2013 Audi Q3 S Edition
Audi, the German luxury car manufacturer has recently introduced the Audi Q3 S Edition – a sport version of its SUV in India. The Q3 S is basically a stripped down version of the company’s cheapest offering Q3, and now it will be the most affordable luxury SUV in the country available at a price of Rs 24.99 lakh (Ex-showroom Delhi), undercutting the entry-level A4 luxury sedan.
The Audi Q3 S edition was launched on 19th August, 2013 at the inauguration of Delhi Central, its third Audi showroom in New Delhi. Audi India is offering the first 10 buyers of the Q3 Sport an off-road style package free of cost. The Audi Q3 Sport is aimed at the new crop of affordable luxury cars such as the Mercedes Benz A-Class and B-Class, and the soon-to-be-launched BMW 1-Series hatchbacks.
On the outside, nothing much to talk about except the single frame grille and has reinforced bumpers. Features omitted include the day time running lights, panoramic sun roof, reverse camera, satellite navigation and the power adjustable front passenger seat. The Xenon lights have also been removed from the features list and you instead get conventional halogen bulbs only.
2013 Audi Q3 S Edition – FrontView
Comforts include leather wrapped seats, automatic climate control, cruise control, rear parking sensors, driver information system and voice dialogue system, and automatic headlamps and wipers. The Audi Q3 S also has some advanced safety features such as six airbags, electronic stabilization program (ESP), electro-mechanical parking brake and few others.
To pare down costs further, the Audi Q3 Sport will not feature an automatic gearbox, nor it will have a quattro all-wheel-drive system. Instead, it will feature a 6-speed manual gearbox and a front-wheel-drive system. The only option available is 2.0-litre TDI turbo diesel engine gets de-tuned to 140 Bhp-320 Nm, while the regular Q3’s 177 Bhp-380Nm. The fuel economy too has gone better with the Q3 S, it now returns an impressive 17.71 kmpl, while the regular Q3 returns 15.73 kmpl. The front-wheel-drive system also cuts weight of the crossover by a full 140 kilograms.
2013 Audi Q3 S Edition – RearView
Apart from the Audi Q3 Sport edition, the regular version of Audi Q3 is currently available for a price of about Rs 26.7 lakh for 2.0 TFSI petrol and about Rs 27.4 lakh for 2.0 TDI diesel model. But both these models are sold in India as CBUs (completely built units). The Audi Q3 Sport is the first instance of Audi India assembling the Q3 range in India. The CKD assembly will happen at Audi’s Aurangabad factory.
At the launch event, Mr. Michael Perschke, Head of Audi India said –
“We are not surprised with the response that we have received. Audi has been a leader in the luxury SUV segment in India. The response today further reinforces our leadership position in this segment. The Audi Q3 S edition offers our fans a new way to connect with their favourite brand and we hope to expand our customer base with this new product.”
Also see – Spy Shots – Audi’s locally assembled entry-level Q3 spotted in Mumbai
Check out more pictures of Audi Q3 S Edition –
