Audi Q2 Review & Prices

Posh, small SUVs such as the Audi Q2 are a bit like a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes. They say: I like good looking things that make me feel great. Head off-road in them, however, and it’s probably not going to end terribly well.

A desirable badge and seriously boxy styling get the Audi Q2 off to a good start, and sets it apart from fellow on-road SUVs such as the BMW X2 and Mercedes GLA.

Step inside, and it’s Audi business as usual – you get a simple dashboard layout, lots of posh-feeling buttons and switches and a pretty intuitive infotainment system. It’s a shame that this isn’t quite as easy to use as the system in a BMW X2, but you can pay extra to replace the standard dials with a swish digital display that looks fantastic.

You can spruce the rest of the Audi Q2’s cabin up a bit with some colourful trims in high-spec cars, but whichever model you choose you’ll get a set of supportive front seats with plenty of adjustment.

Sadly, the back seats aren’t anywhere near as comfy thanks to their upright design that makes it difficult for tall passengers to relax on long trips. There isn’t quite enough room for three adults to sit side-by-side either, and the narrow rear door openings make it a bit of a pain to lift in a large child seat.

Thankfully, filling the Audi Q2’s boot isn’t a great hassle, but you can pack more luggage into a Mini Countryman’s boot.

So, the Audi Q2 isn’t the largest small SUV by any stretch, but this does make it feel right at home in town. There are a few large blind spots to contend with, but the Q2’s light steering helps you manoeuvre through tight spaces and the fairly soft suspension keeps things comfy over potholes. You’ll be having more fun on a twisty road in a BMW X2, but the Audi Q2 makes a relaxing, quiet motorway cruiser.

If that sounds like your sort of driving, you're better off with the more powerful petrol engine, but either of your two options work well around town. The standard manual gearbox is a doddle to use, but you’ll want to try out the optional automatic if you spend a lot of time in traffic.

So then, the Audi Q2 is more than just a pretty face. It might not be great off-road, but it makes a good choice if you’re looking for a desirable, stylish SUV with a posh cabin that’s easy to live with.

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There’s clear air between each of the four Audi Q2 trim levels, with around a £2,000 difference to upgrade from one to the next. That’s quite a jump if you want to head for the upper reaches of the range, but it is on a par with the Audi’s main alternatives, such as the Mercedes GLA or BMW X2. You also get a fair amount of extra kit with each step up in the trims, and it’s probably best to skip the basic Technik model as it’s the only one that doesn’t come with the excellent MMI infotainment control and Virtual Cockpit dash display.

The Q2 is great fun on twisty roads and one of the most refined small SUVs at high speeds, though it can feel a little firm on crinkled city streets

In town

Audi has designed the Q2 with an eye on the sporty side of the small SUV market. This means it has suspension that’s firmer than many of the cars in this class, such as the Ford Puma or Peugeot 2008. What that means for you is you’ll notice a lot more of the small lumps and bumps on town and city streets, or as you drive on rural roads with lower speed limits.

The Q2 isn’t uncomfortable at slower speeds, but kids in the back seats will certainly notice they are being jiggled around more than they would in some of the others the Audi has to compete with for your money. On the plus side, however, the interior is quieter than most other small SUVs and the raised driving position gives excellent vision to the front and sides. Reversing isn’t difficult either, and rear parking sensors are fitted to every Q2 as standard.

Around town, performance from the 1.0-litre petrol engine in the 30 TFSI model is perfectly adequate. It has 110bhp and feels quick off the mark, and the six-speed manual gearbox is light and easy to use. This is the only engine and gearbox combination available on the Technik trim, but if you go for any other Q2 model, you also have the choice of the 35 TFSI. This 1.5-litre turbo petrol comes with the six-speed manual ’box or you can pay more for a seven-speed S tronic automatic transmission. We’d stick with the manual but have the more powerful engine for its stronger performance.

