The Nissan Juke kickstarted the revival of the compact SUV trend and the likes of the Mini Countryman, the new Honda CR-V and the Mazda CX-3 have joined the gold rush as more and more people trend towards SUV of all types. Audi were unaccounted for in the compact SUV market, not anymore. The new Audi Q2 revealed at last week’s Geneva Motorshow changes everything. Audi wants to tempt a younger buying audience into considering the Q2 over a Juke, Countryman or HR-V. But the Q2 is aimed at folks with loftier ambitions and Audi has potential buyers of the Mercedes GLA in its sights. The most distinctive part of the Q2 is pertained to the rear c-pillar. The so called ‘floating blade’ is designed to give the illusion of a floating roof. This combined with the Q2’s surface detailing is adventurous design for Audi who generally tend to opt for more carefully considered and inconspicuous designs. The Q2 is slightly shorter in length than the A3 and if it’s of any interest to you the reader it weighs in at around 1205kg. The boot space is said to be 40-50 litres smaller than the GLA. The interior is actually borrowed and heavily sourced from the A3 and will also include Audi’s digital instrument binnacle (Virtual Cockpit) as an option. The 5.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system is standard but this can be upgraded to a 8.4-inch unit The engine range will feature a familiar line-up diesel and petrol units. The 1.4-TSi, 148bhp Cylinder on demand unit will form the base of the entry level range of Q2s. A 2.0-litre,187bhp TSi will only be available in Quattro spec with the addition of an automatic only transmission. The diesel range will see yet another familiar lineup from the 1.6-litre TDi to the 2.0-TDi 143bhp diesel units. Expect to see the seven speed DSG transmissions available as options across the trim levels and also expect four wheel drive availability for the diesel range of engines. You can also be sure Audi will launch a RS version of the Q2 which usually arrives about a year after a new model launch. The Audi Q2 will launch in the UK in November 2016 and entry level models are expected to cost around £22k GBP.