Compare the2022 Audi Q3VS 2021 Hyundai Tucson

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The Q3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Tucson doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q3 and Tucson have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q3 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Tucson’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Audi Q3 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tucson doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Q3 has a standard Secondary Collision Brake Assist, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Tucson doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q3. But it costs extra on the Tucson.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Q3 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Tucson Value/SEL/Sport/Limited/Ultimate has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Q3 and the Tucson have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Audi Q3 is safer than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Q3	Tucson
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	88	94
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	95 G’s	107 G’s
Hip Force	333 lbs.	356 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	159	241
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	55 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	47 G’s	48 G’s
Hip Force	485 lbs.	1028 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Q3’s corrosion warranty is 5 years longer than the Tucson’s (12 vs. 7 years).

Reliability

The Audi Q3’s engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Tucson’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Q3 has a standard 680-amp battery. The Tucson’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Q3 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 23 more horsepower (184 vs. 161) and 71 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 150) than the Tucson’s standard 2.0 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Q3 40 TFSI’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (184 vs. 181) and 46 lbs.-ft. more torque (221 vs. 175) than the Tucson’s optional 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Q3 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 47 more horsepower (228 vs. 181) and 83 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 175) than the Tucson’s optional 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Q3 45 TFSI is faster than the Hyundai Tucson 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Q3	Tucson
Zero to 30 MPH	3.2 sec	3.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.8 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	16.1 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q3 gets better mileage than the Tucson:

			MPG
Q3
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
Tucson
	FWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	22 city/25 hwy
		2.4 DOHC 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Q3’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Tucson doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi Q3 higher (7 out of 10) than the Hyundai Tucson (5 to 7). This means the Q3 produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tucson every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Audi Q3, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Tucson.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q3’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Tucson:

	Q3	Tucson
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	12 inches

The Q3’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Tucson are solid, not vented.

The Q3 stops shorter than the Tucson:

	Q3	Tucson
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	130 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	142 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q3 has larger standard tires than the Tucson (235/55R18 vs. 225/60R17). The Q3’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Tucson (255/45R19 vs. 245/45R19).

The Q3’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Tucson SE/Value’s standard 60 series tires. The Q3’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Tucson Sport’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q3 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Tucson SE/Value. The Q3’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Tucson Sport.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the Q3 is 1.5 inches lower than the Tucson (17.5” vs. 19”). The Q3’s rear step up height is 2 inches lower than the Tucson’s (18” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Q3 easier. The Q3’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.8 inches, while the Tucson’s liftover is 29.3 inches.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Q3. The Tucson doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Servicing Ease

The Q3 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Tucson uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When different drivers share the Q3, the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Tucson doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Q3’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Tucson’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Q3 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Tucson can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q3’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Tucson’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Q3’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Hyundai only offers heated mirrors on the Tucson Value/SEL/Sport/Limited/Ultimate.

The Q3’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Tucson offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Q3 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Tucson SEL/Sport/Limited/Ultimate.

Both the Q3 and the Tucson offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Q3 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Tucson doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Q3’s optional Park Steering Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Tucson doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q3 is less expensive to operate than the Tucson because typical repairs cost much less on the Q3 than the Tucson, including $207 less for a muffler and $6 less for a fuel pump.