Audi Q2 review

We are enthusiasts. And reading TopGear.com, we hope you are too. In which case the Audi Q2 would appear not to be for The Likes of Us. It drives exactly as well as it needs to, and no more. When the VW Group launched the platform it’s based upon, the cars upon it all felt sharp and keen; Golfs, Leons and A3s suddenly handled with a newfound flair. We were happy.

So what’s the issue?

Firstly, the control weights are consistently lacking in any feel – there’s a granular, force feedback vibe through the steering wheel, for instance. And the ride, especially if you spec an S Line car with 18- or 19-inch wheels, is truly shoddy. 

We found too that the seven-speed auto gearbox can be a bit lazy – touch the throttle and there’s a bit of give in the pedal before the engine starts to respond. You could argue that Audi buyers don't care about how the car handles (or how uncomfortable massive wheels make it) because of the badge, and there's likely some truth to that. But the Q2 is a classic case of a car feeling less premium than it could, because it's not been set up with as much care as it should have. 

It’s just a shame the Q2 doesn’t demonstrate as much verve dynamically as it does aesthetically, or pull off the Q5's trick of being much more refined and relaxed than you expect. Because it needs to hit a low price point, it's saddled with a cheapo torsion beam rear axle, and frankly, you can tell it's got Dacia-spec suspension from the first few yards.

What about the engines? 

The 1.0 triple and 1.5 4cyl motor are both decent enough engines – you’ll get better mileage out of the little 1.0-litre turbo even if it does take nearly three seconds longer to get from 0–62mph (8.6 seconds versus 10.2s). It’s got a bit of character to it as well, which the 1.5 lacks, so we’d probably go for the 30 TFSI.