2020 Audi Q3 vs Volvo XC40

What's the difference?

I hate how this car has challenged my long-held belief that coupe SUVs are silly. Even more so than other notable examples I’ve driven, like Mercedes’ GLC 53.

It’s so sleek and stylish, drives beautifully, and is so packed with immersive technology that I had to triple check the price. The Sportback takes everything good about the Q3 and makes it even better looking with barely a penalty to practicality. Bravo.

The XC40 distils Volvo’s current virtues – charismatic design, easy functionality, and top-shelf safety – into an SUV package with brisk performance, an impressive standard equipment list, and enough space and flexibility for small families. Based on this test fuel efficiency could be better, and the warranty needs a boost, but if you’re looking for a cool, compact SUV that stands apart from the mainstream your ride awaits.

This is the best-looking coupe SUV I’ve seen. Do you agree?

You could argue the Porsche Macan is up there alongside it, and I’d agree, but it’s also at least $20K more expensive.

Volvo’s XC40 maybe comes close in terms of exterior appeal, but it isn’t a coupe.

You can see elements of Lamborghini Urus (an Audi subsidiary) in the air dams and roofline, and there’s a complexity to it which hints at the tech within.

In fact, I’d say this Audi is so swish I kind of understand now. This is what coupe SUVs are meant to be about. Redefining the ‘SUV look’, inside and out.

Why pretend SUVs are about off-roading anymore? They’re really about comfort and convenience in the confines of a city.

Of course, the ‘inside’ bit comes naturally to the Q3, which has a swish, simplistic, but wonderfully advanced cockpit.

The design is upright, but not imposing, spacious, but not barren. The slight driver focus of the vents, touchscreen, and controls is noted and appreciated.

Both screens are ultra-high resolution, sharp and crisp to look at, and it adds so much to the lustre of everything you use, fitting seamlessly with the sharp and detailed lines in the dash. The fully adjustable LED interior ambient lighting is wholly unnecessary but does make it a nice place to be at night, and changing the colours entertained my family members no end.

Virtual Cockpit is still unrivalled for its aesthetics and ease of use, too. The wheel is even notable for its neat proportions and comfortable shape.

What don’t I like? The tall plasticky shift-knob still looks like it belongs in a base-model VW Polo, and some padding around the centre tunnel for the knees would be appreciated.

Across its current range Volvo has mastered the art of design consistency without stepping over into confusing sameness. It’s a fine line, and the XC40 illustrates why Volvo is winning that game.

Signature design elements, like the distinctive ‘Thor’s Hammer’ LED headlights and long hockey stick tail-lights tie the XC40 to its larger siblings, while chunky, masculine styling sets it apart from the compact SUV crowd.

Always a subjective call, but I like the XC40’s stocky build with a touch of toughness added via a sharply chiselled recess across the side doors just above the rocker, and black over-fender trims on the wheelarches.

Speaking of which, the sturdy, 18-inch, five-spoke alloys dial up the macho feel a little further, with other unique elements including the rear door glass kicking up at a roughly 45-degree angle to create a third side window, and the bold ‘Iron Mark’ logo in the grille.

And our test car’s optional ‘Glacier Silver’ finish ($1150) is extraordinary, depending on the light, shifting between off white, to a soft grey or stronger silver.

The interior is simple and understated in typical Scandinavian style. Form and function feel equally balanced, with a portrait-oriented 9.0-inch media touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster subtly integrated into the gently sweeping dash design.

Decoration is low key, with curved, horizontal ‘Grid Aluminium’ inlays, ‘piano black’ finishes, and small touches of bright metal adding visual interest. Optional leather-faced seats ($750) continue the pared back theme with broad, over-stitched panels enhancing what is a cool and calming atmosphere overall.

We like the practicality in the regular Q3, but is the Sportback too compromised? Let’s take a look

The front two passengers are treated to a spacious and airy cabin, with loads of glass and space for your elbows. You can adjust the height of the centre box to suit your driving position, and there are no complaints when it comes to leg- or headroom.

Tech spills out of the dash and into your hands. USB-A, USB-C and wireless connectivity are available to you. In fact, wireless Apple CarPlay is as revolutionary as keyless entry.

You set it up once and that’s it. Just turn the car on, leave the phone in your pocket and the media system does the rest. The cost is a slight input lag, but the payoff of just being able to throw your phone in the charging bay or simply leave it in your pocket and forget about it is well worth it.

Storage areas are abundant for front passengers with big cupholders with a large centre slot for a phone or wallet perhaps, the large wireless charging bay and a small but useful centre console box.

