The latest Audi Q2 is 200mm shorter than a Q3 and 130mm shorter than an A3 Sportback, but slightly taller and wider than the five-door A3.

At the front, a strong image is created by the Singleframe grill in octagonal design that is positioned up high as well as by the large air inlets. Especially eye-catching is the low roof that descends and merges into the C-pillars with color offset blades. The rear body terminates in a dynamic way with a long roof edge spoiler and a diffuser that has an underbody-protection look. In a side view, the high shoulder line is especially eye-catching as are the concave flanks in the door area. The latter emphasize the wheel housings and thereby the quattro character of the compact SUV.

There’s nothing particularly rugged or sporty about the Q2 – it’s very much of the soft-roader variety. As an urban-type vehicle for everyday driving and recreation, adaptive dampers are optional and in their softest setting offer a suppler ride than the passive setup. In fact, without having the visual reference of the wider and squarer bonnet in front of you, you’d be hard pushed to tell this apart from an A3. Progressive steering, where the ratio increases the more you twirl the wheel, is standard on every model and actually gives the Q2 decent agility when weaving between traffic and potholes. Beyond that, it’s a package finished with the usual Audi polish, so exceptional refinement, an interior of peerless quality and surefooted.

The SUV revolution has reached its inevitable conclusion. From coupe variants to convertible, high-performance racers and now a range of supermini-sized crossovers. The latest Audi Q2 makes a big statement for a small car.

Audi’s interiors are usually top of the pile, and the Q2 doesn’t let the side down. But it’s space that matters here and the Q2 has a seriously deep 405-litre boot (more than the A3), but because of the slightly raised rear seats the maximum 1,050-litre space is a little less than the A3. Rear legroom is limited for anyone over six foot, but there’s headroom to spare. The highlight is that the driver’s seat position is sporty and low in relation to the steering wheel, like in an Audi Sedan. Optional practical solutions are available such as a power tailgate and a three-way split rear bench backrest with cargo through-loading.

The personalization options include wheels ranging from 16in to 19in (17s are likely to be the best compromise between style and comfort), a selection of colours for the interior trim and ambient lighting and contrast-coloured panel on the C-pillar – for now available in three shades of silver or body-coloured. 

From launch you can have a 113bhp three-cylinder 1.0 TFSI or a 148bhp 1.4 TFSI, plus 113bhp 1.6 and 148bhp 2.0 TDI engines. The 1.4 TFSI, with claimed economy of 49.6mpg, is probably the sweet spot of the range, punching hard enough when you need it, fading out at a cruise and slipping into two-cylinder mode when you really feather your right foot. As an alternative to the six-speed manual transmission, Audi also offers the S tronic dual clutch transmission with seven speeds for all engines. In the case of the top TDI and the 2.0 TFSI, a newly developed dual-clutch transmission is used, which has a new type of oil supply and reduced friction. Both engines may also be combined with a quattro permanent all-wheel drive system as standard equipment.

SCORECARD
New Audi Q2 35 TFSI
Engine: 1,395 cc, In-line 4 cylinders FSI petrol engine, turbocharged with Cylinder on Demand technology
Transmission: Front-wheel drive, 7-speed S tronic
Power: 250 NM/1,500 – 3,500rpm
Acceleration: 0-100km/h 8.5sec
Fuel Consumption: 5.2 litre/100km