Audi S Q2 test: the SUV GTI

As you will have understood, the advantage of a media like Blogautomobile is the number of collaborators in the team which allows you to have the most complete and regular content possible. If we obviously have to share as best we can the invitations of the manufacturers, the cars that we choose to test in the press park are the object of personal choice. For my part, even though I have a strong appetite for sporty and thrilling models, some cars inspire me less than others. It was the case I must admit for the S Q2. What an idea to adorn an urban SUV with an “S” badge to make it a sporty SUV. In this last name alone, something rings false. And yet ... What could these many English media find in yet another variation of 2. 0 L TSI / TFSI of the Volkswagen Group which at first glance does not seem to bring anything more than its congeners? Fun, from what I've read. Enough to convince me to ask for a try.

A (not so) old friend

The Audi Q2, you have obviously already had the opportunity to hear about it on your favorite blog. It is moreover your servant who was able to participate in the official tests which took place in the south of Portugal two and a half years ago. The 1.4 L TFSI declined at the start in 150 hp had then amazed me by the symbiosis created with the Q2, it was simply excellent. The Q2 on the other hand marks for me the turn started by Audi over the past two years in terms of style and renewal. He ticked all the boxes to make me want to be behind his wheel again. Great good for me to wait so long since Audi came back at the beginning of the year with a tempting proposition thanks to this S version 300 hp under the hood with all that that implies both in terms of exterior developments and in the passenger compartment. Enough to swallow the 0 to 100 km / h in 6.5 seconds and leave a large part of the automobile production in place, all with a "small" Audi. Let's not forget that the Q2 (and the S Q2 by extension) has very contained dimensions with only 4.19m in length. It is 12 cm less than an Audi A3 for example. If we talk about numbers, another surprises: its weight. With 1510 kg empty on the scale, we can not say that this small urban SUV is playing in the featherweight court. It is even heavier than almost all of the compacts on the market, in particular because of its quattro transmission. But it has many other advantages. It is even heavier than almost all of the compacts on the market, in particular because of its quattro transmission. But it has many other advantages. It is even heavier than almost all of the compacts on the market, in particular because of its quattro transmission. But it has many other advantages.

Youthful insolence

Cheeky, that's the first word that comes to mind to describe the look of the enfant terrible of SUVs. Audi is not the first to give one of its SUVs an aggressive look matched with a very deliberate engine. Yet the Q2 remains desperately (or not, it's up to you) alone in its class. BMW and Mercedes also offer their own visions of entry-level premium SUVs but stop at the equivalent of the Q3. Even the GLA does not really play in the same court, its AMG version either for that matter. The Ingolstadt firm then resumed its recipe for success and played with restraint in terms of aesthetic modifications, very close to what can be obtained via the S-Line exterior pack on the rest of the Q2 range. We will mainly note a specific front bumper with a black grille outline to match the mirrors, side stickers proudly bearing the “quattro” inscription and finally a rear diffuser showing 4 black exhaust outlets. On our test model, 19-inch rims instead of the original 18 as well as the red painted calipers accentuate the differentiation of the S Q2 from the rest of the range. The color palette remains as wide as ever with the possibility of opting for an “Audi Exclusive” configuration. 19-inch rims instead of the original 18 as well as the red painted calipers accentuate the S Q2's differentiation from the rest of the range. The color palette remains as wide as ever with the possibility of opting for an “Audi Exclusive” configuration. 19-inch rims instead of the original 18 as well as the red painted calipers accentuate the S Q2's differentiation from the rest of the range. The color palette remains as wide as ever with the possibility of opting for an “Audi Exclusive” configuration.

You will also have to go through the options box if you want to benefit, as on our test model, from the two-tone Magma Red / Black leather seats with a particularly worked design. However, there is no solution to escape the door frames, which are ubiquitous in hard plastic. Too bad, it's a bit of a task next to the general atmosphere with particularly neat finishes. Moreover, the multimedia / infotainment equipment is particularly well supplied as standard, offering among other things the Virtual Cockpit and the MMI Navigation Plus. On the other hand, driving aids remain optional with an invoice easily climbing to several thousand euros if you want to tick all the boxes in the catalog. 