There are also small bottle holders in the doors and a decently-sized glove box.

A small annoyance comes from the high-resolution screen. Some items become too fine to accurately jab at without taking your eyes off the road, particularly in Apple CarPlay mode. Thankfully all essentials, like the climate and volume controls have physical dials.

Visibility out the front and sides for the driver is fantastic, although there’s no denying the smaller rear aperture in the Sportback’s design makes seeing out the rear a bit more difficult.

Rear passengers are treated to a customizable area. The rear seats are on rails, and I found my legroom to be more than adequate in the standard, furthest-back position. I could have moved the seat about 20 per cent further forward without running into issues.

Height is a different story. I’m 182cm (6.0ft) tall and fit okay with maybe a couple of centimetres space above my head. My slightly taller brother (around 185cm) had his head pretty much up against the roof. The standard Q3 had no such issues, but it’s worth considering if you plan to regularly transport taller family or friends.

The back of the rear seats are clad in plastic which looks nasty but will be good for those with kids, and rear passengers can make use of two USB-C ports, a 12V outlet and dual adjustable air vents on the back of the centre stack.

Boot space comes in at 530 litres (VDA) with all seats in their default positions which proved more than enough for our largest CarsGuide suitcase, some duffel bags, and camera equipment.

It can be adjusted up to 1400L with all the seats stowed. Apparently, this is no less than the regular Q3, which would make sense as the space is meant to be measured to the parcel shelf, before the more aggressive roofline starts to cut its shape.

At just over 4.4m long the XC40 fits the small SUV profile perfectly, and within that footprint a 2.7m wheelbase is the same as comparably sized mainstream models like the Toyota RAV4 and Mazda CX-5.

It’s also quite tall and there’s plenty of space for the driver and front passenger, with storage including a medium-size lidded box between the seats, a smaller flip-top compartment in front of it, as well as two cupholders (with another small lidded tray in front of them) and a wireless device charging pad in the centre console.

There are bottle holders in the sizeable front door pockets, a wide but slim glove box (cooled with bag hook), and an additional oddments box under the driver’s seat. Power and connectivity runs to a 12-volt socket and two USB ports (one for media, the other for charge only).

Move to the back and sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, head and legroom is excellent, and the seat itself is nicely sculpted and comfortable.

There are modest pockets in the doors but unless the bottle you want to slip in there comes from the spirits section of a hotel mini-bar you’re out of luck on the liquid container front. Elastic nets on the front seatbacks are handy, as are coat and bag hooks in the roof.

A fold-down centre armrest contains two cupholders, and twin adjustable air vents in the rear of the front centre console will be welcomed by backseaters.

Then the boot offers up 460 litres of cargo space with the rear seats upright, which is more than enough to swallow our three-piece hard suitcase set (35, 68 and 105 litres), or the jumbo size CarsGuide pram.

Drop the 60/40 split-folding rear seats (they fold easily) and no less than 1336 litres of volume is at your disposal, and a through port in the centre of the back seat means you can stash long objects and still fit people in.

A deep storage well behind the driver’s side wheel tub boast a 12-volt socket and an elasticised strap to retain small bits and pieces, with a smaller sunken trench on the other side.

A grocery bag holder and foldable floor hatch increase flexibility, the latter able to sit up Toblerone-style to compartmentalise the cargo floor. Additional bag hooks and tie down anchors round out a useful, user-friendly interior package.

Towing capacity isn’t massive at 1800kg for a braked trailer (750kg unbraked), but it’s pretty handy for a car of this stature.

The XC40 lives in one of the hottest segments in the Australian new car market, and at $46,990, before on-road costs, the T4 Momentum lines up against a slew of quality competitors.

For that money you can go up in size, but down in prestige, so we stuck with the compact luxury formula and without trying too hard came up with eight high-quality options in the $45-$50,000 band. Namely, the Audi Q3 35 TFSI, BMW X1 sDrive 20i, Mercedes-Benz GLA 180, Mini Countryman Cooper S, Peugeot 3008 GT, Renault Koleos Intens, Skoda Kodiaq 132 TSI 4x4, and the Volkswagen Tiguan 132 TSI R-Line. Yep, hot competition.

So, you’re going to want some premium features bang for your compact SUV bucks, and the XC40 T4 Momentum tips in Volvo high-performance audio (including digital radio), a 9.0-inch (vertical) media touchscreen (with speech function), a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, inductive smartphone charging, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation (with road sign information), power adjustable driver’s seat (with memory and four way lumbar support), leather-trimmed steering wheel and gearshift, and dual-zone climate control air (with cooled glove box and ‘CleanZone’ interior air quality system).

