Audi SQ2 Review & Prices

The rapid SUV is to modern motoring what the hot-hatch was to the 1980s and the two-seat sports car was to the 1960s. If you want to get around quickly, this is how people are doing it now. The Audi SQ2 combines the rugged looks and high(ish) driving position of an SUV, with the compact dimensions of a hot-hatch, all mixed in with a 330hp turbo engine. It’s like a carry-on suitcase with a rocket motor — handily-sized, devilishly quick. 

Not that the SQ2 doesn’t have plenty of rivals in that respect. Everyone’s making a hot SUV these days, including the likes of the Cupra Formentor and Volkswagen T-Roc R which use the same engine and mechanical bits. Then there’s the new Mini Countryman John Cooper Works, and the Mercedes AMG GLA 35. The Audi doesn’t have the market to itself by any means. 

Nonetheless, the SQ2 is the most expensive of the Q2 lineup, and to justify that price tag it gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 300hp and quattro four-wheel drive. Well, almost — this isn’t the quattro four-wheel drive made famous in the 1980s, it’s a cheaper clutch-based system, but still an effective one. The SQ2 will hit 62mph in just 4.9 seconds from rest, and will run on to a top speed of 155mph if you have a handy runway in your back pocket. There’s also sportier, tuned suspension compared to the standard Q2.

The upshot of which is that this compact SUV is actually really good fun to drive. There’s plenty of thrust, and a nicely thrummy engine sound when you accelerate hard. The weak link is the seven-speed S-Tronic automatic gearbox, which is too hesitant at low speeds or when trying to change gears manually using the gearshift paddles. 

Thanks to the four-wheel drive the SQ2 clings on tight around corners, and if the steering is on the light side, then it’s certainly quick and gives you plenty of confidence that you know what the car is doing. You can have great fun with an SQ2 on a twisty country road, yet you also know it’ll look after you when the road is greasy or wet. Mind you, it is worth remembering that the S3 saloon and S3 Sportback hatchback just got an engine and handling upgrade that the SQ2 doesn’t get yet. 

Thankfully, the SQ2 does have suspension — even those it’s lower and stiffer than that of the regular Q2 — that’s firm but never thrashy nor crashy. There’s a Comfort mode for the engine, steering, and gearbox too which softens the edges off for when you just want to cruise along, and the SQ2’s compact size and shape make it easier to thread through gaps in traffic. 

The cabin comes, as you’d expect, with the usual Audi build quality and sense of solidity, with lots of expensive feeling-and-looking materials. The infotainment system was recently given an upgrade that includes an 8.8-inch touchscreen (the old rotary click-wheel controller is now gone) and which also adds a 12.3-inch driver’s digital display screen as standard. There’s also a cracking Sonos sound system, and Audi’s online connected services. 

The SQ2 gets very comfy, squeezy sports seats in the front, which are great but the back seats are less successful. There’s enough space for two adults in the back, but definitely not three, and the rear seats are very upright, so they’re not very comfy on a long run. The boot’s good, though you’ll find more luggage and cargo space in the likes of the new Mini Countryman. 

The SQ2 is actually quite a bit less expensive than the recently-updated S3 saloon and Sportback, which gives it an edge in value terms, but the unfortunate fact is that the hatch and saloon are way more fun to drive. 
But hey, everyone wants an SUV these days and the SQ2 is a fun and fast way of getting your kicks. If the Audi SQ2 ticks all of the right boxes for you, make sure you check out our Audi deals and used Audi pages, and see how you can sell your car online through Carwow.

The Audi SQ2 is spectacularly well-priced if you compare it to its closest rivals — Audi’s own S3 saloon and Sportback hatchback. The SQ2 holds a roughly £4,000 price advantage over both, even though they use essentially the same engine, chassis, and quattro four-wheel drive. However, the S3 has recently been upgraded with more power (330hp) and a more agile form of quattro, both of which the SQ2 currently lacks.

