Compare the2023 Hyundai TucsonVS 2023 Audi Q3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Tucson are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Tucson Limited has standard Reverse Collision-Avoidance Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q3 doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Tucson’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q3 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Tucson and the Q3 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Audi Q3:

	Tucson	Q3
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	24%	39%
Neck Stress	164 lbs.	343 lbs.
Neck Compression	14 lbs.	35 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	27/60 lbs.	235/363 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	325	346
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	35%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	186 lbs.
Neck Compression	59 lbs.	83 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	51/13 lbs.	261/249 lbs.

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

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 Hyundai Tucson is safer than the Audi Q3:

	Tucson	Q3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	71	88
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	37	159
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	332	504
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	47 G’s

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 vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Tucson its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 127 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q3 was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

The Tucson comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Q3’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Tucson 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Q3 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Tucson for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q3.

There are almost 3 times as many Hyundai dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Tucson’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Tucson has a standard 150-amp alternator. The Q3’s 140-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 54 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Hyundai higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 84 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 25th.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Tucson
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
Q3
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Tucson uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q3 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Brakes and Stopping

The Tucson stops shorter than the Q3:

	Tucson	Q3
60 to 0 MPH	118 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	135 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Tucson’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Q3 (108.5 inches vs. 105.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Tucson is 1.5 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Q3.

The Tucson Limited AWD handles at .82 G’s, while the Q3 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Tucson Limited AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Q3 (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .65 average G’s).

Chassis

The Hyundai Tucson may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 600 pounds less than the Audi Q3.

The design of the Hyundai Tucson amounts to more than styling. The Tucson has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Q3 (.37) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Tucson get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Tucson uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q3 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Tucson has 24.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Q3 (108.2 vs. 84).

The Tucson has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 5.2 inches more rear legroom and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q3.

Cargo Capacity

The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q3 with its rear seat up (38.7 vs. 23.7 cubic feet). The Tucson has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q3 with its rear seat folded (80.3 vs. 48 cubic feet).

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Tucson’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Q3 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Tucson’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q3’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Tucson uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q3 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Tucson has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Q3 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Tucson Limited’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Q3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Tucson’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Q3’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Tucson has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q3 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Tucson’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Q3’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

Both the Tucson and the Q3 offer available heated front seats. The Tucson Limited also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Q3.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Tucson Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Q3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

On extremely cold winter days, the Tucson Limited’s standard heated steering wheel provides comfort, allowing the driver to steer safely and comfortably before the vehicle heater warms up. The Q3 doesn’t offer a heated steering wheel.

The Tucson Limited’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Q3 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Tucson is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q3 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Tucson owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Tucson will cost $590 less than the Q3 over a five-year period.

The Tucson will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Tucson will retain 53.76% to 54.61% of its original price after five years, while the Q3 only retains 50.79% to 50.87%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Hyundai Tucson will be $6197 to $10215 less than for the Audi Q3.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Tucson and the Audi Q3, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Tucson third among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Q3 isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Hyundai Tucson outsold the Audi Q3 by almost seven to one during 2022.