Test drive Audi Q2, Mini Clubman and Seat Ateca: between an SUV and a station wagon

Three Lifestyle Models That Are Difficult to Classify

with the Audi Q2, there is a conscious rejection of solid dimensions. A small urban high-end SUV competes with larger competitors - Mini Clubman Cooper 4 and Seat Ateca. But can it surpass the epitome of the lifestyle car concept and the vastly larger Ateca?

And for us, car testers, it does not happen every day that a model that does not completely fall into any of the usual classes stops at our doors. Such is the Audi Q2, which balances the line between the small car, the compact SUV and the family model and thus eludes a simple classification.

That's why we invited him to the first comparison test with the all-new compact SUV model Seat Ateca and the stylish Mini Clubman station wagon. This should be a good way to put the Audi model in the right category. However, car buyers often think of grades by price rather than size. In this case, the interested parties must be sufficiently well secured financially. Test units, each equipped with a powerful diesel engine, automatic transmission and dual gearboxes, cost around 35 euros in Germany. Which is quite a lot for cars whose interior space places them somewhere between the VW Polo and the Kia Soul. The Seat Ateca is an exception here, but we'll talk about that later.

This brings us to the Mini Clubman, bought not so much for its superb interior, but mainly for its design and the successful portrayal of the old Mini's image. The blue test car is a Cooper SD All4, fitted as standard with an eight-speed automatic transmission and rated at 190 hp. This makes its price no lower than 33 euros.

Nimble and loving turns

At first glance, this is a lot of money for a Mini, but in this case, a rather large car is being offered against them. The Mini is no longer the smallest in this comparison because it is about six centimeters longer than the Q2 and its maximum load volume is 200 liters more. In any case, the Mini is better equipped than the smaller Audi for day-to-day transport tasks - aside from the stylistically authentic Clubman but impractical double door at the rear. As for the passenger seat, everything is also very good here.

In the back, you have decent legroom and headroom, and there's more room in the front than in the Q2. At the back, only the soft seat interferes too much, and access through the two rear doors is quite convenient even for adult passengers. At least, if they are mobile enough - after all, the seat height above the road in the Mini is ten centimeters lower than in the Audi, and the difference with the Seat model is even more than twelve centimeters.

This may not sound like a good thing to marketers of large manufacturers, but for many, mostly older customers, seat height is an important buying criterion. However, excellent as the high position is, it does not contribute to good dynamics on the road, so the Clubman takes corners significantly faster than the Q2 and Ateca. You can see this not only from the meters in standard slalom and two lane changes, where the Mini is well ahead of its two competitors, but also when you personally get behind the wheel.

Spontaneous turns, slight body movement around the longitudinal axis and abrupt direction changes characterize the Mini's behavior. In this section, the model would have received even more points if its steering did not react with a tendency to nervousness and rush. For Audi and Seat, this becomes more harmonious, although they move much more slowly.

This is especially true of the Seat model, which with its large body and ample space is a full-fledged SUV.

Large and comfortable

In the Seat test, the Ateca competes in the 2.0 hp 190 TDI, which is offered as standard with dual and dual clutch transmissions and top-of-the-line Xcellence equipment. In this case, the price is almost 36 euros, which is quite shocking for longtime Seat customers. However, a VW Tiguan with the same engine costs 000 euros more if that can console potential buyers.

Ateca also offers a lot for its price - after all, in addition to the abundance of space and a powerful diesel unit with a smooth and quiet ride, a chassis with an emphasis on comfort is added, which perfectly softens mostly everyday small, but unpleasant road surface irregularities, even without adaptive shock absorbers. It doesn't work so well when the load or amplitude of the bumps gets bigger - then the Ateca bobs like a ship on rough seas and transmits some of the bumps from the road to those in the cab much more noticeably.