Surprisingly, the SQ2 is almost exactly the same price as the mechanically-identical VW T-Roc R, so it’s really about badge appeal and brand loyalty when it comes to choosing one over the other. A Cupra Formentor VZ (again; same engine and four-wheel drive) is slightly more expensive than the Audi, but also has slightly more power — 310hp. A significant rival is the latest Mini Countryman John Cooper Works, which is slightly slower, slightly cheaper, but massive inside compared to the Audi and with 100 litres more boot space. 

The Audi SQ2 is fast and fun, but it can be really thirsty. 

In town

The SQ2 is really quite a small car, and so it seems ideal in town, where those compact dimensions make it easy to manoeuvre, and the Audi slots into small spaces with relative ease. Forward visibility — thanks to the high-ish driving position — is fine, but your view over the shoulder is slightly blocked by the chunky roof pillar at the back. Thankfully there are front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera as standard. 

There are also standard 19-inch alloy wheels, which look great but which do add a slightly sharper edge to the way the SQ2 gets over urban bumps and lumps. It’s not excessively hard, but it’s certainly firmer than a standard Q2, and not as smooth as the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works. 

The Audi’s ‘Progressive Steering’ works well in town, though, as it takes just two turns to get from full lock one way to full lock the other, so performing u-turns and three-point turns is a doddle. 

On the motorway

There’s a good bit of tyre thrum from the underneath the SQ2 when cruising at motorway speeds, but that’s largely kept under control unless it’s a concrete-surfaced section, when it can become very noisy. The engine, which sounds fruity when accelerating hard, quietens down nicely at speed, so while the SQ2 isn’t the most refined car around, it’s none too shabby and those standard sports front seats certainly take the sting out of any long journey.

The performance on offer helps when accelerating to merge with fast-moving motorway traffic, but beware of the engine’s thirst on a long run — Official fuel economy stands at only 32mpg and most of the time it won’t even be that good. 

On a twisty road

The Audi SQ2 does have four-wheel drive, and it’s badged as a quattro model, but this is one of those Audi models that doesn’t use the ‘classic’ quattro system of proper driveshafts and a centre differential — instead it uses clever clutches to move power between the front and rear wheels. There’s no shame in that as the brilliant S3 saloon uses the same system, but the SQ2 doesn’t get the clever new rear torque splitting differential from the S3, so it’s not quite as agile and not quite as much fun. 

That said, the SQ2 still is fun. The steering is light but very quick and accurate, and thanks to that ‘Progressive Steering’ tech, it doesn’t feel twitchy nor nervous. The four-wheel drive means that the SQ2 has masses of grip and traction, so damp, leaf-strewn British B-roads are its happy hunting ground. It corners with vim, and feels well balanced, but that new S3 is better again, and much for fun for a keen driver. 

The Audi SQ2 has a stylish and roomy cabin up front, but gets progressively smaller as you work your way back

The SQ2 isn’t a very tall SUV, but it’s tall enough that you and simply slide onto the front seat, rather than having to crouch down to get in. There’s no electric adjustment for the front seats, aside from the lumbar support, but it’s still easy enough to get comfy thanks to the sporty side bolsters and headrests. The steering wheel adjust for reach and rake, so there’s a good driving position in their for most people

There are storage trays on the centre console, and usefully-sized door bins. The storage area under the front arm rest isn’t especially big but it does include the Audi Phonebox which includes wireless phone charging. The glovebox is a good size too, and there’s plenty of space in the front for two people. 

Space in the back seats

As long as you’re not trying to fit more than two adults in the back seats, the SQ2 is perfectly roomy enough. The sporty front seats do eat into rear knee room a little, but there’s enough of it, and enough headroom too. There’s definitely not enough space for three in the back though, and the upright seat-back can mean a lack of lounging comfort when on a longer journey. The SQ2’s rear doors are also quite small, which isn’t great for grown-ups getting in and out, and worse again for loading up big child safety seats, although once you’ve got them through the door, there are ISOFIX points in the outer two rear seats. At least the door bins are good size.  

