By EWAN KENNEDY in Zurich, Switzerland
THE Audi Q2 is a small-medium SUV which is set to arrive in Q1 in Australia.
Its body is stylish, but retains a fair amount of practicality.
Customisation is very much part of the Q2’s package which means it’s theoretically possible for 5 million variations of the vehicle to leave the factory.
Sales of small and mid-size SUVs are booming worldwide, not just in Australia.
Many are being bought by people with no desire to go off-road but who want something that’s easy to get in and out of.
Station wagons are considered boring whereas SUVs are desirable.
The Q2 is offered with several different petrol and diesel engines, all of them turbocharged.
The smallest unit is a 1.0-litre three-cylinder which we have driven and liked but Audi feels Australian buyers wouldn’t be keen on it so it’s not coming down under.
The smallest Australian engine will be the 1.4-litre cylinder-on-demand one which is already seen on several other Audi models here and produces 110 kW of power and 250 Nm of torque.
The largest turbo-petrol, with a displacement of 2.0 litres (140 kW / 320 Nm) is likely to be the biggest seller in Australia.
Finally there’s a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel (110 kW / 340 Nm).
Audi’s 1.4 engine drives only through the front wheels, the 2.0-litre units are connected to all four wheels through the company’s quattro AWD system.
All Australia imports will have a seven-speed, dual-clutch automatic (S tronic in Audi speak).
The auto on the 2.0 quattro models is a new design with faster shifts and smoother take-up during ultra-slow parking manoeuvres whereas the 1.4 makes do with the older version of the S tronic, at least for the time being.
Our initial road testing was carried out in Switzerland during a global media event organised by Audi during which we were able to sample each of the engines being imported to Australia.
There is good space in the front seats, they’re easy to enter and leave and the driving position is pleasing high, without going to the extremes of a genuine 4WD.
The rear seats are marginal in legroom for adults and some compromises will have to be made with those in the front if tall travellers are on board.
Three grown-ups can sit across the back, but two makes more sense.
Audi Q2 isn’t alone in this as most in the small and small-medium segments have the same problems.
Boot space at 405 litres is good and the floor can be set at two levels to either provide security for smallish objects under it, or for tall cargo. Maximum capacity is 1050 litres with the rear seats down.
Good aerodynamics aren’t easy to achieve in SUV bodies but Audi has managed an impressively low coefficient of drag of just 0.30.
This results in low wind noise and we happily cruised at 130 km/h on European motorways with barely a rustle of wind from the door mirrors.
After leaving the motorways and getting ourselves onto brilliant mountainous Swiss roads, complete with snow covered peaks above us, we found Audi Q2 quiet and comfortable to travel in.
There were some relatively rough surfaces but these didn’t challenge the suspension.
As usual, we will need to wait until we can carry out road tests in Australia before coming to conclusions.
Handling is competent enough with high levels of road grip, all the more so in the Q2 sports with its larger wheels, wider tyres and adaptable dampers.
However this is obviously a small SUV not a sedan due to its higher centre of gravity. Feel through the steering is on the dead side.
No attempt was made to take the Audi Q2 off-road. Ground clearance of 148 mm isn’t a lot higher than that of many hatches and sedans.
However, it has very short overhangs so the models with quarto all-wheel-drive may be able to tackle dirt road and fire trails if adventurous families want to get to interesting areas in the Australian bush.
We were surprised to find a somewhat old-fashioned head up display (HUD) fitted to the Q2, however it works well enough and that’s probably what matters.
Audi Australia seems sure to be onto a good thing when the Q2 comes in Q1 2017.
A combination of style, customisation and the fact that this market segment is running hot at the moment will keep the sales people pretty busy.
For more information contact Audi Barry Bourke, 755 Princes Highway, Berwick. Phone 9707 2222.
