Used Audi Q2 2016-present review

Small doesn’t mean cheap, particularly in the small SUV market. Take the Audi Q2. It has bold styling on the outside, a well-finished and sporty interior and tidy handling. You also have the benefit of driving around in a compact vehicle that’s easy to park in town and should be relatively fuel-efficient compared with bulkier premium SUVs, such as the BMW X1, Peugeot 3008 and Volkswagen T-Roc.

The engine range initially consisted of three petrol and two diesels, with quattro four-wheel drive available on the most powerful 2.0-litre petrol and diesel options. Even the entry-level 113bhp 1.0-litre TFSI three-cylinder petrol is perky enough for town work, but the 148bhp 1.4 TFSI petrol is better, since it uses cylinder deactivation technology to achieve similar fuel economy to the smaller 1.0 while having much better out-of-town performance. Either diesel is fine for those who travel a lot and need the superior fuel economy, with the 2.0 TDI being the more refined one of the two.

Anyone doing very high miles will find the diesel 30 TDI (with 115bhp) a tempting proposition. It's not exactly quick, but has enough pull at low revs to make the more powerful 35 TDI (with 148bhp) seem unnecessary.

People in the front will find the Q2 fine for space, but those in the back will find it a little cramped. Three people cannot sit across the rear bench comfortably, but that's par for the course in this class. Leg room isn’t brilliant because adults and taller teens will find their knees touching the backs of the seats in front. The driver has plenty of adjustment to get comfortable, but the driving position is quite low and doesn’t afford you the commanding driving position that many SUV buyers expect. It's also worth noting that lumbar support isn’t standard on the Q2, so look out for it as an option.

Speaking of options, the Q2 could have been ordered with a whole raft of them to turn it into a very fancy (and expensive) pint-sized SUV. The most impressive is the configurable display that replaces the analogue gauges for the speedo and rev counter with a 12.3in screen that can show you all sorts of driver information, from sat-nav instructions to fuel economy and driving data, all in the driver's line of sight. The great thing is that it isn’t at all distracting and quickly becomes second nature to use.