► Audi unveils the new Q2
► Another Geneva motor show debut
► It’s a little brother to the Q3 et al
Audi has pulled the covers off its new Q2 junior SUV at the 2016 Geneva motor show, slotting beneath the Q3, Q5 and Q7 as the fourth crossover in Ingolstadt’s range. It’s 20cm shorter than a Q3.
Think of it as a rival to the Mini Countryman and its ilk. It certainly looks to have the proportions of a shrunken Audi SUV – albeit with a faster roofline and more distinctively sharped daytime running light graphic.
The designer lowdown
This is a short SUV, just breaking the four-metre barrier at 4190mm long; Audi has managed to keep it looking pert and low-slung (it’s 1510mm tall and 1790mm wide), thanks to an arcing roof and blacked-out C-pillars, not dissimilar to those on a Citroen C4 Cactus. Big wheels, spanning from 17-19in help the stance, too.
Over to Gary Telaak, head of exterior design for the Q2 project. ‘We wanted to give the car a rally look by pulling it off the ground, like the Paris-Dakar cars of the 1980s and 90s, with big wheels and slim canopies.
‘Approaching younger customers means we could do a few things differently – we have a solid torso with the cabin sat on top, a strong Audi design point, but there are two side windows rather than the usual three, and shorter feature lines on the bonnet to help shorten it. It is not classic upper-class sophistication – for elegance you need length – but a more rugged and youthful look. This is a compact car and we want to show off its compactness.’
Is it practical enough? Audi claims a 405-litre boot, expanding to 1050 litres if you tumble the seats forward. The rear bench splits three ways and you can spec a powered tailgate.
Engine line-up, specs
The Q2 will sport five different engine choices in the UK:
- 1.0 three-cylinder TFSI
- 1.4 four-cylinder TFSI 148bhp with cylinder deactivation
- 2.0 four-cylinder TFSI 187bhp
- 1.6 four-cylinder TDI 114bhp
- 2.0 four-cylinder TDI 148bhp
Both 2.0-litre engines can be equipped with Quattro four-wheel drive, bringing with it a four-link multi-link rear suspension; most Q2s will, however, be front-drivers. All models come with variable-ratio steering, which tweaks how much input you need to put in depending on the speed of manoeuvre.
Adaptive dampers are available on higher-spec models, letting you choose from Stiff/Hard/Insert-Audi-ride-quality-joke-here. You get the idea. And every Q2 can be specced with the S tronic dual-clutch transmission.
Other goodies available, many at extra cost, include:
- Virtual cockpit digital instruments
- Head-up display
- Audi Pre-Sense pedestrian avoidance tech
- Traffic sign recognition
- Lane-departure warning, active cruise control
- Equipped for wi-fi hotspot provision
A sportier kind of Audi crossover
The car’s side profile sports a sportier roofline than the existing Audi SUVs – giving credence to the even-numbered Q cars being more coupe-like, while the odd-numbered models are more upright and family-focused.
The new Q2 will be available to order from July 2016, with first right-hand drive UK deliveries in November. There will be personalisation galore. ‘‘There will be lots of strong colours available, with subtle shades too,’ says Jens Kosyna, technical project leader. ‘It will be sold in the familiar SE, Sport [forecasted to be the most popular] and S Line trims, with Q2 specific parts including Manhattan Grey mouldings on SE cars – these are body coloured on Sport and S Line.
‘The silver roof “blade” – like the one on the R8 – comes in different colours depending on trim and gives the car a sporty, chopped look. SE is Manhattan Grey, Sport gets ice silver and on S Line it is titanium. The designers said no to roof rails because they would spoil the coupe-like roofline.’
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