The small SUV: Audi Q2 vs Mini Countryman vs Seat Ateca

This is the biggest Mini yet and, in this test, it’s also the car with the biggest engine. Mini by name if not nature. This puts it up against some of the sleek small SUVs that the market is so very fond of. With the award-winning Seat Ateca and Audi’s classy Q2 in the mix, is this a sector the Mini should have steered clear of?

It certainly gets off to a flying start with that 2.0-litre diesel engine, comfortably outperforming the other two. While their 1.6-litre diesels feel strong enough, they can’t cope with the extra size and clout of the Mini’s unit. But that’s when you’re really caning the engines. Under more normal driving the gap doesn’t seem so obvious.

However, a powerful engine and Mini’s famous go-kart handling should make for an exciting combination. But this is the Countryman, a fair-sized car. So the effect is all a bit false. The steering is very quick, so that for much of the time it feels off-balance and fidgety, as if it’s about to dart into a ditch. The wheels like to follow any imperfections in the road and the overall effect is not what you’d want in a vehicle this size.

The variable steering in the Q2 shows how it should be done, aided by a more car-like handling package than you’ll find in many SUVs. The downside is a rather firm ride but you get plenty of grip.

The Ateca rolls a bit more, like many SUVs, but overall it’s remarkably compliant and controlled for a small SUV, with steering that has lots of feel. It also has a more comfortable ride quality than the more stiffly sprung Mini and Audi, with the Mini seeming really quite rough in town or country.

The Mini also has the crudest feel to the controls, so the whole experience is a bit short of the slick quality you’d hope for. It’s also the car where it’s the most difficult to get comfortable behind the wheel. Well, it isn’t if you add the electric seat package, but that’s another £1020.

However, many will like the retro-chic dashboard, which is all about personality, compared to the more utilitarian and practical dashboards in the Audi and Seat. The Mini’s expanding dimensions also means you get very decent space in the back row of the Countryman. More so than in the others, with the Audi Q2 feeling quite cramped in the second row.

The Mini scores more points with a big, square boot but that comes at the cost of really quite restricted visibility due to the bulky rear pillars and narrow rear window. The Ateca actually has the largest boot here but it costs another £115 to get the high-adjustable floor that comes as standard in the other two – although that still leaves the Q2 as the vehicle with the smallest boot here matched with poor rear visibility.

All the vehicles here get satnav, DAB radio, USB ports and controls on the steering wheel as standard. The Seat’s 8in standard screen is all you’ll need, as it comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard.

The Mini here has an even bigger screen at 8.8in, but if you don’t want the stock 6.5in screen you’ll have to splash another £950 to get this bigger screen as part of the Media Pack.

The Audi Q2 gets an MMI infotainment system that is controlled by a rotary dial. It’s easy to use, comes fully loaded and the only thing you might want to add is to have ten instead of eight speakers, at a cost of £250.

But the Audi Q2 is the most expensive here to buy and to run. After three years it will have cost you about £2000 more than if you’d bought the Seat Ateca. That is, if you’re buying outright. Go for a PCP finance deal and the Q2 actually becomes the cheapest here.