Audi Q3

Until relatively recently, if you were shopping at the smaller end of the SUV market, your choices were limited to a range of, dare we say it, slightly daggy and awkwardly proportioned models. The reason? Producing a small crossover that carries a recognisable family resemblance is not simply a matter of dialling in 75 per cent and hitting the photocopy button.

Instead, design teams are faced with the challenges of adhering to ADRs, packaging constraints and practical inclusions, all while trying to end up with something that shares an aesthetic theme with its larger siblings. And it doesn’t always work.

Models including (but certainly not limited to) the first generation Nissan Juke, BMW X1 and Jeep Patriot demonstrate how a company identity doesn’t necessarily translate elegantly into a small model foray. However, things couldn’t be more different today and it’s at the small end where arguably the most handsome creations are happening.

The revolution is being powered in part by the emergence of more coupe-like profiles that started at the larger end of the market but are now cascading down to smaller models. The trend originates in 2008 with BMW’s X6 but, today, it’s quicker to list the manufacturers that don’t offer some kind of coupe/SUV interpretation than list those that do.

One such rival is Audi, which not only offers the Q3 in more conventional SUV form, but a Sportback option alongside it – the same mechanical package wrapped up in a smarter suit. While the Q3 is on offer in four varieties, the more esoteric Sportback is available in three. And the most affordable of those is this, the $50,000 35 TFSI S-line.

Like its two Sportback siblings the coupe version of the Q3 commands a price premium over the more conventional equivalents but the biggest price difference is for the entry 35 as the coupe gains sporty S-line trim as standard. Upgrade from a 40 TFSI or RS Q3 to the Sportback and it’ll cost you about $3000 whereas the 35 TFSI Sportback is $3500 more expensive.

Both cars offer feasible four-person transport, with a fifth person optionally slotted in as long as everyone in the second row is on good terms

Lexus’ response to the shifting SUV styling trend is different. With the exception of the largest LX, all the Japanese manufacturer’s SUVs have now adopted the more coupe-like approach including its smallest – the UX.

Whether you choose the petrol or hybrid powertrain, Luxury, Sports Luxury or F-Sport grade, all UXs share the same more elegant profile with no boxy fraternal twin on offer.

The eight-variant range opens with the $44,500 UX 200 Luxury, but with a budget the same as the entry Audi Q3 Sportback, you can step up to the most affordable UX hybrid.

Costing $52,000, the UX 250h Luxury is just about the cheapest way into the Lexus ownership experience with only the aforementioned UX 200 and entry CT200h hatchback commanding a lower price.

But the Lexus feels anything but cheap. Even with the most affordable specification, the little SUV packs in a generous amount of kit and quality thanks in part to a 2020 update that added the optional Enhancement Pack 2 as standard.

That means you’ll pay no extra for wireless device charging, keyless entry and push-button start, LED foglights, power tailgate, digital radio, navigation and smartphone mirroring.

But it’s the stuff that comes as standard range-wide that makes the biggest impression when you hop aboard the UX. Real leather is added to the seats from Sport Luxury grade upwards but the light grey synthetic material covering the seats in the Luxury is almost preferable.

The seats it adorns are enveloping and comfortable, have electric adjustment, powerful heaters and promote a big-car driving position not dissimilar to the RC coupe. The standard semi-digital driver’s instrument cluster is a unique blend of traditional and technological, while the central information screen continues the cutting-edge feel with a large sharp display. Only the somewhat retro-feeling climate control panel detracts from an otherwise thoroughly modern interior.

But the Lexus certainly doesn’t upstage the Audi for impressive interior touches. Like the UX, the Q3 cabin offers beautiful quality materials, first-class build quality and tons of tech – from the Virtual Cockpit digital instrument cluster to the large central touchscreen. The Audi’s climate panel is also slender, but it manages to look a little more contemporary.

As far as perceived modernity goes, Audi’s combination of digital instrument cluster and 10.1-inch touchscreen feels fresher and has sharper graphics compared with the Lexus, which is more understated. In practice though, both systems are functional and easy to navigate and the UX thankfully has fewer of the annoying buried features found in other Lexus systems.

Unlike the most affordable UX, the Audi’s cabin does feature some real cow on the seats in places along with its own version of imitation hide but again, the effect is convincing and pleasant. Compared with the Lexus however, the Q3’s seats feel flat and less supportive and its spacious cabin feel is very different to the cosier and more immersive UX ambience.

As far as standard equipment goes, Audi is also targeting the premium market without the need to run the options gauntlet. The Q3 matches the UX’s proposition of wireless device charging, power tailgate, digital radio, LED exterior lighting and ambient cabin illumination but misses out on seat heaters and electric adjustment.

Its lovely Pulse Orange paint will also add $600 to the bottom line and the 19-inch wheels it wears here add another $500. Conversely, Lexus won’t ask you to put your hand in your pocket for the equally radiant Caliente Red you see here, nor its 18-inch rims.

The Audi trumps the Lexus for things like LED headlights but neither offer limo-like features such as a head-up display and panoramic sunroof unless you step up to the flagship versions.

