Thanks to a healthy 184Ib ft of torque and the rapid gearchanges of the S tronic auto ‘box, the Q2 can scamper to 62mph from rest in a respectable 8.5sec. It’s easy to get up to motorway speeds, and overtaking isn’t too strenuous. The engine can be a little coarse over 5000rpm, but you won’t have to push that hard too often.
To help both fuel economy and emissions, the 1.4 TFSI gets 'cylinder on demand' technology that uses only cylinders one and four to power the car under light loads. Like in other applications, you’re blissfully unaware of when it’s working; the engine sounds the same and there’s no additional delay in throttle response.
All Q2s come with what Audi calls ‘progressive’ steering: a passive, variable-ratio system that quickens the rack the more lock you put on. Although assistance is reduced as speed increases, the rate at which the steering quickens is always the same. This means it’s easy to judge how much armwork is needed regardless of your velocity or the severity of the corner. It’s certainly much better than active systems that continuously vary the steering ratio. Just don’t expect much feedback.
Once you’ve put some lock on, the Q2 turns in to corners crisply for a small SUV. Body roll is well contained and there’s plenty of grip. It feels agile but is unlikely to quicken your pulse too much. Our S line test car benefited from adjustable dampers that could be firmed up noticeably in Dynamic mode. This does transmit a fair few of the road’s imperfections into the cabin, though.
Even in Comfort mode, the Q2's suspension feels firm. To its credit, it’s never uncomfortable and body control is good. Sadly, Swiss roads are far too smooth to accurately predict how it’ll do on UK asphalt; we suspect that you’ll certainly feel expansion joints and shabby surfaces but that it’ll be bearable.
The cabin is typically Audi - about the best praise you can give a mainstream car in this day and age. All controls work with a pleasing precision, the MMI infotainment interface is simple and intuitive to use and there’s a minimalist style that will appeal to many.
This is boosted by attractive trims that can be backlit if you’re a bit flash. Just bear in mind the price point at which the Q2 sits; while the dash top is soft-touch, there are harder plastics on the door cards and around the centre console. Importantly, the bits you touch regularly feel good.
Rear-seat passengers certainly won’t be complaining. Although the Q2 is one of the smaller SUVs out there (it's 20cm shorter than a Q3 but 10cm longer than a Mini Countryman), you can fit a 6ft-tall adult behind another of the same height without any problems. There’s loads of head room, reasonable leg room and plenty of space under the front seats for your feet. Three abreast on the rear bench may be a squeeze, but that’s par for the course.
All this passenger space doesn’t come at the expense of cargo capacity, either. The boot is bigger than you’d get in an A3 Sportback and benefits from the option of a 40/20/40 split to add practicality.
Join the debate
Citytiger
No mention
A34
Fugly to boot
Presumably the contrasting colour C pillar is to avoid Golf comparisons. Looks lame to me. Now if they put this engine in the current Yeti it would probably win hands down. But they won't, because Audi profits are higher...
beechie
Your experience may differ.
My experience, though, is that virtually nothing is visible from the driver's seat through the 'third light' of any modern car. The angles involved, depth of the pillars and reflections from the glass's surface render them redundant in terms of safety or visibility. Try it some time - you may be surprised by how little you can see.
abkq
Audi has used the 6-light
mgbv8man
looks the same
volvocu
Great Car
Shrub
Autocar, 100 lines please
JJ
Oh dear...
Why have car makers (not to mention the journalists reporting on their products) gotten themselves into this dark little hole where ride comfort is fine if it's "bearable"?
We live among crumbling infrastructure. That's reality. We experience far more bumps, holes, and other road surface issues when driving than we do curves. That’s also just reality.
Meanwhile, being perched higher up in an SUV only makes compromised ride quality / poor bump absorption even worse.
Despite all this, a vehicle's behaviour in curves receives far greater weighting and appreciation. Will the real world ever make an appearance, or have we stopped living in reality?
As for that stupid blanking plate covering the C-pillar, the less said about the silly gimmickry of this design cop-out, the better!
Shrub
Agree!
Completely agree. It is 2016, any car that fails to deal with poor road surfaces is a fail in my book. Yesterday I read the interesting story of a journey in a Mk1 Fiesta, described as having little road noise and a decent ride. Where is the progress in such a fundamental area? How do many manufacturers address the problem? That's right, they fit complicated adaptive dampers and air suspension rather than get the basics right. A car that rides well can be 'fun' to drive but a noisy car that rides badly can never be fun in my book (I'm not levelling this at the A2, which may well be better than most). As for the A2, not one of Audi's more appealing efforts in my book.
Citytiger
JJ wrote: "...we suspect that
Dont be silly, the latest range of Fords have all sacrificed a little bit of handling finesse (still arguably best in class) for a bit of extra ride quality and comfort, and publications such as this have panned them for it. Audi have been in cahoots with the chiropractor for years and hardly a mention (because they have squidgy dashboards), of the terrible ride quality.
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