Devastating temperament 

As I told you in the introduction, my first steps in the company of Q2 were exciting. A most adequate engine / gearbox combination that allowed the Q2 to combine driving comfort on the fast lane, giving the impression of being behind the wheel of a Q7 as it seemed at ease on this type of route and pleasure on the secondary network, notably through the disconcerting precision of the front axle. The S version gains almost 250 kg compared to the 1.4 TFSI equipped with a 7-speed S-Tronic gearbox, or 20%. No wonder the performance isn't the most disconcerting on paper. However, by way of comparison, a Golf R equipped with the DSG7 displaying 1600 kg empty performs the 0 to 100 km / h in 4.7 seconds against 6.5 seconds for the S Q2. How can a bigger, heavier car equipped with the same engine and the same gearbox therefore manages to put 1.8 seconds in sight on the same exercise to our surly SUV of the moment? Mystery. 

But it is time for me to explain my title, which besides having a touting side (come and read me dear readers!) Transcribes a reality. The 2.0 L TFSI is not particularly pleasant to the ear and for once, Audi has not done much to make it sounder unlike the rest of the S models whose backfiring is usually commonplace or even distinctive. Not a single “pop” at the foot lever, no “bang” in the express gearshift that the S-Tronic allows and no hoarse rumble. In short, you probably won't wake up the streets like an A45 AMG with all the valves open. First thing in the to do listin case of purchase: assembly of a stainless steel line. The sport mode engaged via Audi Drive Select transforms the S Q2 in terms of gearshift speed, stiffness of damping, engine response and significantly heavier steering. The house 2.0 L runs out of steam and gently tickles the 7000 rpm before letting the gearbox shift into the next gear. I say “leave” because even by switching the lever to manual mode, the gearbox takes over your desires and prevents you from downshifting too early (that's good) and upshifts for you from time to time ( that's less good). 

Despite this avalanche of bad news, will we be able to say good things about this car? But yes ! We still don't end up being the best… Devastating temperament I told you. If the S Q2 is not the most demonstrative, its commitment to driving on winding courses remains astounding. The recipe is simple but you had to think about it: a compact size and wheels placed at the 4 corners of the body, the S Q2 takes up in its sauce the elements that made the success of the first GTIs in their time and the behavior is no exception. . Voluntary when accelerating, it is very easy to “crash” the front of the S Q2 under braking, as well as to try out reduced braking. A few degrees of inclination of the steering wheel at the opportune moment and the rear starts to heckle with enthusiasm even leaving the discretion to the driver to take up the throttle and make the quattro work in resumption of grip before the ESP intervenes. It's playful and it's totally surprising from Audi to allow such a good behavior gap. Once you get the hang of it, every turn is subject to a little late braking to wind up the curves of this glade road you love so much. The S Q2 remains very firm in damping and the roll is very well mastered. It does not turn into a racing beast, but the jovial character of this cheeky little SUV completely delights me to the point of finding it more engaging than some compacts on the market. So yes, 

Definitely out of class

Small but imposing, compact but roomy, leggy but not comfortable for a penny, heavy but sparkling, the S Q2 is full of contradictions and its look is no exception. In terms of pure performance, the result is not necessarily what one would expect from the technical sheet alone. A sporty SUV is moreover quite contradictory for a majority of us (even if a few examples prove the contrary to us, like the Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV. Audi does not betray its habits and provides a copy without embellishment, faithful to all the S versions of its models. Almost too wise in terms of sound, the S Q2 nonetheless remains nonetheless playful on a winding course, there too it is a nice contradiction. Although the target clientele surely does not opt ​​for a cash purchase, it seems important to me to inform you about the price of our test model, which is around € 60,000. Expensive or not, complicated to determine as the S Q2 is playing solitary here. I look forward to your comments to find him direct competition.