Business class covered in latest Audi SQ2
With its customary high-end price-tagging but VW Group ‘Identikit’ production, states Iain Robertson, it is truly astonishing that Audi is capable of maintaining its market momentum as a hugely popular upmarket brand but, whether by guile, or design, it does so.
Perhaps it is just the way my mind works but, when I see the initials ‘RS’, I think irreverently of ‘arse’ but Audi’s less overt ‘SQ’ infers ‘squirrel’, or ‘squeal’, to me, neither of which should apply to the satisfyingly zippy version of Audi’s compact SUV, the SQ2. Yet, I can admit to uttering a minor squeak at the £38,900 being asked for a car that is marginally outpaced by an equivalent Seat and the eminently practical Golf R, to which the SQ2 can be eternally grateful for having donated its platform.
While not wishing to diminish the value of the much vaunted ‘Four Rings’ company emblem, Audi’s consistent premium pricing policy is starting to tarnish the chromium-plated finish. For as long as specific models were unique to the brand, Audi has been able to ‘get away’ with it, without drawing too much negative criticism. However, the overlapping of models across the Group does raise consumer questions quite rightly.
Yet, like a high-grade handbag, fine stitching, Nappa hide and envy-creating standards of tactility and sensual satisfaction remain central to Audi’s top-drawer appeal. Turning a blind eye to realities is a second nature premise to Audi customers. However, on the periphery of panic related to a future clouded by the vagaries of EVs (government started it), rest assured that minor rumblings may indicate ‘IBS’ but can lead to something more serious!
Boasting the 296bhp (295lbs ft torque) version of the Group’s 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine, its antidote 0-60mph blast in around 4.6s, before scorching onwards to a restricted top whack of 155mph, while glugging fuel at approximately 34mpg and emitting CO2 at 188g/km, are not merely par for the course but could be precisely what the doctor ordered. To be fair, it is a well-tried and trusted packaging exercise and does everything to support an air of indefatigability beneficial to the brand, even though the BIK rates can be steep.
In reality, the SQ2 is a little late to the table with its menu, as the rest of the Q2 line-up has benefited from better lighting and ADAS for the past few months. Naturally, the Audi plant has also been under the Covid cosh that has buggered about with every carmaker’s production and marketing plans over the past eight months. However, improved infotainment and web-based Audi connectivity, along with an expanded portfolio of driver assistance systems are now applied to the SQ2. In fact, the latest version is joined by a more striking SQ2 Black Edition and a newly introduced SQ2 Vorsprung model that features a particularly exhaustive equipment list. Deliveries of all variants will begin in the UK, early in 2021.
Other than for purposes related to brand differentiation, what Audi used to call ‘DSG’ is now a seven-speed S-tronic transmission. Its lower gears are closer spaced, while the seventh ratio is intentionally leggy, to promote better fuel economy. Unsurprisingly, it can be shifted manually using either the gearlever, or the steering wheel-mounted shift paddles. If the selectable dynamics system is dialled into ‘Efficiency’ mode, the twin-clutches disengage when coasting, which allows the SQ2 to freewheel and aid both its frugality and emissions.
Of course, the updated SQ2 benefits from quattro all-wheel drive, in this instance based on an electro-hydraulic multi-plate clutch that distributes engine torque smoothly between the axles. In the event of the front wheels breaking traction, the clutch redirects power completely to the rear axle, within a few milliseconds. In its latest form, numerous improvements have been made to elements such as the bearings and oil supply, which further increase its overall efficiency. Interestingly, the clutch weighs just under one kilogram less than its equivalent in the previous model, as a result of integrating the control unit within the clutch housing.
During faster driving on more challenging roads, the electronically managed drive system assists agility and enables more precise turn-in, for more engaging dynamics. Featuring Audi’s take on chassis vectoring, without driver intervention, the car’s brakes can be applied to individual wheels, further assisting in press-on-regardless driving opportunities. The feel at the helm is not quite as finely judged as it ought to be, with some minor ‘deadness’ about the straight-ahead position, although input reaction speeds are unquestionably good.
Thankfully, the S-branded brake callipers clamp onto disc diameters of 340mm at the front axle and 310mm at the rear, to provide reassuringly powerful stopping force. In the SQ2 they sit behind 18.0-inch diameter alloy wheels clad in 235/45 tyres; in the SQ2 Black Edition they are housed within 19.0-inch wheels, with a contrasting grey diamond-cut finish and 235/40 section tyres that provide mechanical grip in abundance.
Although strong conservatism exists in Audi’s design department, the front-end of the SQ2 is quite striking, particularly in the area below the upgraded LED headlamps. Its octagonal grille is slightly lower, which makes the front section appear wider and its insert also references the polygon motif that is in evidence around the car. Implied air intakes surrounded by wide, silvered frames appear more expressive, while the narrow slits between the radiator grille and the bonnet pay homage to the design of the Audi Sport quattro, just as with both A1 and A3 models.
The cabin ambience is typical high-end Audi but ticking the appropriate boxes in the accessories catalogue will guarantee that an SQ2 can soon boost its list price into the mid-£40k zone, so be careful! The virtual cockpit that has now become almost standard fayre on all Audis, includes the reprogrammable main instrument pod, supported by a 12.3-inch touchscreen in the dash-centre. It is very slick and works both speedily and logically.
For the business motorist, the Audi SQ2 presents its customary high level of desirability in manageable fleet terms, as well as driver satisfaction levels. Working on the basis of an average three years’ business life, a new SQ2, or three equivalents, could provide ‘old-fashioned’ performance joy right up to the need to adapt to electrification, which makes it worth consideration.
