“Your mobile phone is still inside the vehicle”. That’s a phrase I heard a lot during the first Lockdown in 2020 when I had the Audi A1 Citycarver for an extended period.
It seems so long time ago now, but last week I was reminded of the that first Lockdown when the Audi Q2 gave me the same message about my mobile phone.
Wonder if in years to come that phrase about the phone will remind me of Covid? Suppose there could be worse things to remember it by.
The Q2, which was first introduced at the Geneva Show in March 2016, is the smallest SVU in Audi’s range and it has recently got a mid-life makeover. It’s one of the most appealing cars in the Audi range thanks to its chunky styling and scope for personalisation.
It’s very much a ‘soft roader’ for regular motorway driving, but you do wonder how many off-road cars are really taken off road in Ireland.
The photographs of the car on the Automotive website were of a green coloured car. Now I know some people don’t like green cars and I probably didn’t get many comments this time as my test car came in Glacier White. White outside, but inside the décor is mainly black.
The front of the car has an octagonal Singleframe grille that, along with the large air inlets, personifies the strong image that Audi want to achieve with the Q2. The rear end borrows a lot of inspiration from the A3.
Inside there is a neat 5.8-inch infotainment screen and a 12.3-inch virtual cockpit display. You also get LED ambient lighting system, which projects differently coloured light into the car, depending on the time of day.
The back seat has room for three adults and the seat is very easy to let down to give you more cargo space. You get an excellent rear-view camera.
The Q2 is available in diesel and petrol; I drove the 30 TFSI 110 BHP petrol version.
All family members who ‘took a lift’, liked the high driving position, but I did find that there was a fair bit of road noise.
The boot is large and there is also a huge ‘well’ for a spare wheel, but none is provided. So once again the advice is that if you are buying new, haggle for a spare.
I think most people agree that if you are going on a long journey, having a spare wheel on board makes for a more relaxing drive.
Prices start at a €34,250. It’s possible to group many of the optional extras in packings, but as usual the more extras you want the higher the price. The price of my manual test car was €37,044. Road tax is €210.
No doubt you have heard the phrase ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ being used as an advertising strapline for Audi in recent years.
The slogan was first used by Sir John Hegarty in 1982, the year he founded his own advertising company BBH. John spotted the phrase, which roughly translates as ‘advancement through technology,’ at an Audi factory in Germany and it was a surprise that a German phrase really took off in the UK.
In 2008 Audi won an appeal at the European Court of Justice that allowed them to extend the slogan’s trademark protection to include clothes and games.
