Audi Q3 and RS Q3 with new engines will give BMW run for its money

The Audi Q3 has been given a total revamp with lots of changes for 2015. It will be on sale in January next year alongside its main competitor BMW X1; will get upgraded engines, better efficiency and new technology. Deliveries for the new Audi will start in spring 2015 and the price will start at £25,340 for the new 1.4 TFSI petrol in SE trim and the top-spec model will rise to £30,820.

The performance version of Q3, the hot RS also gets a series of engine updates for more power alongside a few chassisretune to improve overall performance. The Q3 will soon be launched with the 1.4 litre TFSI petrol engine from the A1 and A3 hatchbacks, which has cylinder deactivation technology for better efficiency.

The new entry-level model is only available in front-wheel drive. The new 1.4 TFSI 148bhp engine takes the car from 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds and it is mated to a six-speed S-Tronic twin-clutch automatic gearbox. The CO2 emissions stand at 128g/km with the manual gearbox and it gives out 50.4mpg. The S-Tronic box returns 136g/km of CO2 and 47.9mpg.

The current 2.0-litre TFSI petrol receives an 8bhp increase to 178bhp as part of the facelift, as does the 2.0-litre diesel, which is now available in 148bhp and 181bhp versions. Revised headlights now get xenon bulbs as standard, as well as LED daytime running lights andretweaked LED rear lights. S-Line spec models get full LED headlights.

The SE-spec Q3s now get new sports seats and new steering wheel internally. S-Line plus models now get tinted windows and metallic paint, larger 19-inch alloy wheels, perforated leather, cruise control, a new sat-nav system and a parking guidance system. The sizzling Audi RS Q3 performance SUV gets lots of tweaks to make it faster and better to drive. The 2.5-litre five-cylinder petrol engine is now fully compliant with the EU6 emissions standard. There is no word on the price for the RS Q3 yet.