Audi does not offer the Q3 in North America, but this is about to change within a year or two. And so my colleague Matthias Knödler took a closer look at the little luxury crossover—specifically, the high-performance RS Q3, which is being launched in Austria right now. We hear that as soon as the Q3 receives its midcycle face lift, it will be sent to the U.S., where it will compete with the BMW X1 and the slightly smaller Mercedes-Benz GLA-class. Why isn’t it coming now? Because it does not meet the requirements to be classified as a “light truck” and will need to be modified to, among other things, manage the mandated approach angle for such vehicles. Once that issue is tackled, the Q3 will be heading stateside—the hot RS Q3 included.

Powered by a turbocharged, 2.5-liter straight-five, the RS Q3 is rated at a conservative 310 horsepower—slightly more than the X1 xDrive35i and far less than in the outgoing RS3 and the TT RS. Power comes on around 3500–4000 rpm; it is channeled to all wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic. This makes the RS Q3 plenty quick: It charges to 62 mph in 5.2 seconds and is governed at 155 mph. Matthias says that even in Dynamic and Sport modes, the RS Q3 could be more eager to downshift on tight mountain passes, and given how the shift paddles are indispensable, they could be a bit larger. Outside, the RS Q3 sounds great; inside, its unique exhaust note is perhaps a bit too muted.