My loaner car today

[George K]

I took my 2017 A4 in for maintenance today: oil change, overall checkup, etc.

For the period of service, I requested a loaner. I got a 2021 (?) Audi Q3. It was basically a new car, with only 550 miles on it. It still had that "new car smell."

I understand that in the world of Audi SUVs, the Q3 is at the low end of the spectrum. However, I was surprised at how different was from my A4. I'm not talking about features, comfort, etc. This was, after all, a new model with all the bells and whistles that my 4 year old car doesn't have.

I'm talking about that indefinable quantity - "refinement."

Everything about it seemed rough. The start/stop feature was rough. Much rougher than my 4 year old A4. The engine seemed to strain when I accelerated, and it was uneven and, at times, jarring. The adaptive cruise control seemed to be almost out of control, getting too close, and then too far, from the car in front of me.

Quite the surprise.

My impression of Audis has always been that as you go "down" the product line, all you're really sacrificing is size and some features, rather than quality.