Audi RS Q3

I encountered a carload of friends in a part of the country where I would have been surprised to see anyone I knew. After the initial how-nice-to-see-yous and what-are-you-doing-heres the conversation touched on such subjects as the wonderful sea view, the breath-stealing wind and the cafe they had just left, which by their account appeared to be doing research into whether it was quicker to kill off the local population through morbid obesity or cholesterol overload.But what they most wanted to talk about was the Audi RS Q3 I had brought. A wondrous machine, they thought it, obviously practical yet at the same time bristling with purpose and undoubtedly very fast indeed. They envied me for it, and were confused when I said that I envied them nearly as much for their last-generation Renault Clio.I drove the RS Q3 for an hour last year, and everything I thought about it then I thought twice as much now. It is in some ways a magnificent piece of work. The steering smooth and delightful at low speeds, the brakes the same at any speed. And the 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo petrol engine, though in a lower state of tune here than when fitted to the RS 3 and TT RS, still produces a resounding 306bhp and sounds bloody marvellous when you're booting it. Really, if there's a compact SUV that makes a better noise than this one under hard acceleration I've yet to drive it.But it doesn't work, and it can't work. Take an A3 (or a Volkswagen Golf or a SEAT Leon or what have you - the platform is the same in each case), make it a foot taller, give it 306bhp, and even though you've also taken the trouble to make it four-wheel drive the result is a dynamic nightmare. It's like the time Renault put a tall, heavy V6 engine between the rear wheels of the Clio and wondered why people went into corners forwards and came out of them backwards. Of course that was going to happen.The RS Q3 isn't as bad as the Clio V6 was, but it's not right. Oh, that wonderful engine will hurl you down any straight, and those magnificent brakes will let you scrub off speed to an incredible extent when you reach the other end, but through corners - particularly corners with bumps on them (and I encountered many of those) - this Q3 feels clumsier than any other.Everything about the way it feels the first time you drive it suggests it should swish through the bends nearly as well as it bombs along the straights, but the combination of a short body, a high centre of gravity, a powerful engine and sport-oriented (though commendably soft) suspension breaks the deal every time.It's quite possible that none of this will have any impact on sales. This a fast and aggressive-looking car with a conveniently high driving position, a reasonable amount of luggage space and an Audi badge. For people with a budget of £43,000-plus it's probably a dream come true.At the same time, though, I find it difficult to take seriously a performance car that impressed me most of all when I was driving it through back streets at 20mph. Engine 2480cc, 5 cylinders Power 306bhp Transmission 7-speed automatic Fuel/CO2 32.1mpg / 206g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 5.2 seconds Top speed 155mph Price £43,015 Release date 15/05/2010