On the motorway

The Audi Q2 feels like a bigger SUV when it’s on the motorway as it’s stable and not bothered by gusts of wind. This lets you relax on a longer drive and the steering adds to that sense of a solid, weighty car. The ride also smooths out at higher speeds and makes the Q2 a very capable car on these roads. If you choose the optional adaptive suspension, the ride is even more cosseting.

The smaller 1.0-litre engine in the 30 TFSI Q2 models is happy enough on the motor, and a fraction more economical, but the more powerful 1.5-litre motor in the 35 TFSI is the better bet on these quicker routes. It has more in reserve and feels less strained when overtaking or tackling a steep hill.

On a twisty road

It might be an SUV, but there’s no place for sloppy cornering or body lean when driving the Audi Q2. Instead, it feels agile and fun as you turn into and drive through bends, helped by steering with good feel and quick reactions. It’s not as nifty as a Ford Puma, but you’ll still enjoy driving the Q2 when you get the chance of a quiet stretch of country road.

The firm suspension is not upset by bumps in the middle of corners, and there’s more than enough grip for the Q2 to always feel secure. Audi doesn’t offer its Quattro all-wheel drive on the Q2, but it doesn’t ever feel like it really needs it.

The Audi Q2 is easy to live with on a daily basis and has a good driving position, but rear seat space is not as good as in a Mini Countryman

There’s a lot to like as you slide into the Audi Q2’s front cabin. For starters, the body of the car sits high enough off the ground that you simply glide into the driver’s seat, rather than falling down into it as you do in some other small SUVs. This also means you get that all-important feeling of sitting a bit higher, which is what many people love about SUVs.

The all-round vision from the driver’s chair is good, which makes the Q2 simple to park, and you also have rear parking sensors in every version to make life even easier. Adjusting the seat angle and height is easy with the manual levers that are standard, and you also now get electrically adjusted lumbar movement, so you can avoid any lower back aches on longer drives. With a steering wheel that moves for height and how close it’s positioned to you, the Q2 fits drivers of all shapes and sizes.

When it comes to stashing phones, bottles and sunglasses in the Q2, it’s okay but not as good as a Mini Countryman. Large door bins easily swallow bigger water bottles and glass cases, while the centre console has a tray in front of the gear lever with USB chargers and cupholders. There’s another cubby behind the gear stick that is perfect for keeping a phone away from nosey passers-by. This isn’t a big storage bin, but you can have it with the optional Audi Phone Box that helps boost the signal to your phone and comes with wireless charging.

Space in the back seats

Sit in either of the two outer rear seats in the Q2 and you will find it more than good enough for this size and type of car. There’s a decent amount of space for adults’ knees and heads, so long as anyone in the front isn’t taller than six feet. Shoulder room is a bit cramped by the doors, and the doors themselves don’t offer the biggest entry, which is more of a hassle when trying to load babies and toddlers into their seats. At least Audi provides very easy to use ISOFIX mounts on both outer rear chairs.

Anyone sat in the middle seat of the Q2 is going to find it pretty uncomfortable. The raised seat base means there’s very little headroom and your feet end up being squashed by the front seat runners. Not ideal. Audi compensates to a small degree with large door bins.

Boot space

With the rear seats in their usual raised position, the Q2 offers 405 litres of load space, which is less than some other small SUVs, with the BMW X2 boasting 470 litres, for example. The boot is well shaped, though, so fitting in a couple of large suitcases or a pram is simple. The load floor sits flush with the bumper to make sliding in heavy boxes easy, and there’s some hidden storage under the boot floor.

As standard, the Q2 comes with a 60-40 split and fold rear seat back, though you do have to raise the headrests so the seats fold flat and make the most of the space. Do this and you can liberate up to 1050 litres of cargo room. Again, not the biggest but the shape makes use of every inch. There are also several tie-down hooks in the boot, but no 12-volt power supply.

An electrically powered tailgate is standard across the Q2 range. However, three separate folding rear seats cost extra and, if you choose this, it means no drop-down armrest for rear seat passengers.

