AUDI Q2

Audi Q2 35 Quattro S Line

What is it?

It might be the smallest member of Audi’s range of SUVs, but nearly 5 years after its release, not only is the Q2 the best selling vehicle within of Q range, it’s also Audi’s third best selling car overall, just behind the A1 and A3 hatchbacks.

With its compact dimensions, plush interior and a level of build quality that Audi is renowned for, it’s hardly surprising it’s doing rather well for them.

On the road

As well as the odd commute, during my week with the Q2 I took it on a few long motorway journeys, and a fun trip to Llyn Brenig in Wales.

Badged as the ’35’, it comes with the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 148bhp on tap, so it’s a bit nippy. It turns out that the Q2 isn’t the quietest Audi I’ve driven in the way of road noise, I guess I can blame the 19” tyres for that. If overall comfort is important to you, I’d probably avoid both the 18” and 19” wheels.

Compared to its competitors, the Q2 has firmer suspension than most and overall feels very sporty, though it never becomes uncomfortable. Whilst enjoying myself around the ‘Evo Triangle’, I found Dynamic mode a bit too harsh, I much preferred the ride when I switched it back to Comfort mode, even when I was pushing it a little.

Despite it’s solid feel, the Q2’s relatively firm suspension does a splendid job of propping up its body through corners, and add to that Audi’s progressive steering and Quattro 4WD system, the Q2 is a car you can drive quickly along country roads with real confidence whilst wearing a huge grin.

Fuel wise, zooming around Bolton I was seeing figures around the early 30s, and on a long run around 47mpg.

Off road

I’ll hold my hands up here, I didn’t venture that far off the beaten track with the Q2. However, it does have a fairly decent approach angle and ground clearance for an SUV in its class, so deepish ruts and the odd rock step shouldn’t be a concern, you’ll just be limited to whatever traction your tyres will offer.

Interior

Getting comfy in the Q2, no matter what size or shape you are, will unlikely be a problem as both the manually adjustable seats and chunky flat bottomed sports steering wheel that comes as standard with the Technology pack both offer a huge amount of adjustment.

Speaking of the seats, they’re quite firm, not uncomfortably so, and keep you well ‘seated’ around corners with their lateral supports.

Apparently, the dashboard was recently updated with buttons and switches that are clearly marked and positioned within easy reach, and digital instrument dials (or a 12.3in Virtual Cockpit in Audi speak) are standard from Sport trim upwards.

If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you’ll be aware that a design bugbear of mine are the loss of knobs and dials for heater controls, but full marks to Audi, the Q2 has ‘em!

The Q2 offers plenty of head, shoulder and leg room, even for tall fat blokes like me! On the practical side of things, the Q2’s interior offers a couple of cupholders in front of the gearstick, a decent-sized glovebox and door bins that are each large enough to hold a one-litre bottle of whatever you fancy.

Six-footers won’t feel claustrophobic in the back, especially if you have six-footers up front, and leg space is decent enough, too.

The Q2 comes with 60/40 split-folding rear seats as standard, and the backrests are easily dropped using the levers by each of the rear headrests.

Interestingly, the Quattro versions have a slightly smaller boot space than the 2-wheel drive models as the floor is higher to accommodate the four-wheel drive gubbins underneath it. Whilst out and about, the boot swallowed my huge Peli 1655 Protector case full of my camp cooking equipment that slotted in the back easily enough.

Audi has a fine track record of creating smart and well built interiors, and the Q2 is no different, I’m not going to say that it’s plush inside, but it still puts most other small SUVs to shame.

Conclusion

I really enjoyed my week with the Q2, it’s small enough to be nimble in town, and with 148bhp up front along with Quattro tech, it’s a blast everywhere else.

As I mentioned earlier, if comfort is important to you, avoid both the 18” and 19” wheels as they give quite a hard, sporty ride, as well as road noise, but if that’s your thing, then you’ll have a lot of fun with the Q2.

Like most manufacturers, Audi only offers a three year, 60,000 mile manufacturer’s warranty, which includes breakdown cover. You can extend this for up to five years or 90,000 miles, for a cost of course.

price: £37,095 (including options) more at » www.audi.co.uk