First Drive: 2012 Audi Q3

Audi got into the crossover business late, and it's been scrambling to catch up. The Q7 arrived in 2005, some three years after its VW Touareg relative. The smaller Q5 followed three years later and the passage of yet another three is marked by the arrival of the even smaller Q3. Audi's top brass apparently believes the Q3 is too small for America. During our recent drive, the project chief told us it wasn't built to meet U.S. regulations, and there are no plans for export.

But when pushed, he conceded the all-new Q3 could be altered for U.S. sale without too much effort. If the similarly sized BMW X1 makes it here, we bet Audi will be watching its reception very closely.

Because it is built around a transverse AWD drivetrain, the Q3 doesn't suffer too much in cabin accommodation compared to the larger Q5 with its longitudinally mounted engine. The Q3's European prices are about 15 percent cheaper than the Q5, with matched spec and engine.

Just to make things a little more interesting, in addition to the very fine 211 horsepower 2.0 TFSi quattro dual-clutch model, we also sampled a couple of other engines that might do nicely in the U.S. and as of now have no direct competition.

The first short but intriguing squirt was on some mountain roads in a prototype Q3 powered by a mildly detuned, 300-hp version of the five-cylinder turbo out of the TT RS. What a hoot that turned out to be, with heaps of readily accessible power and an engine note to make you smirk.

We also sampled a front-drive Q3 with Audi's 140-hp diesel, which was no slug and went about its business in relative quiet. In the U.S. it could be the new green SUV poster child. Audi has been careful to keep its weight under control, using aluminum for the hood and tailgate, for example, which should help boost fuel economy across the range.

While it may be too small for the U.S., the Q3 certainly doesn't look small. Its up-front confidence and full-on body detailing to the body commands your field of vision more than adequately for a shrimp of a crossover.

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