Has someone put an Audi Q3 through a hot wash by mistake?
Har-de-har. You know fine well this is the Audi Q2, the new baby SUV from Ingolstadt. It has been revealed in...
Geneva?
Yes, Geneva it is. The Q2, due on sale in the third quarter of this year, is a compact SUV that can weigh as little as 1,205kg, while it'll come with all the sorts of in-car comfort and connectivity goodies you'd expect of an Audi. Options will include the 12.3-inch TFT 'Virtual Cockpit' and a head-up display. The German brand also claims that the driving position is both low and sporty like its saloon cars, all the while still preserving that commanding view befitting of an SUV.
How small is it?
It measures 4,190mm long, 1,510mm tall and has a 2,600mm wheelbase. Which makes it comfortably shorter and not much higher than the current A3 three-door; they even share the same wheelbase. We like the look of the Q2, though, and this is relatively new (he joined in 2013) design chief Marc Lichte's first production model. Some of it is familiar Audi: the Singleframe grille, for instance, the compact light clusters and the big air intakes. But there are some new details to pore over, like the C-pillar treatment that leaves the Q2 with a 'floating roof' in profile, or the extensive bit of chamfering that has been taken out of the swage line at the top of the doors. It's a good-looking machine that's bound to win plenty of fans in showrooms across the globe.
What will power it and will any Q2s actually be four-wheel drive?
If we may address your second query first, just to be contrary, of course there will be quattro Q2s; it couldn't wear the Q-badge otherwise. Naturally, front-wheel drive only Q2s with middling diesel engines will cream sales, but it's nice to know four-wheel traction is available if required. In terms of engines, the Q2 will launch with six that are variously borrowed from similar-sized existing products in Audi's portfolio, such as the A1, A3 and Q3. Three TDI diesels will bear the brunt of the work, with a 116hp 1.6 joined by 150- and 190hp variants of the 2.0-litre lump. On the petrol side, the 1.4 TFSI and a 2.0-litre four-pots will top out the range, but it's the entry-level motor we're intrigued by the most: so small and light is the Q2 that Audi will slot the 1.0-litre three-cylinder engine, with 116hp, into its conk. A three-pot SUV - who'd have thought that a few years back, eh?
Can you tell me about the transmissions?
The bigger, 2.0-litre units will be mated to a seven-speed S tronic auto, although smaller motors get the six-speed manual as standard.
And when can I buy one?
They'll be on sale from summer, with deliveries commencing in the autumn. Audi suggests the Q2 will start around £21,000 - a good four grand down on the Q3's entry point, but quite a lot more than, say, a decent Skoda Yeti would set you back. You want premium, you pays your money...
Matt Robinson - 1 Mar 2016