07/01/2022 The compact Audi Q2 SUV crossover is pricy but it has oodles of personality – for a German car. The premium carmaker’s smallest Q car is a number of things. It is disarmingly cute, nimble when needed and relatively unpretentious. The five door, five seat Q2 has a refreshed look. It’s exterior is chunky and features a low-ish roofline that delivers a more crossover/urban SUV look. Audi has done a few things to refresh the Q2. No surprises for guessing that the usual front, rear bumpers and grille get a makeover. There are new lights that add a more technical style to the chunky little car.
Inside, the cabin is positively dull by non-German standards but quite typical for Audi. The dash layout reflects an older generation Audi dash design that reflects the Q2’s low-ish price point. With refreshed / mid-life cycle facelifts, it makes no economic sense to overhaul a dashboard as it is a very expensive item with a huge amount of components. Audi has made available additional ‘Audi connect services’ and ‘driver assist systems’ with the new Q2.
Overall the cabin is very German in that it functions well, feels familiar and is laid out efficiently. The Q2 has personality no doubt but could do with a bit of Peugeot Design input to ‘warm things up’ a little for occupants. We had a few optional extras fitted to our test car to make us feel a bit special that included: The ‘Comfort package’ €1,939, ‘Virtual cockpit’ €498, ‘Comfort’ key €556 and ‘Aluminium inserts’ €143. As with the original there are petrol and diesel engines to choose from.
The entry petrol (30 TFSI) uses a 110hp, 200nm, 3-cylinder,1 litre engine and the SE grade starts from €34,230. The petrol engine of choice if you’re after more fun is the 150hp ’35’ TFSI engine (from €36,255) – it can be had in manual or automatic (€39,030). High mileage users can get a 116hp diesel TDI ’30’ SE from €35,850. Our petrol test car weighed in at €37,044. ‘SE’ and ‘S-Line’ are the trim grades that do as you’d expect with the S Line the smartest, sportiest looking version. Optional packs will easily part you from your money but they’ll also remind you of what many other car makers offer as standard.
The Q2 on the road is as you’d expect – quite nimble to use and easy to manoeuvre. The ride quality is on the firm side of comfortable. Is the Audi Q2 worth the relatively high price tag? It depends on how badge conscious you are. The Q2 is a very smart looking compact car that gets you access to the premium German car tribe. I loved the Q2 when it first launched and still like it a lot. This refreshed model works well and is considerably cheaper than a Q3 (from €42,000). I am however more excited about the next generation Q2, and so should you be too! Michael Sheridan
