• Generous levels of passenger space
• Large boot as well
• Sliding rear bench on higher-spec models

Although it looks compact on the road, the Audi Q3 is surprisingly large. As a consequence of this clever packaging, there’s plenty of room inside. Upfront, head and legroom are generous, and the front seats have tons of adjustment to cater for all shapes and sizes.

The rear seats feature an adjustable backrest that can tilt to alter its angle, as well as split in a 40:20:40 configuration. The bench can also slide 150mm forwards and back for variable luggage and rear passenger space, depending on what you need. A rear seat armrest is optional.

The level of flexibility you get in the Q3 is better than that of its rivals. It’s easier to exit the Audi’s rear doors than the Range Rover Evoque‘s, for example – plus the compact Land Rover has to make do with a fixed rear bench, even if you have a rear centre armest as standard.

Despite this, the Q3 isn’t the most spacious model in its class. The BMW X1 has more room in the front, and the Volvo XC40 is more accommodating in the rear.

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Boot space and storage

The adjustable rear seats equates to boot space ranging between a minimum of 530 litres and a maximum of 675 litres with the rear seats in place. This grows to 1,525 litres with them folded – and the parcel shelf can be stowed under the boot floor for a little more vertical storage space.

For reference, even in its smallest setting, the Q3’s boot still makes it one of the most capacious cars in its class, and if you slide the rear seats forward it has a larger boot volume than an Audi A6 Avant estate. The TFSIe plug-in hybrid loses some of that boot depth to accommodate an underfloor battery pack, but this is par for the course for PHEVs.

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Is it easy to park?

The Audi Q3 shares the same platform as the A3, meaning it just feels like a bulkier version of the hatchback. The raised seating position is the main trade-off, while the turning circle is no worse than certain small hatchbacks.

The Q3 is actually quite a bit larger than the A3, at 4,845mm long, 1,849mm wide (not including its door mirrors) and 1,585mm high. It isn’t really what you’d consider to be a small family car, with a footprint on the road similar to that of an Audi A4 saloon or Avant. That generous length and width means an airy interior, with an impressive amount of leg and headroom in the front and rear.

Luckily, rear parking sensors are standard on all models, while the optional parking pack will include a 360-degree camera, electrically folding door mirrors and park assist.

Safety

• Five star Euro NCAP rating
• Three Isofix points fitted
• Driver assistance tech available on all models

Euro NCAP rated the Q3 as a five-star car when it was crash-tested at the end of 2018.

It comes fitted with blindspot assist and lane departure warning as standard on all models, while the standard-fit adaptive cruise control, cross traffic alert and park assist on Vorsprung models is an optional extra on other models. Rear side airbags are an optional extra on all.

Find out how we got on with the safety equipment with our long-term Q3 on our Farewell update

There are three Isofix points: one on the front passenger seat and two on the rear seats.

Then there are also the child locks that are electrically-operated by the driver’s side window switches.

WATCH: Audi Q3 SUV Euro NCAP crash test