2020 Audi Q3 sets phasers to fun

The Q3's exterior is much sharper than before, with some serious side sculpting above the wheels and some slick LED running lights up front.

Sadly, Audi confirms that my tester's two-tone lower panels will be body-colored in the US.

The whole shebang feels a bit bigger than before, and it is -- it's 3.8 inches longer, although the height is about the same. 

That extra length brings benefits out back, where cargo capacity grows by nearly 50 percent.

Rear-seat passengers won't forget they're in a subcompact SUV, but at 6 feet tall, I'm surprisingly comfortable thanks to a standard sliding and reclining second row. 

The second-generation Q3 comes in a half-dozen flavors in Europe, but in the US, we'll get our choice of two outputs from a 2.0-liter I4 gas engine. 

The base engine offers 184 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, but there's also a variant offering 228 horsepower and 258 pound-feet, which you might recognize from the VW Golf GTI. 

The Q3 feels much more composed than it did before. 

Even with the adaptive suspension in its cushiest mode, the Q3 remains nearly devoid of body roll as it soaks up bumps in the road.

Keep scrolling to check out even more pictures of the new Q3!