Photo: CarPix
With the all-new Q2, Audi is cutting it pretty close to the bottom edge of the premium market. In fact, some people say they've gone too far with the 1-liter engine, rigid rear axle, and hard interior plastics.
The Q2 is making its UK showroom debut this week starting at £22,380 OTR in SE trim and with a 1.4-liter turbo. That 1-liter turbo will arrive later this year starting at £20,230, followed by the big 2.0 models in 2017.
Of course, the one journalists want to know about is the SQ2 performance model. It's been seen at the Nurburgring, but only once and there isn't even a video out there.
When asked about the SQ2, Stephan Knirsch, Audi’s Board Member for Technical Development, told Auto Express the following: “It is something we’re looking at. It would be relatively easy to do with MQB. The Q2 shares a lot with the A3, but we have to see what appetite there is for the more expensive Q2 models first.”
Knirsch added that it might be possible to pay €45,000, the equivalent of £35,000, for a Q2 if all the options are ordered. But he's wrong. There's already an Edition #1 model with 2.0 TDI, quattro, and a 7-speed S tronic that stickers for £35,730.
Making the SQ2 would have been a foregone conclusion two years ago, when Audi was attacking every niche with ferocity. But the Dieselgate scandal has burned a hole in their pockets, delayed the Q4 and A3 replacement.
Right now, the quattro company has noticeably fewer performance models than Mercedes. But the SQ2's main rival would have been the MINI Countryman JCW, since the GLA 45 AMG is so much more powerful and expensive.
The A3 and Q2 have many parts in common. In fact, the variable ratio steering system used by the crossover has been borrowed directly from the S3. And that's where many expect the engine will come from, a 2-liter with a turbo big enough to deliver 310 PS and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. Of course, this crossover is extremely light, as its base version weighs 1.2 tons, compared to the 1.5 tons of a BMW X1. So it doesn't even need that much power.
Of course, the one journalists want to know about is the SQ2 performance model. It's been seen at the Nurburgring, but only once and there isn't even a video out there.
When asked about the SQ2, Stephan Knirsch, Audi’s Board Member for Technical Development, told Auto Express the following: “It is something we’re looking at. It would be relatively easy to do with MQB. The Q2 shares a lot with the A3, but we have to see what appetite there is for the more expensive Q2 models first.”
Knirsch added that it might be possible to pay €45,000, the equivalent of £35,000, for a Q2 if all the options are ordered. But he's wrong. There's already an Edition #1 model with 2.0 TDI, quattro, and a 7-speed S tronic that stickers for £35,730.
Making the SQ2 would have been a foregone conclusion two years ago, when Audi was attacking every niche with ferocity. But the Dieselgate scandal has burned a hole in their pockets, delayed the Q4 and A3 replacement.
Right now, the quattro company has noticeably fewer performance models than Mercedes. But the SQ2's main rival would have been the MINI Countryman JCW, since the GLA 45 AMG is so much more powerful and expensive.
The A3 and Q2 have many parts in common. In fact, the variable ratio steering system used by the crossover has been borrowed directly from the S3. And that's where many expect the engine will come from, a 2-liter with a turbo big enough to deliver 310 PS and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque. Of course, this crossover is extremely light, as its base version weighs 1.2 tons, compared to the 1.5 tons of a BMW X1. So it doesn't even need that much power.
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