New Audi Q2 review – Is Audi’s smallest SUV worthy of the premium badge? - Engine and gearbox
Audi’s most compact SUV is as impressive as it probably needed to be, but no more
Engine and gearbox
There are five different engine choices for the Q2, three petrol and two diesel options. The smallest engine is a 999cc, three-cylinder, turbocharged petrol that produces 114bhp, while the 1.6-litre diesel produces the same amount of power.
The 1.4 TFSI engine musters more at 148bhp, the same output as the 2-litre TDI. However, the 148bhp diesel puts out 67lb ft more torque at 251lb ft. Then there is a 2-litre TFSI petrol engine with 187bhp, but that won’t be available until next year.
The 2-litre TDI is also available in a higher state of tune with 187bhp, but it’s unlikely that we’ll get that model in the UK (at least for the time being) so we tested the 148bhp version.
It’s a quiet engine most of the time, only revealing a slightly agricultural note at higher rpm. It doesn’t really like to be revved, so keep it around 3000rpm and you can ride the low down torque and not have to endure its clattery engine note too much. It isn’t the most immediate motor, and there’s always a delay after prodding the throttle, but it will move the Q2 at a decent, if not exhilarating, pace.
We tested the DSG equipped quattro, four-wheel drive version. The gearbox is the latest wet clutch, twin clutch transmission that we first drove in the Audi S3.
It’s a very swift and hassle free gearbox, but there is a large jump in gear ratios between second and third. This makes it difficult to gauge when to change down into second, as it doesn’t match the same rhythm as going down through the ratios from seventh to third. You have to wait a moment longer for second as the engine readies itself for the lower gear, and although second often engages just in time for a corner, it’s still mildly frustrating.