Audi mixes practicality with clear, stylish design inside the Q2, but the Technik trim misses out on the excellent Virtual Cockpit as standard

There’s a great mix of the practical and high tech inside the Q2. An example of this are the very simple rotary controls that manage the heating and ventilation. It makes it easy to adjust the temperature or fan speed of the air conditioning, and you don’t have to look away from the road or fiddle with the infotainment screen to do it.

As for the high tech, Audi fits every Q2 from the Sport trim upwards with its brilliant Virtual Cockpit dash. This allows you to choose what sort of information you see in the dash screen and how it’s displayed. Best of all, you can have a large sat nav map on show, so you only need to glance down to know where you’re heading. With steering wheel controls to work this, it’s another area where the Q2 is a step ahead of many others in this class of car.

Now, while the dash might look a little too sensible and similar to the A3 hatch’s compared to, say, a Mini Countryman or Honda HR-V, there are benefits to the Audi’s approach. First off, the Q2’s MMI, or Multi Media Interface, comes with a large round controller. It makes it so much easier to work through the various screens on the infotainment display than reaching forward and prodding the monitor. It also feels much more natural for your hand to fall on to the MMI dial.

The 8.3-inch colour screen for the infotainment in every Q2 is clear and positioned high in the centre of the dash. It comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, so you can access smartphone apps on the screen. If you choose the Sport trim or higher, the Q2 comes with sat-nav installed in the system, as well as Google Earth navigation and live traffic updates, plus it acts as a wifi hotspot for up to eight devices.

The screen is also used to choose from settings for the Audi Drive Select system, which lets you pick from Comfort, Auto, Dynamic and Individual settings for how the engine, air conditioning and cruise control affect the way the car drives or its efficiency. It also changes how the automatic gearbox, if fitted, responds.

If that’s not enough tech for you, Audi offers an integrated dash cam as an option to record what’s going on around the car as you drive.

There are two engine and transmission options with the Audi Q2. The first is the 1.0-litre turbo petrol engine that has 110bhp and is used in the 30 TFSI models. It is only offered with a six-speed manual gearbox. It can manage the 0-60mph sprint in 11.2 seconds, which is at the more sluggish end of the scale in this class. However, in town it feels perfectly nippy. This engine is also the most economical of the Q2 line-up, delivering a best of 48.7mpg with CO2 emissions of up to 142g/km.

A better all-round bet is the 35 TFSI model with its 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine making 150hp. It covers off 0-60mph in a much brisker 8.6 seconds whether you stick with the six-speed manual gearbox or choose the optional seven-speed S tronic auto ’box. With the manual transmission, you’ll see a best average fuel consumption of 47.9mpg and up to 142g/km of CO2, while the auto offers 46.3mpg and 149g/km.

Those emissions figures mean that whichever model you choose, you won't have to pay too much in first-year road tax, though the lack of a hybrid version makes the Q2 less appealing for company car buyers.

Audi covers all of the essential bases with the Q2 when it comes to safety. You get six airbags in every model, as well as ISOFIX mounting points on the two outer rear seats and the front passenger chair. There’s also cruise control with speed limiter, autonomous emergency braking, and reverse parking sensors for every version.

In Euro NCAP crash tests, the Q2 scored a very respectable 93% for adult occupant safety and 86% for child safety. Pedestrian safety worked out at 70%, which is on a par with other small SUVs. However, a 60% result for safety systems is due to Audi charging extra for the optional lane keep assist function for the Q2 when it’s standard on cars from many other manufacturers such as Volvo and Volkswagen.

The Audi Q2 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard when you buy new. This can be extended to five years and 90,000 miles for an additional fee, and this warranty passes on to the next owner when you sell the car.

Audi’s reputation for reliability is bolstered by the Q2, which is less likely to have problems than others in this class, such as the Mini Countryman or Volkswagen T-Roc. This makes the Q2 a sound bet for a hassle-free experience.

There have been three safety recalls for the Audi Q2, all for cars built in 2017 or 2018.