Also included are keyless entry and start, auto LED headlights, front fog lights, power operated tailgate (with hands-free electric opening), and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Standard upholstery is textile/vinyl, but ‘our’ car was optioned with ‘leather accent’ trim for an extra $750, as well as the ‘Momentum Comfort Pack’ (passenger power seat, heated front seats, heated steering wheel, mechanical cushion extension - $1000), the ‘Lifestyle Pack’ (panoramic sunroof, tinted rear windows, Harmon Kardon premium sound - $3000), and the ‘Momentum Technology Pack’ (360-degree camera, power folding rear headrest, LED headlights with ‘Active Bending Lights’, ‘Park Assist Pilot’, and ambient interior lighting - $2000), plus ‘Glacier Silver’ metallic paint ($1150). Which all adds up to an ‘as-tested’ price of $54,890, before on-road costs.

Powering 35 TFSI variants is a 1.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, producing 110kW/250Nm. It’s mated to a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and powers the front wheels only.

An all-wheel drive version with a 2.0-litre engine is available further up the range.

The all-alloy, 2.0-litre (VEP4) four-cylinder engine features direct-injection, a single (BorgWarner) turbo and variable valve timing on the inlet and exhaust sides.

It’s claimed to produce 140kW at 4700rpm and 300Nm between 1400-4000rpm, with drive going to the front wheels via an eight-speed automatic transmission.

The 35 TFSI has a claimed/combined fuel consumption figure of 7.3L/100km, against which I scored 8.4L/100km on my weekly test.

That number's very good for something this size, probably helped along by the 35 TFSI's relatively light 1545kg kerb weight.

Oddly, and unlike most VW Group vehicles with similar drivetrains, the Q3 35 TFSI does not have a stop/start system.

The 35 TFSI requires 95 RON premium unleaded petrol and has a 60-litre fuel tank.

Claimed fuel economy for the combined (ADR 81/02 - urban, extra-urban) cycle is 7.2L/100km, the XC40 T4 Momentum emitting 165g/km of CO2 in the process.

Despite standard stop-start, over roughly 300km of city, suburban and freeway running we recorded 12.5L/100km, which is pushing the thirst factor up to a concerning degree.

Minimum fuel requirement is 95 RON premium unleaded, and you’ll need 54 litres of it to fill the tank.

The Q3 offers a slick, modern, and comfortable drive, but not one without its flaws.

The ride is superb. A great balance of sportiness and damping, the Q3 keeps it stable in the corners, but comfortable over bumps. This was helped along by comfort-spec Hankook tyres on our car, and the 19-inch wheels proved to be a sensible size.

The only thing which seemed to transmit unpleasantness into the cabin was the dampers going out of frequency on rutted roads. I couldn’t help but note the similarity of the Q3’s ride characteristics to those of the new VW T-Roc, a size under.

Inside is quiet and refined, and all of the Q3’s features are ergonomic and easy to use to the point where you take it for granted. But with the Sportback’s cropped rear window, seeing out the rear isn’t as easy as it is in the regular Q3.

The engine has sufficient power when the boost, and subsequently peak torque, sets in, the trouble is this can all happen very suddenly.

There’s a delay when stomping on the go-pedal, which is replaced a full second thereafter with a surge of torque. It takes a bit of getting used to working in a moment of restraint while you wait for power to arrive.

Get impatient, and the Q3 will simply spin its wheels off the line. It’s not a problem isolated to this car, but one I also found in other VW Group vehicles with similar drivetrains. The Tiguan comes to mind.

A neat trick is setting the Q3 into the sportier ‘Dynamic’ mode and then switching the transmission from ‘S’ to the regular Drive. This gives you the best of a more responsive powertrain without having the transmission hang around in gears for too long.

The six-speed can still be caught out fairly easily as it tries to be ‘smart’ about its changes to a fault. I wonder how well its computer would go about learning your driving patterns long-term.

All up, the Q3 offers a nice balance of SUV comfort and hatch-like sportiness thanks to its light frame. The turbo engine has its small issues, but there are no red flags here for urban commuters.

The strongest take-out behind the XC40’s wheel is how comfortable it is. Volvo’s ride and handling boffins have performed some kind of suspension voodoo, making a 2.7-metre wheelbase feel half a metre longer.

