Audi Q2 Review (2016-2025)
Audi Q2 cars for sale
4.0
Expert review
Pros
The interior is a cut above
Most engines are fuel efficient
Quirky styling makes a change from Audi's usual conservatism
Cons
Cramped rear seats and modest boot space
Firmer ride of S Line models
It's an expensive used buy
The CarGurus verdict
The most quirkily styled Audi in the line-up is also one of the company’s biggest sellers, and it’s not difficult to understand why. The Q2 taps into the current compact crossover and SUV zeitgeist perfectly, while also appealing because it comes with a premium badge on its front grille. It’s not the most scintillating car to drive, but, then, it’s unlikely buyers will expect it to be, instead being wowed by the smart interior and easy-to-operate controls and infotainment system.
Space and practicality isn’t as good as some, and being a premium badged contender it’s obviously a good bit more expensive to buy than its mainstream alternatives, but good residual values do offset that somewhat. A Sport with a 1.5 TFSI engine makes a good deal of sense, that in stark contrast to the SQ2, which really doesn’t make any.
What is the Audi Q2?
The explosion in interest for SUVs and crossovers couldn’t have come at a better time for premium manufacturers riding on a wave of huge sales, with eager buyers looking for the next big thing. SUVs and crossovers were it, Audi successfully adding several to its range. The Q2 is the entry-level SUV in Audi’s successful line up, the most diminutive one, but it’s the one that outsells all its four-ring badged SUV relations, underlining that Audi’s decision to add it to the range was the correct one.
The Audi Q2 has eschewed Audi’s usual conservative approach to styling, and the firm's smallest, high-riding SUV is a busy-looking one. Its flanks are a riot of creases, with the front dominated by a huge grille, some bold-looking (but non-functional) intakes, with the rear similarly overt in its looks. That boldness has worked, though, as demonstrated by its huge success in the sales charts, even though it's not the biggest car in its class, with tight rear seats and only average boot space compared to the more practical BMW X1.
Sadly for its many fans, the last year for the Audi Q2 is 2025 – as with its cousin the A1 supermini – with no direct replacement in sight
How practical is it?
Practical enough – the Q2 has decent-sized rear seats and a reasonably spacious boot, so if all you’ll ever use it for is taking the kids to school and running around town, you shouldn’t have a problem.
That said, there are a lot of these small SUVs out there nowadays, and the Q2 isn’t quite as roomy the best of them. Nor is it as flexible, in fact. It lacks the sliding seats of the Renault Captur or the clever boot of the Ford Puma. So while the Q2 is OK in terms of its practicality and versatility, there are more family-friendly alternatives out there.
What's it like to drive?
Most petrol-powered Q2s are front-wheel drive, with quattro four-wheel drive reserved for the TDI turbodiesel choices and that sole, range-topping 2.0-litre TFSI SQ2. Transmission choices span a six-speed manual gearbox and Audi’s seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch automatic, with those quattro diesels only coming with the automatic gearbox.
To drive, Q2s are competent if unremarkable, with light steering, acceptable ride comfort and enough grip and composure in the bends to never feel unruffled. And so while it's unlikely you'll be buying a Q2 purely for its dynamic excellence, it's more than good enough to still be enjoyable. For thrills, look to the hot SQ2 version instead.
Technology, equipment & infotainment
It’s impossible to mention any Audi without referencing the interior, so here we go. It’s brilliant, somewhat predictably, delivering a cabin that absolutely reeks of dignified class, great material quality and fit and finish, allied to a user-friendliness that makes it all a cinch to use. Quite how other manufacturers haven’t got closer to Audi on this score is genuinely a mystery, as they’ve been turning them out like this for years, yet still, few rivals can match the quality.
The dashboard is essentially lifted out of the previous A3, which is a good thing, as while there’s an MMI dial-controlled infotainment screen and Audi’s Virtual Cockpit instrumentation, it’s all supplemented by buttons and knobs for the stuff you need to hand on the move, things like volume, heating and air-conditioning controls and suchlike. It’s not, as virtually all other Audis are, a touchscreen, and that’s a good thing, because it’s less of a distraction and works brilliantly with Audi’s MMI controller.
There’s all the connectivity you could wish for, DAB and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto also supported, meaning you can use your preferred navigation app rather than using Audi’s, admittedly decent, satnav system.
Audi Q2 running costs
Choosing the most economical car in a range used to be simple: just run your finger down the engine specifications until you find the one that stops at the diesel pump. That’s still the case here, with the Q2 35 TDI quattro S tronic being the most parsimonious on the official WLTP combined consumption tests. Depending on wheel choice and options it returns between 48.7-50.4mpg, and that's achievable, too.
The petrol engines run that diesel close, though, their cause helped in no small measure by the fact that the 2.0 TDI models come exclusively with economy sapping quattro and an automatic gearbox, while the front-wheel-drive 35 TFSI manual returns 44.1-47.9mpg on the same test cycle. That’s significant, because the TFSI is better suited to urban life, not least because the particulate filters in a diesel car need regular high-speed blasts to allow them to regenerate, preventing them from clogging up.
