Audi Unveils Ski-Theme Q3 Vail, a Tribute to Colorado's Ski-town Traffic

Audi is unveiling the Q3 Vail, a ski-themed luxury compact SUV aimed for the winter sports-loving crowd. The car's title comes from the Colorado Ski resort just west of Denver which is world-renowned for its slopes and lifestyle. Less known are its long traffic jams and winter-slick roads in stop-and go weekend weather. If you've got to wait in that after-ski traffic, you may as well do it in luxury.

The Q3 Vail takes the standard Audi Q3, launched in 2011, and adds several special components sure to make the snow enthusiast happy.

Design highlights include the Energy Red paint with golden pearlescent flecks embedded, the add-on gray matte body parts to accentuate the little SUV's clearance and off-road credibility, and aluminum vertical struts in the grille give it a toothy accent. This is finished with the large wheels with bright edges and glossy finish.

Many other accents keep this theme going, pushing the tough, but luxurious and fun style. Aluminum accents and gray finishes combine to convey power and fun. Standard roof rails include integrated LED lights for illumination during the late evening and night time hours when skiers finish their runs and are packing up for the trip home.

The black, gray and red continues inside the car with red as the accent color and black and gray as the base. The seats are covered in an innovative leather-cloth weave that promises to put up with hard use. The fine Nappa leather door trim and instrument panel may need a little more care.

That same instrument cluster is bedecked with aluminum, including metal dials and control lights. There's even aluminum on the steering wheel trim, which is otherwise bedecked in leather.

Special touches for sports enthusiasts include the charging station in the sidewall of the trunk, which can be used for flashlights and other devices. It utilizes inductive charging, so the themed (and included) flashlights can charge up on the way to or from the resort. Those same flashlights can also be set to be light heating elements, warming hands or placed in boots in the lodge. The cup holder between the front seats comes with a like-themed Thermos bottle that can be heated or warmed in those cup holders.

The Q5 Vail is definitely a tribute to skiers and would be a welcome comfort zone to relax in while waiting in the long, bumper-to-bumper traffic on the way home from the resort after a busy weekend getaway.