create text messages and emails by voice, reading text and emails to you, make calls, find a restaurant, etc,) expires the Android system will connect to Google Maps but nothing else. I was assured Android Auto would work with the same functionality as my phone...but it does not. I'd like to see the interface between the technology work much better. I think the Apple link is better. It is surprising not to have memory seats in a premium model car, considering my 2003 Saab has them. It would have been nice to have a heated steering wheel option, and the manual seems to be made for every Q3 on the planet so it takes a while to figure out what your car comes equipped with and what is doesn't and is confusing. My final criticism is I don't know if the automatic lift gate has a sensor to stop it when closing if my arm is in the way. I've been too chicken to test it. My enjoyment, however, far outweighs my complaints, and I find I look forward to hopping into my car as I've gotten to know it over the past year. I feel much safer with electronic eyes keeping a lookout as well as mine, although keep in mind they are not infallible. All in all, it's a user friendly car and I think I'll give 5 stars as soon as I get more of my Android Auto functions untangled. Finally, I live in a city with lots of pot holes and sharp objects on the street. I got the tire and wheel 60 month warranty and it's one of the best things I did as I've had to replace 2 tires already ($400 each retail). Update: I've gotten the Android link to work quite well. Once I'm plugged in, I can ask Google to find a gas station, send a text, call a number, navigate to xxxx, etc. I need to be sure my phone is unlocked for it to work is the only step to remember. Very useful.

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
4 out of 5 stars
Performance
5 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
4 out of 5 stars
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5 out of 5 stars

Definite bang for the buck – with some caveats

JMK in TX, 04/07/2021
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus S line 4dr SUV AWD w/45 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
50 of 51 people found this review helpful

We were specifically looking for a small SUV that looks good, is a reasonably recent design, and has ample features at a reasonable price. The "looking good" part disqualified both of the Benzes Edmunds has ranked higher among subcompact SUVs, and "recent design" disqualified the increasingly ancient Lexus NX. After comparing it to the X1 & RDX, we decided the Q3 was easily the best all-around package. My biggest complaint is how scarce they are! (or at least the S-line Premium Plus 45) We live in Austin and I checked inventory levels at literally every Audi dealer in Texas; only one of them had more than 7 in stock! I'll mention right off the bat that Edmunds' review omits a rather pertinent detail: many of the Q3s sitting on dealer lots are Q3 40s, not Q3 45s, and for good reason. I didn't even notice it myself until after we test-drove one, but the 40s (in both Premium & Premium Plus guise) have a significantly less powerful engine: a mere 184 hp and a frankly slow-as-molasses 0-60 time of 8.6 seconds. The 45s cost $2K more either way, and I *strongly* recommend them! (Btw here's the easy way to instantly tell which is which: all of the S-line models have the larger engine.) I still have my 2016 S3, and the differences in technology between the two are amazing. The Q3 has a touchscreen interface for the latest version of its MMI system, and for the most part it's quite intuitive to use – along with having almost iPhone-level screen quality. (My S3, meanwhile, has a pop-up non-touchscreen with graphics in all of 16 colors.) I was extremely impressed with its adaptive cruise system along with its lane-keeping assistance; while it's not quite at autonomous-vehicle level, using both is extremely handy on long, monotonous drives. Still, as some others have pointed out, its lack of certain features is curious, to say the least. Apple CarPlay only works wirelessly if you opt for the Technology Package. It has no memory settings for the seats (even the 2010 RDX we traded in had that!); no steering-wheel warmer; and heated, but not cooled, seats – and in Texas we need the latter far more than the former. While its Active Cockpit feature gives you a 3-D view of the road ahead via built-in Google Maps, you can use your phone's native navigation on the center screen, so we definitely wanted to skip that part. Just IMO both of the smaller wheel packages look dinky, so we opted for the 20-inch rims, as well as the parking assistance package. We *really* wanted the Black Optic package as well – I have it on my S3 – but there were none, period, *anywhere* in the state except in the brashest exterior colors (orange & blue), and we already knew we wanted a gray one. On whole, however, it's a thoroughly modern car that's surprisingly fun to drive – much more so than the first-gen Q3 we looked at a few years back. I only wish they'd introduce an SQ3 model in the US! (We get the SQ5 & SQ7, but for some reason Audi only sells the SQ3 outside the US.)

Safety
5 out of 5 stars
Technology
5 out of 5 stars
Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Interior
5 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
Reliability
5 out of 5 stars
Value
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

Fuel economy

Bob C, 05/11/2021
2021 Audi Q3 Premium Plus 4dr SUV AWD w/40 TFSI (2.0L 4cyl Turbo 8A)
78 of 83 people found this review helpful

Most reviewers say the Audi Q3 has worse gas mileage than the other luxury subcompact, but they don't tell you that the Audi Q3 uses REGULAR gas, while all the others require premium. This should be factored into the gas mileage ratings.

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