And since we're talking about the weaknesses of the Seat, you can't dwell on it as well as the Audi and Mini. For example, at a speed of 100 km / h, the Spaniard needs a stopping distance of 3,7 m more than an Audi model; when stopped at 160 km/h, the difference is as much as seven meters, and as our readers already know, this equates to a residual speed of almost 43 km/h.

The Seat Ateca's size and weight are also evident in fuel consumption. He needs a little more diesel than the representatives of Mini and Audi, the average difference in the test is about 0,2 liters. At today's price level, this is about 60 leva for an annual mileage of 15 km and is probably not a decisive criterion for buying.

Comfort and high quality

Audi Q2 buyers don't have to be price sensitive; a small crossover / SUV in the 2.0 TDI version with 150 hp, S tronic and twin Quattro transmission for 34 euros, almost equal to the Clubman and Ateca, which, however, have 000 hp. more powerful. The fact that an Audi is lighter than a motorized model is noticeable with every throttle. The car puts in more effort, shifts gears more nervously, and the Mini and Seat pull without apparent difficulty.

As for the transmission, the dual-clutch box from the 2-litre Q2000 diesel is the latest version with two wet-rotating plate clutches and two oil pumps. In normal driving this is not noticeable, but should pay off with higher efficiency and durability. In the test, the transmission worked quickly, without bumps or errors. This also applies to the Quattro dual transmission, which, like the S tronic, costs an additional €2, but in addition to better grip, it also offers greater driving comfort, as the dual transmission QXNUMX versions have multi-link instead of torsion bar suspension. to the rear axle.

Indeed, on first acquaintance, the Audi model seems rather cramped, but the feeling of comfort improves with each kilometer traveled, because the chassis (here with adaptive dampers for an additional cost of 580 euros), especially on rougher bumps, reacts much more strongly. smoothly from the suspension Seat and Mini. This is true even when the vehicle is driving at its maximum payload (465 kg).

Yes, weight. All three cars weigh about 1600 kilograms. Q2 and Clubman are slightly larger, Ateca is slightly smaller. So the 190 horsepower of the two more powerful models in the test already looks not too much, and the power of 150 hp. the Audi representative is nothing more than satisfactory. It accelerates to 100 km / h in less than nine seconds and reaches over 200 km / h.

What else does he have to offer? Clean, neat build, infotainment at a modern height, and a pleasantly understated look that doesn't even look unacceptable in the silver rear speaker trim. Moreover, with a petrol engine of 150 hp. Prices for the model start below 25 euros.

Text: Heinrich Lingner

Photo: Ahim Hartmann

Evaluation

1. Audi Q2 2.0 TDI Quattro – 431 points

The Audi Q2 wins this comparison test because it has almost no weak points, but it has many strengths such as great brakes and a comfortable chassis.

2. Seat Ateca 2.0 TDI 4Drive – 421 points

The generous space on offer is the Ateca's most outstanding quality, the powerful engine is also commendable, but the brakes are below average.

3. Mini Clubman Cooper SD All4 – 417 points

Clubman is an actor of bright roles. Interior space and suspension comfort could be better, but in this comparison, it's the most agile and most enjoyable car to drive.

technical details

1. Audi Q2 2.0 TDI	2. Seat Ateca 2.0 TDI 4Drive	3. Mini Clubman Cooper SD All4
Working volume	1968 cc	1968 cc	1995 cc
Power	150 k.s. (110 kW) at 3500 rpm	190 k.s. (140 kW) at 3500 rpm	190 k.s. (140 kW) at 4000 rpm
Maximum torque	340 Nm at 1750 rpm	400 Nm at 1900 rpm	400 Nm at 1750 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	8,7 with	7,6 with	7,3 with
Braking distances at a speed of 100 km / h	34,6 m	38,3 m	36,3 m
full speed	211 km / h	212 km / h	222 km / h
Average consumption fuel in the test	6,9 l / 100 km	7,1 l / 100 km	6,9 l / 100 km
Base Price	34 000 EUR (in Germany)	35 580 EUR (in Germany)	33 500 EUR (in Germany)

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