Spec levels align fairly closely with no clear leader in terms of standard equipment, but the Q3 Sportback gains a practical advantage over the Lexus. At the back end, the Sportback forfeits no luggage space over the Q3 with an identical and generous 530-litre boot and the option to expand through 40:20:40 folding seats, providing up to 1400 litres of volume.

Opt for a non-hybrid UX and you’ll get up to a relatively small 424-litre boot but the hybrid battery robs more space and drops volume to a tiny 368L (a height-adjustable boot floor adds another 44 litres) while expanding space into the second row is only possible through 60:40 split seats.

Passenger accommodation behind the front row is a much closer-fought battle with surprisingly roomy spaces even for occupants with long legs. With a more comfortable recline and better under-thigh support, the Lexus mimics the feel of the front seats, while the Audi offers a similar perch-like position of its front row.

Either way, both cars offer feasible four-person transport with a fifth person optionally slotted in as long as everyone in the second row is on good terms.

While both the Q3 Sportback and UX are available with all-wheel-drive systems, the pair we have are strictly front-drive only and far more focused on the surfaced roads that meander our cities. It’s here that the Lexus draws out somewhat of a lead.

With almost 20 years of use in production vehicles, Audi’s dual-clutch automatic transmission has become a refined, efficient and lightweight automatic, proliferating numerous models throughout the Volkswagen Group family, but its nature still leans to the more aggressive side.

For negotiating slow-speed urban traffic the uptake of torque is at times abrupt, and at others curiously delayed. It’s almost as if the six-speed unit is constantly overthinking and trying to pre-empt the driver’s intent with a level of intuition that’s simply not possible.

Once in gear, it delivers beautifully rapid and clean shifts and if you are after a full launch-control start from the lights it will oblige this effectively too. But about town, it can become a little tiresome especially if you spend a majority of your commute trying to beat the traffic.

By stark contrast, the UX’s transmission was born for the metropolis thanks to its hybrid pairing. Press the accelerator in the Audi and it takes a moment to decide how much clutch slip you might want, while modulating how much throttle it can give you. In the Lexus however, the response is to simply feed instant electric torque to the wheels via a CVT and introduce engine power as soon after as is possible.

The Lexus’ 2.0-litre naturally aspirated engine lags the Audi’s 1.4-litre turbo torque 205Nm to 250Nm but it feels like those numbers have been inverted from a standing start. Bizarrely, the apparent inversion continues at higher speed with the 110kW four-cylinder Audi engine feeling more muscular than the 131kW produced by the Lexus four-cylinder.

Officially, the Audi will do the zero to 100km/h dash in a claimed 9.3s while Lexus says the UX 250h will make the benchmark in 8.5s and that feels about right in practice.

Despite the sophisticated forced induction applied by the Audi engineers, the Lexus hybridisation will always have the efficiency upper hand as long as there is any kind of stop-start traffic involved. Lexus claims a figure of 4.5L/100km vs 7.3L/100km for the Q3.

But the convenience and lag-free nature of power/torque delivery in the UX is far more beneficial than objective figures on paper.

Out of town, the Audi engine has a free-revving charisma that’s fun to explore – although wringing its neck for meaningful performance can become exhausting and it’s not long before thoughts of hybrid seamless power filter back.

That said, the electrification benefits become less obvious on faster roads and at more continuous speeds.

Surprisingly, there’s only about 30kg between these two SUVs, with the Lexus unsurprisingly tipping the scales heavier at about 1575kg but in both cases, handling and dynamics defy their weight.

Despite lacking proprietary Quattro grip, the Audi has abundant traction and only occasionally complains with wheel slip. Its front end is light in the hands with delicate steering and an occasional vagueness under acceleration – although rarely manifesting itself as outright torque steer. When not testing the limits, the ride is stiff but comfortable with a positive rigidity to the chassis.

The Lexus on the other hand has an even more responsive steering turn-in and a deeply satisfying combination of comfort and dynamics. There’s a low-speed nimbleness that pairs perfectly with the about-town power but the characteristics also translate to more of a large-car feel when up and about.

Although some small and mid-size SUVs suffer from a toppling feeling thanks to their tall stance and narrow footprint, neither the Audi nor Lexus have a hint of it, although the UX offers the best all-round balance of stability, driving enjoyment and comfort.

With a full skirmish to the ragged limits of dynamic ability, it’s likely the Audi’s taut composition and wider rubber would return the best lap times, but that’s an unlikely driving scenario for either of these models. We didn’t go there.

Both models came out wearing bright war paint and promising big things from two well-known and respected brands but it is the Lexus that feels more relaxed in its own ability, while the Audi feels like it has something to prove.

Both offer a generous amount of equipment for their asking prices despite representing the more entry-level end of their respective model lines. Likewise, both the UX and Q3 Sportback have rewarding characters whether they’re driven hard or not.

Practically speaking, Audi’s contender is the clear leader in this pair with more space and more convenience features but, with a more versatile and effortless powertrain that offers excellent efficiency as a bonus and a more well-rounded balance of ride and dynamics, the Lexus is the easier car to recommend.

The real winner though? Well that has to be the small SUV market as a whole. With a pair of such handsome models punching hard for $50,000, the competition has never been tougher and the days of ugly crossovers and SUVs are numbered if not already gone.