Compare the2022 Audi Q3VS 2021 Lincoln Corsair

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 Corsair doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q3 and Corsair 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 Corsair’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.

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

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Q3’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Corsair doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Q3 and the Corsair have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning 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, results indicate that the Audi Q3 is safer than the Lincoln Corsair:

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Q3 its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 105 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Corsair is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

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

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

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q3’s reliability 16 points higher than the Corsair.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 12 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

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

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

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

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 Corsair are solid, not vented.

The Q3 stops shorter than the Corsair:

For better traction, the Q3 has larger standard tires than the Corsair (235/55R18 vs. 225/60R18). The Q3’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Corsair (255/45R19 vs. 245/45R20).

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 Corsair’s standard 60 series tires. The Q3’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Corsair Reserve’s optional 45 series tires.

The Q3 handles at .91 G’s, while the Corsair Reserve AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q3 is 4 inches shorter than the Corsair, making the Q3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Q3 has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Corsair doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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 Corsair’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Q3’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Corsair’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q3 is less expensive to operate than the Corsair because it costs $272 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Q3 than the Corsair, including $341 less for a muffler, $68 less for front brake pads, $271 less for a fuel pump, $206 less for a timing belt/chain and $110 less for a power steering pump.

The Audi Q3 outsold the Lincoln Corsair by 47% during the 2021 model year.