What is it?
The car you see here is the new Audi SQ2. As you’ll be able to deduce from its name, it’s a sharper, faster version of Ingolstadt’s smallest SUV.
Beneath that snouty front end it has a turbocharged four-pot motor that develops 296bhp and 295lb ft of torque, four-wheel drive, a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox and a sub-5.0sec 0-60mph time. It has a base price tag higher than £35,000, but lower than £40,000.
If you think that formula sounds familiar, you’d be right. You could tack that exact same description on to the Cupra Ateca, the Volkswagen Golf R, and the forthcoming Volkswagen T-Roc R, too - perhaps with the exception of price for the latter.
Now, when I was at school, I was always told that copying a classmate’s work was a big no-no. The same went for copy-pasting something from the internet and passing it off as my own work - you just didn’t do it. While the world of automotive manufacturing is obviously totally different to that of the classroom, I can’t help but detect a whiff of the above going on at Volkswagen Group at the moment.
Obviously, platform sharing is nothing new. And it’s a good thing that this ubiquity is countered by the fact each arm of the VW Group has its own distinct image. Being an Audi, the SQ2 should theoretically come with a chic, tech-rich cabin; and be able to stick to the road with the same tenacity as one of those facehuggers from Alien.
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Sleepless in ingolstadt
I think that most of the people that would buy this car would lie awake at night trying to work out if they bought it in the right colour and with the right options (pack?) rather than any driving considerations.
Cheaper than the Golf R
The price of the 5 door Golf R has increased so much that it's the princely sum of £35 more than the SQ2. Not sure what discounts are available on either but I think it's an interesting comparison.
How does it get 3.5 stars? It