It’s a strut front, multi-link rear set-up and you’d swear there was some kind of magnetic damper or air-ride tech under the car. But it’s all conventional and does a brilliant job of soaking up bumps and other imperfections without sacrificing dynamic response.

Standard footwear on the Momentum is 18-inch alloys shod with 235/55 Pirelli P Zero rubber. The middle level Inscription grade rides on 19s, and the top-shelf R-Design rolls on 20s. But you can bet the relatively cushy sidewall on the 18-inch tyre contributes to the entry model’s ride quality.

Claimed 0-100km/h acceleration for the roughly 1.6-tonne XC40 is 8.4sec, which is pretty sharp. With maximum torque (300Nm) available from just 1400rpm all the way to 4000rpm there’s plenty of mid-range punch available and the slick-shifting eight-speed auto does its bit to keep the engine in that sweet spot.

The electrically assisted steering is nicely weighted for easy turning at parking speeds, loading up with decent road feel as speeds rise. The front-wheel drive XC40 feels balanced and predictable in corners.

As well as looking a million dollars, the central media screen delivers easy, intuitive navigation by swiping through multiple screens revealing icon-based functions on additional screens to the left and right of the main page.

One thing that isn’t adjusted by swipe is the audio volume control, with a centrally placed knob a welcome, user-friendly addition. The seats feel as good as they look, ergonomics are hard to fault, while engine and road noise is modest.

On the minus side of the ledger, that kicked up rear door glass treatment may look interesting but impacts over the shoulder vision on both sides.

In the main, the XC40 does its bit to maintain Volvo’s outstanding reputation for active and passive safety standards by scoring a maximum five-star ANCAP (and Euro NCAP) rating at launch in 2018… except for the T4 Momentum.

This two-wheel drive model is not covered by the ANCAP assessment, while all-wheel drive variants are. But like the AWD models, the T4 Momentum features an impressive suite of crash-avoidance tech, including ‘City Support’ - (AEB with pedestrian, vehicle, large animal and cyclist detection, ‘Intersection Collision and Oncoming Mitigation’ with ‘Brake Support’, and ‘Steering Support’), ‘Intellisafe Assist’ - (‘Driver Alert’, ‘Lane Keeping Aid’, adaptive cruise control including ‘Pilot Assist’, ‘Distance Alert’, and ‘Lane Keeping Aid’, as well as ‘Oncoming Lane Mitigation’), plus ‘Intellisafe Surround’ - (‘Blind Spot Information’ with ‘Cross Traffic Alert’, ‘Front and Rear Collision Warning’ with mitigation support, ‘Run-off road Mitigation’, ‘Hill start assist’, ‘Hill Descent Control’, ‘Park Assist’ front and rear, rear parking camera, rain-sensing wipers, ‘Drive Mode’ with personal power steering settings, ‘Emergency Brake Assist’, and an ‘Emergency Brake Light.’

If that’s not enough to prevent an impact you’re protected by seven airbags (front, front side, curtain and driver’s knee), Volvo’s ‘Side Impact Protection System’ (SIPS) and ‘Whiplash Protection System.’

There are three top-tether points across the rear seat back with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions for child seats and baby capsules.

A hugely impressive package for a car in the under-$50K bracket.

Audi’s standard warranty offer of three years and unlimited kilometres is annoyingly short, but not unexpected from a premium brand.

The pressure is on though, with Mercedes-Benz and newcomer, Genesis, now offering five years of warranty coverage, as well as Japanese stalwart Lexus offering four years.

Audi was even considering making a promotional five-year unlimited kilometre warranty permanent at the time of writing, so hopefully that has come to pass by the time you’re reading this review. Time will tell.

Where Audi makes ground back though is its very competitive service pricing. We’d strongly recommend bundling in an Audi ‘Genuine Care’ service plan at the time of purchase which will make your servicing much cheaper.

Three years of servicing for the Q3 under this scheme is $1610, while five years is $2630 it’s worth it. All Q3s require servicing once every 12 months or 15,000km.

Volvo offers a three year/unlimited km warranty across its new car model range, including 24-hour roadside assist during that period. Off the pace when you consider most mainstream brands are now at five years/unlimited km.

But, on the upside, once the warranty runs out, if you have your car serviced at an authorised Volvo dealer each year (for up to six years from the warranty start date) you receive a 12-month extension to the roadside assist coverage.

Service is recommended every 12 months/15,000km (whichever comes first) with a Volvo Service Plan covering scheduled servicing for the XC40 over the first three years or 45,000km for $1595.