The Audi Q3, the former baby SUV from the Ingolstadt-based carmaker, has undergone a minor update. It's actually the facelift of a facelift and clearly, this is about bringing the SUV up to speed with the rest of Audi's products. Slated for a late-2016 or early-2017 launch, the new Audi Q3 gets a host of small cosmetic updates that gives the car a refreshed look.
Audi Q3 Facelift Front
In terms of design and looks, the updated Audi Q3 is more or less the same. The dimensions remain the same but the cosmetic changes make it look a bit more sporty. For instance, the car comes with a hint of black everywhere. The front of the new Q3 has been slightly redesigned with a new bumper that comes with larger air intakes, a wider air dam and a black chrome slat underneath. While the headlamps and the grille design remains unchanged, the chrome border around the grille is also black. The body-coloured underbody cladding of the previous models has been replaced with a glossy black one that goes really well with this new shade of yellow. (which has been picked from its younger brother; the Q2)
Audi Q3 Facelift Rear
The side of the new Q3 remains the same but it now comes with new sporty alloy wheels along with the black ORVMs and black roof rails. The rear portion of the car also gets a similar black treatment for the spoilers and bumper. The tail lamp cluster seems to have been slightly tweaked and now the car comes with a dual chrome tipped exhaust. The model year change sees the demise of the 'Tundra Brown' colour, which will be replaced by a new 'Camouflage Green' colour option along with the S Line design package.
Audi Q3 Facelift Cabin
The updated cabin, with the aforementioned S Line package, comes with new sporty seats with lumbar support that comes wrapped in black leather and a fabric finish S Line logo at the centre. The optional package includes Alcantara & Fine Nappa leather interior that will come at a premium. Audi will also install a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel covered in leather.
Audi Q3 Facelift S Line Seats
Besides the visual tweaks, the Q3 S line competition package will also have some mechanical upgrades. While the powertrain options will remain unchanged, the car will come with S line sport suspension and the Audi drive select system available as standard. We would have loved to see Audi's Virtual Cockpit make its way into the car but we're guessing that the company is reserving that for the new-generation model.
