Audi Q2 review

The next Skoda Yeti will move onto the same underpinnings, too. But you’d be ignoring an apparently quite different mission statement if you blithely bundled the Q2 in with those in-house siblings.

Audi is playing to a younger and more design-conscious crowd here than most crossover makers have of late, and is clearly beckoning to owners of the likes of the Nissan Juke, Mini Paceman, DS 4 Crossback and others to come and experience life in an equally alternative-looking, proper premium-branded car.

And it’s offering them more than just visual allure and that coveted band of four chromed rings here. The Q2’s big sell is built not only on typical crossover utility and convenience but also keener performance and handling than you normally get from the type, as well as all the material quality and infotainment that Audi routinely offers further up the food chain.

Turbocharged petrol and diesel engines ranging from 114bhp to 187bhp, manual and dual-clutch automatic gearboxes and front and four-wheel drive are all on the Q2’s mechanical menu, while customers can also chose from ruggedised, bespoilered and duotone styling themes.

We chose a mid-level, mid-spec, front-driven, 1.4-litre turbo petrol model to provide an introduction to Audi’s new SUV chapter.