This ultimate version from AUDI will definitely win your heart.
If you’ve not paid much attention to the new car market for the past decade, you’d be forgiven for being somewhat nonplussed by the auto industry’s seeming obsession with this trend.
Yet it is what car buyers want. Since the launch of the Nissan Qashqai in 2006, a car that is cponsistently in the top 10 bestsellers in the UK, customers have been going crossover crazy (it is now the biggest segment in the European new car market), fuelling a huge increase in the number of available models.
Now there’s another, this Audi Q2, a premium compact crossover that will tick all the right boxes for many consumers. Because not only is it a crossover it is also from Audi, a company that has enjoyed the same rising popularity as the crossover in the last decade, almost doubling its sales.
The Q2’s design will certainly appeal to Audi fans as it continues many of the company’s styling themes, while at the same time striking out with some individuality (which isn’t always the case with the company’s cookie-cutter approach to design).
There are elements of the Q3 and Q5, crossed with the A3, so it rides slightly higher, emphasising its crossover characteristics but the roof is lower, sloping gently to the rear, where it ends in a subtle spoiler.
The nose also has some large air intakes along with Audi’s now-signature single-frame grille, for that sporty look, while the rear has the under-body protection you expect to find on an off-roader. All in all, it is a clever and stylish incorporation of all the elements you’d expect to find on a modern crossover.
Audi has kept the engine range relatively simple, with two turbopetrol and two turbo-diesel units. The entry-level petrol option is a three-cylinder turbocharged 113bhp 1.0-litre powerplant, which feels as if it has more grunt than similar engines we’ve tried and maintains its power at cruising speeds on the motorway without the usual thrumming noise.
Audi has forecast the 147bhp 1.4-litre petrol engine will be the most popular option and with good reason as it is smooth, flexible and highly usable (0 to 60mph takes a respectable 8.4 seconds). It also has Audi’s very clever engine technology that shuts down two of the four cylinders when the engine doesn’t need them.
The change is imperceptible and you don’t even notice that half of the engine isn’t running, or when the rest kicks back in instantaneously, when the throttle is pressed. It means that fuel economy is an impressive 54.3mpg and emissions are 119g/km.
The two turbo-diesels start with a 1.6-litre producing 113bhp, which is perfectly adequate for shifting the Q2 and should prove popular with high-mileage drivers and business users thanks to its economy.
By comparison the more powerful 147bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel will appeal to drivers who want a balance of economy with that little extra punch that the engine provides. A UDI hasn’t released figures for all the Q2 models but the 1.6 diesel achieves 64.2mpg average fuel economy and 114g/km emissions.
Gearboxes on offer are a mixture of six-speed manual and seven-speed twin-clutch automatic. Yet the 1.0-litre is only available with a manual, while the 2.0 TDI only comes with an automatic.
On the road the Q2 has the kind of accomplished feel that Audi drivers will be used to. Steering is direct and accurate, there’s plenty of grip and it feels agile and nicely balanced without being particularly focused. Body control is well contained, especially as this is a slightly higher-riding car and it rides on the firmer side of comfortable.
All in all it is the kind of solid effort buyers will expect and want.
Another aspect of the Q2 that meets expectations is the cabin, which has the usual high standard of materials and fit and finish that you find in other Audis. It is also unexpectedly spacious, with enough room in the rear for a couple of adults, while the boot has a very useful 405-litre capacity, which is larger than the A3.
There’s a good standard of equipment in the base SE trim level (above it are Sport and S line), which includes a seven-inch screen for the MultiMedia Interface (MMI) infotainment system, smartphone integration (including Apple Carplay and Android Auto) and autonomous emergency braking, the latest must-have safety feature that can prevent collisions with cars and pedestrians by braking itself if the driver doesn’t react quickly enough.
Also, as it is an Audi, there are plenty of optional extras to help improve specification and add to the price. The Audi virtual cockpit, which displays information from the MMI in the instrument panel, is a particular highlight.
The top-end crossover market already has the likes of the Mini Countryman, BMW X1 and Mercedes GLA fighting it out for the premium pound so breaking into that certainly won’t be easy.
Yet the Q2’s blend of technology, competitive pricing, practicality, quality and style, along with the brand cachet Audi wields at the moment, should ensure it makes an impression on the market.
It might just be yet another crossover but it is one that many buyers will have been waiting for.
AUTO EXPRESS UK recently released AUDI Q2 prices.
To find out more about AUDI Q2 please visit AUDI UK
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