What We Like
Sharp, modern design
Lively powertrain
Fun to chuck around bends
Premium cabin compared to its rivals
Is frugal on petrol, averaging 13.4km/L
What We Dislike
A little cramp at the rear
Slightly pricey at $165,800 at time of writing
I was enjoying my cup of Masala Chai in a very comfortable cabin as a familiar figure emerged from a distance.
I had promised to take her out for lunch that Saturday in an Audi test car I had; Audi is her favourite car brand, but I didn't mention which model. I then saw her squinting as she slowly made her away over to my Tango Red compact, somewhat confused.
"What car is this? It's not the type of Audi I was expecting."
This, my dear, is an Audi Q2
"It's a new sort of Audi, it's a Q2," I replied. "I can't quite put a finger on what sort of car this is, though," she continued.
I then went on to explain, reminding her of Audi's catchy 'Bangarang' video advert that most of you would've probably heard by now, that a Q2 is to Audi what the HR-V is to Honda, the CX-3 is to Mazda and the C-HR is to Toyota - though we wouldn't consider them direct rivals due to price.
First unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Audi says it's a city-slicking mix of a compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), a coupe and a hatch. Manufactured at the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, the car you see here is based on Volkswagen's MQB platform and sits below the Q3, the new Q5 and the huge seven-seater Q7.
Magic in motion
So we began our city adventure, with the Q2's turbocharged 1.4-litre lump eagerly plowing away.
I had promised to take her out for lunch that Saturday in an Audi test car I had; Audi is her favourite car brand, but I didn't mention which model. I then saw her squinting as she slowly made her away over to my Tango Red compact, somewhat confused.
"What car is this? It's not the type of Audi I was expecting."
This, my dear, is an Audi Q2
"It's a new sort of Audi, it's a Q2," I replied. "I can't quite put a finger on what sort of car this is, though," she continued.
I then went on to explain, reminding her of Audi's catchy 'Bangarang' video advert that most of you would've probably heard by now, that a Q2 is to Audi what the HR-V is to Honda, the CX-3 is to Mazda and the C-HR is to Toyota - though we wouldn't consider them direct rivals due to price.
First unveiled at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show, Audi says it's a city-slicking mix of a compact Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV), a coupe and a hatch. Manufactured at the Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, the car you see here is based on Volkswagen's MQB platform and sits below the Q3, the new Q5 and the huge seven-seater Q7.
Magic in motion
So we began our city adventure, with the Q2's turbocharged 1.4-litre lump eagerly plowing away.
Tuned to produce 150bhp and 250Nm of torque, and mated to a new seven-cog, twin-clutch autobox, it's not what you'd consider slow.
Audi says nought to a hundred takes 8.5 seconds but somehow, it hints to be quicker. In contrast, the Honda Civic 1.5 VTEC Turbo does this in 8.6 seconds. Like the new Audi A3, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder version should also be available in time to come.
Most of the Q2's power comes in early, meaning there's an ample dose of low-end shove for spirited town runs. It also ranks high on refinement.
What's more remarkable is the fact that it's frugal even when you're not. Over my four-day drive, air-con and radio on high, this cordial compact managed to travel 13.4km on each litre of petrol burnt.
As do many of Audi's larger cars like the RS6 Avant, the Q2's engine features Cylinder-on-Demand, which means under light driving loads, two of the engine's four cylinders shut down, minimising fuel consumption. It's the first 1.4-litre here that's got such a system.
Audi says nought to a hundred takes 8.5 seconds but somehow, it hints to be quicker. In contrast, the Honda Civic 1.5 VTEC Turbo does this in 8.6 seconds. Like the new Audi A3, a 1.0-litre three-cylinder version should also be available in time to come.
Most of the Q2's power comes in early, meaning there's an ample dose of low-end shove for spirited town runs. It also ranks high on refinement.
What's more remarkable is the fact that it's frugal even when you're not. Over my four-day drive, air-con and radio on high, this cordial compact managed to travel 13.4km on each litre of petrol burnt.
As do many of Audi's larger cars like the RS6 Avant, the Q2's engine features Cylinder-on-Demand, which means under light driving loads, two of the engine's four cylinders shut down, minimising fuel consumption. It's the first 1.4-litre here that's got such a system.
While the Q2 may have nerdy engine tech, it's not a car that doesn't know how to have fun. Instead, it's one that doesn't want you to go around corners slowly.
Thanks to a tight and taught body and suspension setup, the Q2 dances like a properly-sorted hot hatch. It's a super easy point-and-gun car to drive precisely and agilely.
For more inexperienced drivers, the Q2's standard progressive steering rack (significantly fewer steering wheel turns until full lock is reached) and compact dimensions make it a piece-of-cake to park even in the tightest of lots.
Driver-centric and comfortable
Inside, you get a very pleasant, driver-centric seating position. You sit low and sporty like in a sedan, with dash and controls angled towards you, while design is simple and functional, reminiscent of the new A3.
Becoming acquainted with the Q2's controls is but second nature to anyone who's sat in a car before, so much so that my partner wouldn't stop toying around with the infotainment system; much to my displeasure.
Seat adjustment, however, is manual, and gadgetry and electric aids are minimal, but features such as cruise control, an electronic parking brake and dual-zone climate control are enough for one to be comfortable.
Features like navigation, Audi's virtual cockpit, a head-up display and sunroof are available as optional add-ons.
While the Q2 can seat five, experience showed that it's going to be a slightly tight fit for anymore than two average-sized Asian grown-ups behind.
If you've sat at the back of an HR-V before, it's roughly similar. Luckily, it's not stingy on storage space, serving up 405 litres of trunk, expandable to 1,050 litres when rear seats are folded down.
It's pricey, though
Ultimately, as attractively-packaged the car is, I did have some trouble justifying why I'd want to pay $165,800 (as of 27th March 2017) for this, instead of say, an Audi A4 1.4 TFSI S-tronic or something larger that's just as well-appointed, if not more, like a 1.4 TSI DSG Volkswagen Tiguan.
But in a time when cars are growing increasingly similar in design, becoming somewhat boring, more economical and sensible, the Q2's full-of-life proposition does stand out like a fresh pop of colour.
"What do you think?" I asked her as we reversed into her driveway at the end of our day. "It's got charm. I'd have one if I had the money," she said as she smiled a bright one.
I suppose that's all the justification most men need.
