2020 BMW X1 vs Audi Q2

What's the difference?

I like it when a car subverts expectations.

You see, I wasn’t expecting to like the X1 much. A BMW small SUV on a Mini Cooper platform? Sounds sketchy.

It sounds like BMW is just playing a dangerous game of badge-swappery. Yet, after a week behind the wheel, I had to admit there’s more to the X1 than the numbers and specs might suggest. It admittedly won me over.

How, exactly, did this little SUV manage to charm this doubting critic? Read on to find out.

If you want all the swish style of a European hatch, but love the idea of an SUV's ride height, you now have ample choice from Germany's 'big three' premium players.

First there was the Mercedes-Benz GLA (which is about to get a brand-new version), then there was this car, the Audi Q2, and finally, BMW's X2 joined the fray.

All are hatch-based, all have distinct looks, and all are relatively big-sellers. They're also very similar in dimensions and performance, so what should get you behind the wheel of the Q2 over the others? We took its latest iteration, the Edition #2 in top-spec 40 TFSI quattro guise, for a week to find out.