Eco amicable
Report 6 Audi Q2 £23,245 OTR/£28,655 as tested
Exciting news! I have discovered how to consistently obtain 100mpg-plus economy from the Q2’s 1.4-litre turbo engine. The trick is simple: start your journey at the top of an Alp, fnish it at the bottom. OK, it’s a strategy that requires ignorance of the brakes through fatter sections, and ignorance of the throttle the entire time. But, as m’colleague Paul Horrell has often pointed out, beginning a journey with the potential energy gained by parking atop a large mountain is no diferent to plug-in hybrids quoting ludicrous economy fgures by starting with their batteries charged. So I’m claiming that the Q2 Alpine Edition is more economical than a Prius.
Beyond its altitude-assisted frugality, the Q2 has proven an excellent vacationer. Big-car unfustered on the autoroute, with the adaptive cruise control and subtle lane assist making easy work of the very long, very empty French m’ways. Decent boot capacity if you remove the false foor, enough clearance to negotiate bumpy Alpine tracks and, when you’re ascending that mountain pass – no economy records in this direction – a surprising pleasure to drive. The engine is cheerily zingy, the Q2’s ride compliant enough to absorb the ice-cracked potholes. In non-technical terms, you can whang the Q2 about in a way you just couldn’t with a trad SUV.
With diesels soon to be classifed as treasonous, the Q2 proves you don’t need a hybrid to return super-efcient SUV motoring. You just need a modern turbo petrol engine. And an Alp.