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Used test: Audi Q2 vs DS 4 Crossback vs Seat Ateca: interiors
You can save £7000 by buying one of these three compelling SUVs used rather than new, but which one stands above the others as the best choice? We have answer...
Interiors
Driving position, visibility, build quality, practicality
Although the Q2 is based on the Audi A3 Sportback, it feels surprisingly poky inside and is certainly at the smaller end of the small SUV class. Even so, two adults will be fine for head and leg room in the front seats, and the driver gets a generous amount of manual seat and steering wheel adjustment. It’s a shame lumbar adjustment costs extra given that it comes as standard in the Seat Ateca and DS 4.
In terms of infotainment, the Q2 comes with a 7.0in colour screen as standard, which is controlled using Audi’s clear, logical MMI menu system using a rotary dial between the front seats. The Crossback also sports a 7.0in colour screen, but unlike the Q2's, it’s touch-sensitive. On the minus side, it doesn’t have such high resolution, doesn’t react as quickly to inputs and has confusing on-screen menus, which all make it more difficult to use on the move.
At 8.0in, the Ateca’s colour touchscreen is the biggest here. It’s far more pleasing to look at and more responsive to touch than the DS 4’s, but we prefer the Q2’s slicker menus and greater ease of use while driving.
Space is tight in the back of the Q2. Two adults will find their knees close to the front seatbacks and their heads brushing the roof lining, and the Q2’s relatively narrow interior makes it pretty uncomfortable for three adults sitting side by side.
That said, the Q2 feels positively huge next to the DS. Again, there won’t be too much grumbling from a couple of adults in the front seats, aside from them noticing that there isn’t enough side support from the seats to hold you in place through corners. Space in the back is extremely tight, though.
Even teenagers will find knee room stingy, and a combination of poor head room and the swooping rear window design makes it uncomfortable and claustrophobic, especially considering the rear windows can’t even be opened. That heavily-styled rear end also means that the DS 4 is the hardest of these three to see out of, although its standard rear parking sensors and reversing camera mitigate that.
There are no such space issues in the Ateca, in which four tall adults can sit in complete comfort on a long journey, and the driver’s seat and steering wheel get a wide range of movement as standard.
The good news continues in the Ateca’s boot, which is more spacious and practical than the Q2 and DS 4’s efforts. It has the lowest lip, widest opening and is consistently taller and wider inside than its rivals’, although it is a shame Seat charges £115 for a height adjustable boot floor. It’s well worth it for the flat bay it leaves with the rear seats folded down.
Audi continues to lead the pack on interior quality. Its Q2 doesn’t feel quite as plush as an A3 Sportback – more rugged plastics and cheaper-feeling switches see to that – but the materials are still of a higher quality than those in the Ateca, which start to feel scratchier the lower down the interior you go. The DS’s dash looks smart, but its creaking plastics and flimsy-feeling switches are disappointing.
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