Audi Q2 1.4 TFSI 2017 Review

I’m calling it: the Audi Q2 might be my perfect car.

Okay, so perhaps perfection isn’t the right word for it because, in the process of writing this review, I managed to come up with a few little issues that could ideally be rectified in version 2.0. But, boy, did I struggle to find any real flaws.

That’s because the smallest-ever Audi SUV is a thing of complete beauty. The version I drove came in such a chic shade of mushroom grey that I wasn’t surprised to see Audi using the same version in all of its TV ads.

If it wasn’t love at first sight, it was at the very least lust at first sight.

And not just for me either. I shared a photo of the gleaming Q2 on my Instagram page to plenty of fanfare. “Come pick me up!” friends begged. “It’s so shiny,” family members gushed. “That’s swag,” my trendy younger brother declared.

On the street, people stared. Perhaps it was the Q2’s uniquely svelte body shape – not quite SUV, not quite wagon, not quite hatch – that caught people’s eyes. But I suspect it was merely the fact us human beings like pretty things. Call it the bowerbird effect, if you will.

Looking that good, the Q2 had a bit of license to be temperamental, difficult to drive or just a bit useless. Thankfully, it doesn’t rest on its glossy laurels. The interior is sumptuous with leather-appointed upholstery, very Audi-appropriate circular air vents, a surprisingly streamlined dash and a pop-up infotainment screen that can be hidden to boost the minimalist aesthetic.

A traditional ignition is unexpected but not a downside, but a lack of keyless entry feels a little dated (although it can be added as part of an optional package). Thankfully, the Q2 has all the other creature comforts one could crave, with even the entry-level model offering idle-stop, a reverse camera, sat-nav, voice control, and front and rear parking sensors. And that’s just the beginning – but more on the cool tech later.

Importantly, getting comfortable and adequately set up in the Q2 is remarkably intuitive. I’d managed to pair my phone, locate the trip computer, figure out voice control and get my seat in a perfect position within seconds of getting in.

The central control dial near the gear stick takes some getting used to because it’s out of your natural line of sight whilst driving, but once you get the swing of it it’s actually easier to scroll through radio stations from that position than to navigate a touchscreen right in front of you. If all else fails, there are steering wheel controls and the voice control works very well too. They’ve really thought of everything.

The car feels high off the ground and transmission is zippy, with very responsive acceleration and brakes. It drives like a hatch but doesn’t feel too lightweight. I found it was a bit bumpy going over speed humps or potholes but tyre and engine noise is virtually non-existent. Even on slopes there’s no rolling forward or backward and the chassis feels sturdy without being cumbersome.

Unfortunately, there’s one downside I found to the Q2 and that’s the Bluetooth connection, which can be temperamental. I found the car’s controls weren’t that effective in changing tracks or hanging up or making calls. Music would occasionally drop out mid-song without any sign of signal interference and it was hard to figure out whether you were operating the music off Bluetooth connection, USB connection, Wi-Fi or something else entirely.

But enough of that negativity! Did I mention there’s adaptive cruise control (helpfully activated via its own separate lever off the steering wheel), lane departure assist, very attentive parking sensors, super bright automatic LED headlights and auto wipers?

Don’t get me started on the automated parking system – a modern car novelty I don’t think I’ll ever get over. Picture it: me, struggling to manoeuvre into a narrow parking spot on a main road in time to get into the supermarket before it closed, before suddenly realising my car could actually park itself. It was nothing short of a miracle. With a few button pushes and some gentle braking, the car slipped in without a hitch and I made it into the supermarket in time to clean out the chocolate aisle.

I could then fit all of the aforementioned chocolate into the car with ease given the Q2’s boot space is more on the wagon end of the spectrum than the hatch end. What it offers in boot space, though, it may sacrifice in back seat space. Tall people will struggle a bit with the sloping roof.

The Edition #1 on test promises a fuel economy figure of 5.3L/100km (ADR combined), but my week of stop-start city driving (including a long stint attempting to get out of a crowded carpark complex after a concert) came in at around 7.2. Not horrendous but a fair bit higher than promised.

I deliberately did not look at the price of Q2 until the end of my glorious week with it. I’m well aware I have expensive taste so I braced myself for the worst-case scenario. I was pleasantly surprised by the price. Considering how well-equipped even the entry-level, $41,100 (plus ORCs) 1.4 TFSI is, you absolutely do get bang for your buck.

Of course, being up over the $40,000 mark does put it out of reach for one specific portion of what I believe could be the Q2’s very broad target market: young people who will crave the prestige of a luxury car without too much pomp and circumstance.

Still, you know it’s a good car when you struggle to fill out the “what we didn’t like” section at the bottom of this review. And struggle I did. It’s rare to find a car with such universal appeal – cross-generational, not gender specific and aesthetically pleasing to all.
Trying to think up worthy competitors for the Q2 was also a challenge because there just isn’t anything else in Australia that combines style, substance and function in such a handy little package.

It really is in a class all its own.

2017 Audi Q2 1.4 TFSI Edition #1 pricing and specifications:
Price: $47,800 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 110kW/250Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 5.3L/100km (ADR Combined) / 7.2L/100km (as tested)
CO2: 122g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP)

Related reading:
>> Audi Q2 2017 review
>> Audi Q2 2016 video review
>> Medium prestige SUV 2016 comparison