What's the news?
So here it is, our first clear look at the money-spinning baby SUV that fits at the bottom of the Audi 'Q' line-up. It's the Q2 and it has debuted at the Geneva Motor Show.
Designed to slot in beneath the already-pretty-compact Q3, the Q2 is just 4,190mm long, 1,510mm tall and possesses a 2,600mm wheelbase. It features a lot of Audi's signifier design cues, like a 'Singleframe' grille, large air inlets, crisp swage lines (check out that chamfering at the top of the doors, though; that's design boss Marc Lichte's work) and compact lamp clusters all round, with a particularly notable blacked-out C-pillar arrangement giving the diddy crossover a 'floating roof' in profile.
Audi says the cockpit features a driver's seat position that is 'sporty and low, like in an Audi saloon', yet still preserving the improved visibility offered by SUVs like this. It will feature all the sorts of connectivity and in-car tech features you'd expect of this premium German marque, while the 12.3-inch TFT 'Virtual Cockpit' will be an option, so there's no scrimping on the junior Q-car's luxurious feel. There's even a head-up display offered, although exact standard specs will obviously be confirmed later this year.
The German company talks of quattro all-wheel drive and the Q2 would neither be a proper SUV nor Audi Q-model without it, but it won't be standard on all variants; there are front-wheel drive Q3s and so it will be for the Q2. Expect mid-power, front-wheel drive diesel Q2s to outsell everything else in the range in Ireland.
Audi says it will launch the Q2 with three TFSI petrol and three TDI diesel engines, churning out between 116- and 190hp. That means the 1.4- and 2.0 turbocharged petrols, and the 1.6- and 2.0 diesels. The larger engines will be paired to the seven-speed dual-clutch auto, which has been reworked for the Q2, while a six-speed manual can be had with smaller units. And there's a smaller engine than all of the above. So light and compact is the Q2 that one of the 116hp units is the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine lifted from the A1; a three-cylinder SUV, no less.
Anything else?
The Audi Q3 costs from €36,300 so we'd be surprised if the Q2 will start at anything less than €30k, but it will definitely be cheaper than its big brother. It's due to go on sale in autumn of 2016.
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