Is the Audi RS Q3 Less than What Could Have Been?

It’s a question that has been asked before: is the Audi RS Q3 worthy of the RS badge? As the brand’s first RS-badged crossover, this question was inevitable. But Audi may have provoked this question by avoiding to unlock the RS Q3’s full potential.

For instance, the sporty crossover features a de-tuned version of the 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder engine from the TT RS that produces 306hp (310PS) instead of 350hp (355PS).

Sure, 306hp is more than enough for a compact crossover, but as XCAR’s Alex Goy points out, RS Q3 drivers will always wonder what the car would have been like if Audi hadn’t restricted the engine.

So what’s the RS Q3 like to drive? The reviewer doesn’t have major objections with it, but says a diesel unit like the one from the SQ5 TDI would have been more appropriate for this sort of car. However, Audi’s RS division doesn’t do diesel… for now.

By Dan Mihalascu

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