Different But Not Less

What we like:

Audi’s dash quality shines in this car

Passenger and cargo space is decent

quirky looks makes this car stand out from a crowd

What we dislike:

Rims look a tad too tiny

Under the hood, a three-cylinder one litre turbocharged engine drives the front wheels through a 7 speed S tronic dual clutch transmission. One litre no doubt, but with 116bhp, and 200Nm, and delivers a 0-100km/h time of 10.7 seconds. Pretty respectable… Considering that back in the late eighties to early 1990s, there was a dark horse of a hot hatch known as the Daihatsu Charade GT.ti, which delivered a for then, whopping 100bhp and 130Nm of torque, and a frighteningly quick (at that time) 0-100km/h century sprint timing of 8.5 seconds.

But why am I bringing this up? The answer is progression, apart from more torque and power, and that both cars from different eras are three cylindered, turbo charged and are 1.0, progress has made modern engines deliver the goods at more reachable RPMs. Maximum torque begins at just 2,000rpm, and keeps the taps turned on till 3,500rpm. From a feel of things, gearing for the first four also seem a little closer for better pick-up, while keeping that tiny engine within its torque band. Seven ratios also ensure that on cruise, revs are kept low enough to keep fuel consumption on the low side, delivering a combined 19.2Km/l.

While the Q2 is not intended for hard driving and fast turns, the quick steering does make it easy to manoeuvre the car in tight spaces, and even with that short wheelbase, ride comfort is pretty good too.

There are those who would love something with a premium build, and who also cannot resist a little bit of nice technology trickling their way. The 1.4 may be a little too expensive for some and somewhat out of reach. The 1.0 TFSI might just be ideal a car, and that frugal three cylinder is certainly not a let-down.

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