It’s the new Audi A2 e-tron, Audi’s compact answer to the question nobody was quite asking: can you make an EV that is genuinely sensible without making it about as exciting as a spreadsheet?

Apparently, yes.

Starting at £32,200, the A2 e-tron comes with batteries ranging from 52kWh to 84kWh and power outputs stretching from a perfectly respectable 170PS to a rather less sensible 326PS.

The headline range is an impressive 397 miles, while a drag coefficient of just 0.24 means the air has fewer opportunities to ruin your afternoon.

Inside, things are predictably Audi: smart, technical and stuffed with screens. There’s a 12.8-inch curved MMI display, an 11.9-inch driver display, wireless charging and enough driver assistance technology to make you wonder whether you’re actually driving.

The clever bit is the packaging. Despite its compact dimensions, a 2.77-metre wheelbase promises proper space inside, while short overhangs should make urban manoeuvring considerably less stressful.

And then there’s the 326PS version, which gets adaptive damping, progressive steering and Audi drive select. Because apparently even the sensible A2 needs a hooligan setting.

The original A2 was famous for doing more with less. This one follows the same recipe—only now it does it silently, with 397 miles of range and considerably more swagger.