Exclusive: Audi Q3S petrol variant to be launched soon

Audi India will soon launch a new petrol variant to the Q3 family. The Audi Q3S, currently available only with a petrol engine and a manual gearbox mated to a front wheel drive setup will soon be joined by a new TFSI petrol engine with an all wheel drive system. Whether Audi India will continue to offer the manual gearbox as with the Q3S diesel or mate it with the existing 7-speed S-Tronic gearbox is still unknown.

The Audi Q3S petrol will be spec’ed the same way that the diesel version is. The biggest difference between the standard petrol version and the Q3S version is the lack of the LED daytime running lights and the LED tail lamps. The Q3S TFSI will also come will smaller 16-inch wheels as part of the standard equipment as compared to the larger 17-inch wheels available on the standard car. That said, we do expect Audi to keep the exclusive red paint shade on the petrol version of the Q3S too to attract a younger target audience. The Q3S will also get a sporty twin tip exhaust finished in black as compared to the chrome exhaust tips that one gets in the higher spec’ed version.

A 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder, turbocharged petrol engine making 210PS of peak power at 5000rpm and 300Nm of maximum torque at 1800rpm will power the Audi Q3S TFSI. We expect Audi to price the Q3S TFSI at a price point of about Rs 27 lakh, which is slightly above the diesel variant considering the fact that it will get both the Quattro all-wheel-drive system and the automatic gearbox. If Audi India does decide to equip the Q3S TFSI with a 6-speed manual gearbox as they did with the diesel variant, it could appeal to not only the general luxury car buyer but also the enthusiast who has been eagerly waiting for a powerful turbocharged petrol car with both a manual gearbox and an all-wheel-drive setup.

Audi has already fired the first salvo in the affordable luxury battle with competitive pricing of their all-new Audi A3 sedan. With prices starting at a mere Rs 22.9 lakh for the base model diesel and Rs 28.9 lakh for the petrol, Audi seems to be in the forefront of making the luxury motoring more affordable for the Indian car market. With the new addition to the Q3 range with a petrol version of the Q3S, Audi seems to be targeting both the price conscious buyer as well as the driving enthusiast.

Image Source: Automobili Ardent