The Q series by Weber was created as an option for larger, portable grills with great heating power. The series is still a favorite among campers and travelers, and even with those living in small spaces where a grill that lives on the deck or patio may not be an option.
The Q3200 was updated in 2014 from the Q320 and is the largest of the Q series. It is also the only grill in the series that comes on a stand. It is designed less for the transportability of the grill and more for a consumer who has limited storage space.
In this review we will give you some specs and numbers to let you get to know this grill better, then we will talk about some pros and cons, and finally, I’ll compare the Q3200 to other grills on the Weber lineup.
Specifications and Dimensions
To get a better idea of what this grill has to offer, let’s take a look at some numbers.
- Grilling Area: 393 square inches of primary cooking space with an additional 75 square inches in the form of a warming rack, for a total of 469 square inches
- Grates: Porcelain-enameled, cast iron cooking grates
- Burners: Two stainless steel burners
- Heating Power: (21,700 BTU)/(393 square inches) = 55BTU per hour per square inch
- Dimensions (with lid ajar and tables out): 55.5”H x 50.2”W x 30”D
- Color Availability: Titanium
- Warranty: 5 years limited on cook box, lid assembly, stainless steel burner tubes, cooking grates, and plastic components, and 2 years on all remaining parts
Reviews
On Weber’s website, this grill had 104 reviews with 95% being 5 or 4 stars and less than 1% being 1 or 2 stars.
The Q3200 is simply a spectacular grill without many faults.
Here is a nice video showing the assembly and first cook on a Weber Q3200.
What Makes the Q3200 Great?
The Q3200 is a portable grill that is large enough to do what many stationary grills can do, but small enough to store in extremely tight spaces. It is a great grill for people living in apartments with very little outdoor space, as it doesn’t take up your entire patio or deck.
This grill is solid, as you’d expect from the Weber team, and is consistent in temperature while cooking. It can still sear your food like a typical grill, so you aren’t giving up the taste or look you want from a grill, just because you’re going smaller.
Finally, this grill has folding side tables to offer easy prep and temporarily tool storage as you are cooking. When folded down, the side tables make it even easier to slide the Q3200 into a small space to store it until your next use.
What I Don’t Like
Even though the Q3200 is touted as a portable grill, it is a bit too big and bulky to move all the time. Storing it in a small garage and then moving it to a patio to use is one thing, but it’s not a grill you’ll be taking to a picnic in the park or on a short camping trip, that’s for sure.
This grill costs the same as other higher-end gas grills, so for the price, you’d expect a bit more. The cooking power and grilling space aren’t as large as other grills in Weber’s lineup, but the price is.
It is also $200 more expensive than the next smallest Q series model, and I’m not sure the mere addition of a cart is worth that kind of price hike.
Versus the Spirit II E 210
Price wise, the Spirit and the Q are identical. Both grills are small and would work well in a smaller space, although the Spirit is a bit larger overall and is not considered a portable grill.
The Spirit has more cooking power than the Q3200 and a larger overall cooking and warming space. Both grills use LP fuel, but the Spirit can take natural gas if that is your fuel of choice. Both grills have two burners and come on stands with two wheels.
The Spirit comes with many more accessories and is a newer model as opposed to the Q3200. It features flavorizer bars, an infinity ignition, and a stainless steel heat deflector. It is overall superior in its capabilities and its style to the Q3200, all for the same price.
Your choice here will need to be reflective of your space. An ultra-small space is the only reason I would recommend the Q3200 over the Spirit. The latter is a far superior design with great updated features for the same low price.
Versus the Q2200
If you’re more about portability than size, you may want to consider a downgrade to the Q2200. It has one stainless steel burner, and less primary cooking space than it’s big brother, but is still a great option for a portable grill.
Where the Q3200 would only be suitable to bring to a semi-permanent campsite or an apartment, the Q2200 is suitable to weekend trips, picnics, and more, while still being a great option for a small space like an apartment to be used more regularly.
The Q2200 comes in $200 cheaper than the Q3200, but cooks just as well. It is the size and portability that will truly be the test of which one is better for you since the value points go to the Q2200, but the power goes to the Q3200.
Versus the Genesis II E 210
Updated for 2020: The Genesis II E 210 has been discontinued by Weber and is no longer available.
The Genesis E 210 comes in at just $100 more than the Spirit E 210 and the Q3200. It is designed to fit on a small patio or balcony, just like the other two, but its style is meant to be a step up from both of the other models mentioned here.
The Genesis series is the middle-of-the-road series between the basic Spirit models and the luxurious Summit group. With the update to the Genesis series in 2017, it finally had a leg up on the Spirit’s value, but when the Spirits updated in 2018, they came back with a vengeance.
The Genesis has little to offer that is more or better than the Spirit 210 aside from looks. The rounded top on the Genesis gives a sleeker look to this grill than the chunkier, squared-off top on the Spirit models. Otherwise, the two grills are nearly identical.
So where does that leave us on the Genesis versus the Q3200? Well, it’s not looking good for the Genesis right out of the gate with a slightly higher price, but with a lot more options, great high-tech features, and a sleeker look, this grill might be worth the upgraded price.
The Genesis is still small enough to fit on a deck or patio, but it is large enough to grill for a group. It also has castors as well as wheels, making it the easiest to move around of all the grills we’ve talked about above. I think it’s a great choice, but again, size and space will be the deciding factor between this and the Q3200 in the end.
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