Boot Space

355 litres of boot space is nothing to write home about these days. The Audi SQ2 was considered a fairly practical car when it was first launched, but in the meantime many key rivals have hit the market with much more luggage space. The most obvious of those is the Mini Countryman John Cooper Works, which is absolutely massive inside compared to the SQ2 (and outside, too) and which has a 450 litre boot. Even the Cupra Formentor, in spite of its sleek styling, can lug up to 420 litres of whatever you need to carry, so the SQ2 is looking pretty short on practicality these days. 

The Audi SQ2’s cabin is ageing somewhat, but still looks good and works well.  

The Audi SQ2 looks and feels a little old fashioned inside — again, look to the Mini Countryman with its dramatic circular touchscreen for a more modern take — but it is impressively well-made and nicely laid out. 

The 8.8-inch touchscreen means that there’s now no need for the old click-wheel controller on the centre console, which looks and feels more modern, but which actually isn’t as satisfying to use on the move, and which means taking your eyes off the road more. Bring back the click-wheel, Audi. 

Still, the MMI system’s graphics and menus look slick and are easy to find your way around, while the big 12.3-inch instrument panel looks equally good and allows you to set up what information you’d like to see. There’s also an S-specific instrument layout, with a big rev-counter front and centre. Thankfully, Audi has kept physical buttons and knobs for the air conditioning, which are much easier to use, and which also mean the touchscreen doesn’t have to cope with those controls too. 

There’s also a physical button for the Audi Drive Select control, which allows you to pick between Comfort, Auto, and Dynamic driving modes, although these only control the engine response, the gearbox speed, and the weight of the steering as adaptive suspension isn’t even on the options list. 

The flat-bottom steering wheel, which comes as standard, is also slightly irritating, and the standard properly round wheel of the S3 saloon and hatchback feels more natural to hold. 

According to the official WLTP fuel economy and emissions test, the SQ2 averages just 33mpg. In real-world conditions, it’ll be less than that. Possibly much less. On a gentle motorway run, you might see 31mpg, but 25mpg is scarily easy to hit if you’re using much of that potent 300hp performance. 

CO2 emissions of 193g/km mean that the SQ2 isn’t cheap to tax either — you’ll pay £1,650 in the first year, plus the extra £410 levy because the SQ2’s price tag sits above £40,000. That’s a lot for a compact model, although the year-two-onwards rate of £600 is at least slightly more reasonable. 

If the SQ2 is your company car, those high CO2 emissions mean that you’ll pay at least £260 per month in Benefit in Kind (BIK) taxes.

The SQ2 comes with lots of standard safety equipment, including six airbags, pre-sense emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, driver distraction warning, and traffic sign recognition. However, if you want radar-guided cruise control, automatic parking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, and a system that pre-loads the seatbelts and airbags if it detects an imminent collision, then you’ll have to pay extra to upgrade to the Vorsprung model.

It’s that attitude of putting safety kit on the options list that likely cost the SQ2 (tested as the Q2) when it was tested by Euro NCAP back in 2016. Then, the Q2 scored an impressive 93 per cent for adult occupant safety and 86 per cent for child safety. Pedestrian safety worked out at 70 per cent, which is on a par with other small SUVs. However, the 60 per cent result for safety systems is down to charging extra for systems which many rivals fit as standard. Equally, that 2016 test result has now expired, according to Euro NCAP, and so the SQ2 might not perform as well if it were re-tested today. 

Audi has a solid reputation for quality and reliability, and that’s backed up by a standard three-year/60,000-mile warranty, which for a fee can be extended to five years and 90,000 miles, and that extended warranty is transferable to a subsequent owner. The Q2 range as a whole has been recalled five times, for items such as faulty fuses, incorrectly fitted head rests, and an electronic parking brake issue. 

Surprisingly, Audi didn’t do well in the most recent Auto Express Driver Power survey, finishing in 27th place out of 33, with 21 per cent of owners reporting problems with their car.