Ride And Prejudice

Haunted by a past experience in an SUV, MH writer Alex Dalrymple had largely written off the category. Then he drove the Audi Q3 through the Byron Bay hinterland

LOOK, I’M GOING TO LEVEL WITH YOU. I’m not the world’s biggest fan of SUVs. I’m still mentally scarred by a torrid experience many years ago in a wobbly 1980s Suzuki Vitara. The vehicle lurched all over the road and had brakes that locked up with the slightest touch.

But today I’m in Byron Bay to test-drive the new Audi Q3 compact SUV and the location alone might be enough to put my prejudices aside. Byron would have to rank as one of the best places in the world to test drive a new car. Rough, winding roads criss-cross the town’s lush hinterland, taking in a range of challenging terrain and jawdropping scenery.

It’s hard to think of a car more primed to become a favourite of families, young couples and retirees than the Q3. Audi call it a triple-threat and that’s not hyperbole – it’s an SUV with something for just about everyone. It’s bigger and sits lower to the ground than the car it replaces and has been completely redesigned inside and out.