What's the difference?
Audi’s littlest and most affordable SUV, the Q2, has been updated with new looks and tech, but something else has snuck in with it. Or should I say roared in? It’s the SQ2, with a whopping 300 horsepower and a snarling bark.
So, this review has something for everybody. It’s for those who want to know what’s new for the Q2 in this latest update - those thinking of buying a cool-looking little SUV from Audi - and for those who want to wake their neighbours up and frighten their friends.
Ready? Let’s go.
It’s 2026 and over 30 years and through six generations the Subaru Outback as we knew it… is gone.
Gone is the defiantly wagon-esque crossover style that was one of the first, as well as likely the most-successful, for the boxy beast you see here.
RIP, original Subaru Outback.
But, don’t worry, folks, because, except for a couple of issues, things only get better by and large, with the big new seventh-gen model.
And, in the most important ways, the 2026 Outback is a true Subaru at heart, so let’s dive straight in!
The Q2 is good value and great to drive – especially the SQ2. The exterior looks new, but the cabin feels older than the larger Q3, and most other Audi models.
More standard advanced safety tech would make the Q2 even more appealing, as would a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. While we’re at it, a hybrid variant would make enormous sense.
So, a great car, but Audi could offer more to make it an even better proposition for buyers.
Over 30 years and seven generations of Outback in Australia, the latest might just be the best.
It's great to drive, even better to sit in, very easy to live and willing to go further than most equivalent large SUVs at its price point.
The styling is definitely divisive, with purists unhappy that the long, crossover wagon silhouette is now gone, but what we have instead is a family-friendly vehicle that pleases on so many fronts.
We’d go as far as saying the latest Outback might be the most-rounded Subaru currently available, and great value to boot. And the base AWD is all the SUV most people will ever need.
That’s not bad for something this square!
Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.