The Audi Q2 is a cutie

MANILA, Philippines — The Audi Q2 is such a pleasure to drive — and makes driving in the city such a joy.

“Audi is venturing into a new market segment with the new Audi Q2, bringing top technologies into the smallest member of the Q family,” said Audi Philippines head Benedicto Coyiuto when the Q2 was launched.

The Audi Q2 is the most compact crossover of the automaker yet — but there is nothing small or compact about the way it handles on the city streets of Metro Manila.

Its sporty performance comes from an inline 1.0-liter three-cylinder spark-ignition engine that reaches 116 hp and 200 Nm of torque. It is equipped with a gasoline direct-injection engine, exhaust turbocharged with indirect intercooler, four valves per cylinder, and double overhead camshaft (DOHC). 

Awards? It has a few: the German Design Award, capturing the honor of ‘Excellent Production Design – Transportation;’ it also earned the ‘Best of the Best’ award in the Automotive Brand Contest last year, as well as the best for ‘Compact Vehicle’ in the Golden Steering Wheel awards, which is widely regarded as being among the most coveted in the world.

Cool looks and good space, too: The cockpit and the trunk space of the Audi Q2

Staying within City limits

I had no plans for an out-of-town trip, as it was one of those weeks where I preferred to stay close to home. But that was not going to stop me from doing all my errands behind the wheel of the Audi Q2.

My day started with a trip to my ever-reliable grocery, which oftentimes can have the smallest parking slots on Planet Earth. I was not to be deterred as the Audi Q2 measures 1.51 meters tall and 1.79 meters wide — and is a breeze to park.

Let me add here that although the Q2 is not big, it does have great room for storage when the back seats are folded in.

Having loaded the Q2 with my groceries for the week, it was time to head on to my second errand of the day, a trip to my fave neighborhood baker where I get my supply of pandesal for the weekend.

I love that the Audi built the Q2 as an urban vehicle for everyday driving and recreation, since it combines cool design with a great driving experience, along with a high level of functionality.

The power that this baby has to offer makes driving it so much fun. 

It has a top speed of 197 km/h, although I must say that I did not get to try this out for myself.  It is also reported to be able to accelerate at 10.1 seconds from 0-100 km/h (I wished there a was a place I could try this out).

The sleek roof that descends and merges into the C-pillars with color offset blades makes the Q2 all the more eye-catching and accentuates the appeal and sportiness of the model.

The Q2’s steering comes from the sporty Audi S3 model. It is an easy car to drive around town —thanks especially to the raised driving position. And in spite of the car’s short wheelbase and high center of gravity, there is hardly any body roll when you go around corners, which is helped by the car’s wide track. The steering is quick, and in combination with the firm suspension setup, it allows the Q2 to dart through a series of bends with the sort of agility you’d expect from a warm hatch.

For the dashboard, standard to the Q2 is a 5.8-inch Multi Media Interface (MMI) screen that is positioned optimally on the instrument panel. The infotainment system can be operated by a rotary/push-button control and two buttons on the center tunnel. In addition, the system can be conveniently controlled by natural language operation and the integrated MMI search. This gives the Q2’s screen and infotainment system a futuristic feel when driving.

As I drove the Q2, I remembered what Coyiuto said at the launch: “Whether it is used for an off-road adventure or for everyday driving in the city, the Q2 is the all-round vehicle, with youthful and provocative design and high-tech equipment.”

He couldn’t be more right.

Drive on.