The Q starts here

Switzerland — Audi is in that enviable position where its products range from the relatively affordable compact A1 hatchback to the R8 sportscar that is technical brethren to a Lamborghini.

Quick to tap into the trend for affordable cars with a premium badge, the brand has introduced a compact city-car crossover called the Q2, which is arguably the first of its premium, supermini crossover ilk.

PREMIUM CRUSH

There are already other premium soft-roaders around: Audi’s Q3 is rival to the Mercedes-Benz GLA and BMW X1. But the Q2, as the name suggests, is even smaller. One version has a 1.0-litre TFSI engine with Audi’s seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Thus configured, it should be about S$140,000 or less, based on current COE prices, when it is launched in Singapore by the second quarter of next year.

At the car’s launch in Switzerland, there was a rebellious, edgy, young street-style air to the affair, with lots of colourful graffiti at the Dubendorf Air Base as the backdrop to the equally tutti-frutti Q2s and a product presentation held in a drive-in-movie-style with everyone seated in their Q2s of choice.

Some might even regard the Q2 as a Mini-baiting car, especially since the modern Mini has become a decidedly maxi and a fair bit removed from its origins as a compact city car.

Being an Audi, the amount of tech that has filtered down from more expensive models is impressive, as is the potential for personalisation, which the youth of today is ever keen to embrace. Like similar fashion-forward cars, the cabin has plenty of colour contrast. Ambient lighting can be configured and there’s an optional illuminated dash trim feature.

Tech niceties include the 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster, Audi Connect and smartphone interface, which mean all your gadgets and social media apps can be connected to the car’s system.

AID PACKAGE

With all these distractions, Audi has also seen fit to package a host of driver assistance systems, which includes Audi pre sense with pedestrian detection as standard, and adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, side assist and active lane assist as options.

A few trim levels are expected to be offered at its Singapore launch, but there’s no such thing as a basic, bare-bones Audi because the brand has certain standards to uphold.

Space isn’t compromised either, since the four of us at the launch and our luggage fit comfortably in the 2.6m wheelbase car. The designers have kept the overhangs short for a dynamic wheel-at-each-corner look.

Some critics grumble that Audi models all look identical these days, but the Q-series models have their own distinct aesthetics from the rest of the mainstream A herd. This upstart looks like a miniaturised, albeit pumped-up derivative of the hulking Q7, which is no bad thing to our eyes — especially if the alternative is the now bland-looking A1. There’s a chunky, rugged charm to the car that seemed to appeal to the Mini drivers we passed along the test-route.

NICHE WITHIN A NICHE

We only got to drive a manual version of the 1.0 TFSI Q2 with front wheel drive — Audi’s signature “quattro” all-wheel drive being reserved for more powerful models to come.

The engine has been tuned for 116bhp, and like in all modern turbocharged cars, it pulls strongly from just over 1,500rpm. Yet, unlike turbodiesels, it can be revved hard for a reasonably brisk performance.

All variants of the Q2 get progressive steering, where the toothing of the steering rack varies the steering gear ratio according to steering input, so large steering inputs translate to more dynamic responses. This certainly makes the Q2 feel agile in corners, yet stable when you are only threading it along a fast highway.

The street-smart Q2 could introduce a whole new group of buyers to Audi who may otherwise have found its image to be too fuddy-duddy. Never mind about branding itself, the Audi brand has long been the champion of niche-within-niche models.

AUDI Q2 1.0 TFSI

Engine: 999cc, inline3, turbocharged, 116bhp, 200Nm

Performance: 190kmh, 0-100kmh: 10.7s, L/100km: TBC /km CO2: TBC

Price: TBA

On Sale: Q2 2017

+: Good space, new segment, fresh young image, high-tech

- : Packed instrument screen can be distracting