Editor’s Note: This review was first published in Vicarious Issue 027.
The redesigned 2026 Audi Q3 arrives with more power, sharper styling and new technology designed to strengthen Audi’s position in the premium compact SUV segment.
The bracken-lined backroads of Scotland’s Loch Lomond area were a fitting landscape for the new, third-generation Audi Q3 to demonstrate its capabilities. The twisty, rolling and painfully narrow laneways let the compact SUV show off its handling and stopping powers and highlighted its petite frame in relation to other vehicles on the road.
The Q3 has not had an overhaul since 2019’s complete redesign, and this is a big one, with a dramatic facelift and a variety of suspension and technology improvements. However, if you want to see the full extent of the Q3 family, you’ll have to go to Europe where there will be a sportback body, along with hybrid and diesel powertrains.
The 2026 Q3 will be coming to Canada in the new year with just one engine, a 2.0 litre TFSI that produces 261 horsepower. That’s a bump up of 33 HP from the larger of the previous generation’s two Canadian engine choices. It will come with the S-tronic transmission and Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive only. Canada will not be getting a hybrid model, nor will we receive the new optional adaptive suspension.
Audi is confident of its market. “With a total of more than two million vehicles sold worldwide since the launch of the first generation, the Audi Q3 is one of our best-selling models and has a high status in our product portfolio. With the third generation of the Audi Q3, we are renewing an important model family,” said Gernot Dollner, CEO of Audi AG.
The Q3 is first in its compact SUV segment in Canada and the company’s second best-selling vehicle here. According to Felix Enciso, Audi Canada’s director for product planning, the third generation is expected to build on that success and bolster the model as a benchmark in the premium segment. Audi expects the North American market will take 46 percent of the new Q3s.
Based on our first drive in Scotland, Audi’s entry-level SUV should prove popular. First, it looks modern and svelte with the redesign. Its proportions have not changed significantly – the body is now four centimetres longer than before, but the new front end is very much like the bigger Q5, which was refreshed for 2025. A new grille and deep front fascia, combined with narrow headlights, results in an almost mischievous looking face. The body is sporty, with a more sloped roofline than before and a more snatched waistline and wider hips. It looks quicker and more streamlined. Two new colours are on offer, Sage Green and Manila Brown.
The interior is understated and very comfortable. The redesign includes a renovation of the centre console, with the gearshift moving to a stalk on the steering wheel to make space for dual cupholders, storage and a wireless charging pad. The Q3 also now gets the curved displays previously introduced in the larger models, with an 11.9-inch instrument cluster and 12.8-inch infotainment screen.
On the road the SUV is very capable. The 2.0-litre turbo engine is peppy and makes the Q3 fun to drive, especially in dynamic mode, where the more responsive shift mapping emphasizes sprightly acceleration. The Scottish roads definitely let it show the power of the brakes and responsive steering, as quick reflexes were needed to keep clear of oncoming traffic on the (barely) two-lane routes we took to enjoy the undulating loch-side terrain.
2026 Audi Q3
2026 Audi Q3
2026 Audi Q3
2026 Audi Q3
2026 Audi Q3
2026 Audi Q3
The ride is firm, with little body roll in the corners. On the highway it felt a tad noisy, but Audi is offering optional acoustic glazing for the front side windows. Whether that will be available in Canada remains to be seen.
The redesigned gearshift lever on the right side of the steering wheel is simple enough and conveniently located. However, its position means the remaining normal controls – wipers, lights and signals – are all jammed into one confusing stalk on the left. It may be one of those quirks you get used to when you own the vehicle, but for the test drive it was a crap shoot which function you’d end up activating.
The Q3 quite literally shines at night, however. In an unusual demonstration, the test drive included an after-dinner rip to show off the SUV’s new lighting tricks. The digital Matrix LED lights have been enhanced with a micro-LED module for 2026. It allows for better defined lighting as well as additional driver assistance functions.
The lights are linked to the existing driving aids like lane keeping and blind spot assistance. In the demo, we drove on narrow country roads where the lights effectively illuminate the side lines, as well as showing the track that the front wheels are following at speeds over 70 kmh. On the highway these tracks will transform into an arrow pointing you back into the centre of your lane if you veer too far from the middle. The weather was too warm to demonstrate the icy road warning function, which projects a snowflake image into the road ahead when conditions threaten to become slippery. These features will be available as an option package, but again, it’s not known if it will be brought to Canada.
Although this drive was a bit of a tease – with a number if important details still to be determined for the Canadian buyer – the revamped 2026 Q3 is coming to market looking good and substantially improved over the second generation.
2026 Audi Q3
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged TFSI four-cylinder
Power: 261 horsepower
Transmission: 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic
Drivetrain: Quattro all-wheel drive
Body Length: +4 cm vs. previous generation
New Colours
• Sage Green
• Manila Brown
Interior Highlights
• Steering-column gear selector
• Wireless charging pad
• Dual curved displays
• 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster
• 12.8-inch infotainment display
Not Available in Canada
• Hybrid model
• Adaptive suspension (at launch)
Competitors
BMW X1, Mini Countryman S ALL4, Volvo XC40
Availability
Deliveries begin early 2026
Fun Fact
Since its launch in 2011, the Audi Q3 has sold more than two million units worldwide, making it one of Audi’s most successful compact SUVs and the brand’s second best-selling model in Canada.
At The Wheel
Loch Lomond, Scotland
A ribbon of pavement threads through the heather and bracken along the shores of Loch Lomond, curling between stone walls, grazing sheep and sudden glimpses of dark water beyond the trees. The road narrows without warning, forcing quick decisions as oncoming traffic appears around blind bends.
It’s exactly the kind of setting where a compact SUV proves its worth.
The new Audi Q3 darts through the countryside with confidence; quick steering, strong brakes and the reassuring grip of Quattro all-wheel drive making short work of Scotland’s tight, undulating backroads. On stretches where the road briefly opens up, the turbocharged engine pulls eagerly before the next corner appears, another bend waiting beyond the crest.
In a landscape where every mile feels older than the car itself, the Q3 feels perfectly at home, small enough to fit the road, yet refined enough to make the journey effortless.
Where To Stay