Geneva 2016: Audi Q2 has character, but is it from the right brand?
Leaving its comfort zone gives mixed results for Audi’s new Q2 crossover
The Q2 launches Audi into the small crossover sector for the first time, and judging by the car’s design, has pushed it a little further outside its comfort zone. Although Audi’s typical forms, graphics and details are present and correct, from shield grille to technical lamps to crisply creased bodysides, the ingredients don’t seem to quite work together to make a car that wears a four-ringed badge.
The oversized grille is present, but flanked by lamps that appear rather larger than we’re used to, giving the Q2 a surprisingly soft, almost puppy-like face that you’d expect to see on a car from a rival Asian carmaker. It gives the car a look that makes you want to give it a name – how often can you say that for an Audi?
Likewise, it seems like the designers realised the car’s face is a little soft, so overly and overtly creased the bodysides to add back in some typical Audi aggression. However, this ends up looking surprisingly unresolved, particularly around the base of the A-pillar and makes you wonder wether the large character chamfer through the doors is really necessary.
The rear is also consistent in its confusion, with lamps that look very similar to VW’s current Polo, two-tone C-pillars that look like a marketing department afterthought and a tailgate that bears a striking similarity to that of the original Audi A3.
The current A3-derived interior is much more familiar and successful, offering a return to simpler forms and tasteful execution – albeit depending on which colourful foil you choose for the door handles and dash detail.
The Q2 is an interesting one – particularly for the way it has made Audi’s designers seemingly struggle with the unfamiliar. The result gives the car a character that’s most unexpected, one that’s likely to appeal in some ways to crossover buyers who crave something a little out of the ordinary. But the fact that it makes you question whether you’re looking at a car on the Audi stand at all is a new one for us.