SUBSCRIBERS

Audi Q3 Sportback review: The Q3 gets its Sportback

The Audi Q3 Sportback aims to marry crossover practicality with rakish style, but is the union a happy one?

Published Fri, Jul 17, 2020 · 09:50 PM

Car review

Singapore

TWO-DOOR coupes may be glamorous, but if sales figures are anything to go by, they don't bring home the bacon for car makers. Maybe it's because buyers have moved on to one of these: the sport utility vehicle-coupe mashup.

This is the Audi Q3 Sportback, which the brand calls a compact crossover. The "Q3" part of the name reveals its SUV origins, while the "Sportback" tag implies a certain raciness. Audi has added the prefix to a number of model lines before, usually when something more eye-catching than the norm is involved (like the A5 Sportback or A7 Sportback).

Cars like the Q3 Sportback exist because people want useful family cars but not the frumpiness that usually comes with them. Under the skin, it's largely identi…