Servicing can be arranged for a monthly fixed fee from Audi. The fee doesn't include consumables like tyres, brakes and suchlike, but you can arrange a payment schedule with your individual Audi dealer to cover those if you wish, too. Servicing schedules are dependent on usage, and dictated by the car’s on-board computer. Insurance will be competitive, while the biggest running cost, how it depreciates, should be fairly painless, as such is the demand for the Q2, there’s a buoyant used market out there for them that keeps values high.
Naturally, the SQ2 comes with running costs more in keeping with its 295bhp hot status, with everything costing more, from fuelling it, to putting on new tyres, to servicing and even depreciation.
Audi Q2 reliability
All Audi’s come with the three-year warranty, with the first two years being unlimited-mileage, and the third coming with a 60,000-mile limit. There’s the possibility to upgrade the standard warranty to either a four- or five-year warranty, should you want to.
There have been reports of problems with the 1.5 TFSI petrol engine, the potential fault leading to the car ‘kangarooing’ when driving, with the Volkswagen Group (which Audi is part of) having issued a software upgrade to remedy the issue. Audi scores reasonably well on customer satisfaction surveys, if not quite as high as you might anticipate for a premium brand.
There have been a few recalls relating to the Q2, with some early cars having weak rear axles, while there have been two recalls relating to headrests, oddly. The 2.0-litre TDI engine should be relatively trouble free, as should the quattro four-wheel drive and seven-speed automatic transmission it comes fitted with. Overall, the Q2 should prove reliable, and Audi should look after you properly if it’s not.
- The Q2 uses Audi’s familiar engine line-up, even if it’s hidden behind Audi’s needlessly obtuse badging criteria. Put as simply as possible, the lower the number, the lower the power. Once upon a time the petrol range started with the 30 TFSI, which had a 114bhp 1.0-litre three-cylinder petrol engine, and topped out with the 40 TFSI, with a 187bhp 2.0-litre turbo unit. These days, only 35 TFSI and TDI diesel units are available, the former a 1.5 and the latter a 2.0-litre, both with 148bhp.
- If the engine range is predictable, then so too is the trim line offering. The range starts with the Sport, it coming with 17-inch alloy wheels, MMI Navigation, the cool digital instruments of Audi’s ‘Virtual Cockpit’ and a host of other kit. The S-Line above it gains a more overt body kit, larger 18-inch alloy wheels, a three-spoke leather-trimmed multi-function steering wheel and other interior revisions. The Black Edition brings, you’ve guessed it, some black bits and pieces, as well as larger again (and black) 19-inch alloy wheels, while the Vorsprung chucks the lot at the Q2, including adaptive suspension, Matrix LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, Driver Assistance including Adaptive Cruise Control and Park Assist, as well as the really rather good Bang & Olufsen premium sound system.
- Audi offers the Q2 with some unusually bold colour choices over the standard, no-cost solid paint finishes of either Brilliant Black or Ibis White. Its metallic choices only add £575 to the list price, and include some really distinctive choices. Tango Red metallic is a strong choice with all the contrasting black and brushed metal exterior trim, while Apple Green metallic is a very on-trend colour that suits the Q2’s lines. If none of the standard palette appeals, or is wild enough, and you’ve money to burn, Audi will paint it almost any colour you like, its Exclusive paint finishes starting from £2,400 if you’re feeling bold, and flush…
- The silly one: You’ll be joining an exclusive club, but if you want your Q2 to have double the power of every other one Audi offers, then you need the SQ2. It comes with a turbocharged 2.0 TFSI quattro petrol four-cylinder engine, with 295bhp and the ability to reach 62mph in just 4.9 seconds on the way to a 155mph maximum speed. All pretty ludicrous, and if we're honest, not all that much fun, either, despite the bonkers numbers.
- The economical one: That’ll be the 35 TDI, though it’s not as clear-cut as you might expect. Being quattro four-wheel drive and automatic only, the 35 TDI quattro S tronic returns 48.7-50.4 mpg on the official WLTP test cycle. That's not a million miles away from the 44.1-44.7 mpg that the 35 TFSI manages on the same test cycle when fitted with the 6-speed manual gearbox.
- The best-riding one: Avoid the S-Line models if you want a softer, more compliant ride, because the S-Line comes with a suspension that's 10mm lower, and stiffened as well, for ‘more direct contact with the road and sportier handling’. For that you can read, simply, ‘brittle’. Opt for a Sport model if you value a decent ride quality, the Sport models also coming with a smaller 17-inch wheel as standard, which also helps its ride quality.
- The fully-loaded one: If you want your Q2 fully loaded with all Audi’s latest and greatest equipment, be it related to comfort, connection or convenience, then the Vorsprung will fit the bill. And come with a rather large one, too, so, perhaps it’s worthwhile considering ticking a few option boxes on one of the other trim levels before you go all-in…
