Audi Q3 - TDI or TFSI?

It quite clearly is, thats why it's called a Q3! They've refreshed the interior a little to make it look more like the current A3 but the platform and tech is all previous gen.
 
It quite clearly is, thats why it's called a Q3! They've refreshed the interior a little to make it look more like the current A3 but the platform and tech is all previous gen.
...have you even looked at the A3 interior and the Q3 interior?
Platform sure is the same but there are differences other than increased ride height
 
Car infotayment is up to date, but the harsh reality is that it's a 15 year old platform. The A3 8v / Golf MK7 platform is a significant step forwards and it's pretty crazy to throw that kind of money at a Q3. It's not like you're buying a Lotus, get yourself an A3 8v and enjoy the significantly better car.
 
I recently looked at a Q3 but found they were no bigger inside than an A3. They had all the disadvantages of an SUV (larger, reduced visibility, leans around corners, expensive because they are fashionable). But they were not big enough to have any of the advantages. I felt the A3 Sportback was the better car.
 
Never understood the fascination with the small SUV on a practical level, they arent that tall, offer less usable space in the boot compared to the Hatch that its based, and most just look meh. The absolute min size to have some practical benefits, has to be the Q5/XC60/Kodiaq/X-trail etc.
 
Assuming price is the same I'd go with the TDI because it is slightly quicker and probably worth slightly more due to the increased power and AWD. But first check it isn't one of the engines that could have had an emissions 'fix' done on it. Also bear in mind the 177 diesel is slower and less economical than the 184 variant that came after it: https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201809210733097

If I had to buy a Q3 I'd be looking for the 1.4 petrol but might be a bit limited in terms of availability due to the plethora of diesels.
 
is the age of the platform really matters?
I think for something special it obviously doesn't, but let's not forget this is a diesel A3 with bigger wheels and weaker handling and quite a premium because of it.
On the A3 they used the same platform from 2003 until 2012/2013, the progress is rather significant between the two, mainly due to weight savings and additional space. My dad swapped from a MK2 Octavia to a MK3 Octavia and whilst the interior is obviously not Audi grade, the overall progress is significant - more space, less weight (thus better handling & efficiency) better soundproofing, refinement and overall built quality.
 
Q3 economy isn't really any better than the current Q5 though - the models the OP is looking at officially do 47mpg compared to 55mpg from the 190PS Q5, real world obviously the figures will be lower but I can't see the Q3 saving anything on fuel in this scenario. OK so you could argue for a fair comparison you'd need to get an older Q5 with worse economy but the fact remains that the Q3 is nothing special on economy without offering the benefits you might get from a bigger SUV or Estate.
 
That being said the old Q5's are incredibly poor on fuel efficiency, especially on the motorway. To the point where a 3.0D X5 fares a lot better than a 2.0D Q5. Despite being one class bigger and having 50% extra cylinders.
The Q5 is a big heavy platform with poor aerodynamics, 2.0tdi is simply not enough. And the 3.0tdi is also significantly less economical around town than the 3.0d from BMW, as I have noticed when moving from a 3 Series to an A4.
 
Q3 economy isn't really any better than the current Q5 though
some real world mpg eg
a3/q3/q5/x5
5.9 6.8 8.53 9.94 diesel l/100km 47 41 33 28 mpg
8.32 8.68 10.91 petrol 34 33 26

so petrol q5 = diesel q3,
and q5 about 25% more than q3 for each fuel.
and q3 15%/4% more than a3 (4% is curious)

that's across all engine sizes and mftr dates. (post 2015 a3's 5.98/8.31 so little change there)

edit: formatting blown away
edit2 petrol q3 = diesel q5
 
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Except the figures "adjust" themsleves quite a bit when you start filtering by "quattro" as a keyword. :)
There's quite a wide range of ranges on the Q3 & Q5 - the very vast majority of engines on the X5 are 3.0d and most are X drive.
Top site for realistic fuel consumption though, manufacturer claims are often pure fantasy.
 
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