Audi SQ5 Review 2025

Like the look of the latest Audi Q5 but find the four-cylinder engines lacking a bit of bite? Step forward the Audi SQ5. Sitting at the top of the Q5 range, the SQ5 packs a turbocharged V6 engine that puts it right in the mix when it comes to upmarket performance SUVs. How good is it? Find out with our full Audi SQ5 review.

Using the third-generation Q5 as its basis, the latest Audi SQ5 ditches the 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines of the standard car, favouring a 3.0-litre TFSI V6 unit instead. With 367PS on tap, performance is a step on from the smaller engines, with a 0-62mph time of just 4.5 seconds. That's not the half of it as the SQ5 also benefits from Audi's clever MHEV Plus mild hybrid system to help boost economy around town but also delivering an extra power boost under acceleration. 

Yet there's even more to differentiate the SQ5 from other Q5s. As you'd expect from an S-badged Audi there are a number of exterior styling cues that separate this peformance version from the rest of the range, giving it a more aggressive look.  

Inside the Audi SQ5’s interior is a mix of bright OLED displays — there are three in total — sophisticated design touches, mostly high quality materials and ambient LED lighting. Some of itfeels like tech for tech's sake — particularly the passenger's touchscreen — but the SQ5 comes with almost every option box ticked as standard, meaning you shouldn't be left wanting for equipment.

The Audi SQ5 comes in two bodystyles — there's the more practical SQ5 SUV with an upright rear and Audi SQ5 Sportback with a sportier, coupe-like roofline. The more rakish version comes with a £2500 price premium and while you sacrifice some interior flexibility, thanks to clever packaging the Sportback's boot is only five litres shy of the SUV version's. In fact, the SQ5's load capacity outstrips that of the Audi A6 Avant, while passenger space front and rear is great. 

This sophisticated approach follows through to how it drives. With air suspension as standard, the Audi SQ5 is at home on both twisty roads and monotonous motorways, while the audible drama from the V6 when in Sport mode is addictive. 

Unlike the regular Q5s, the Audi SQ5 benefits from air suspension as standard, which includes adaptive damper control. Stick it in Comfort mode and it really excels when covering long distances — handling is composed and predictable, while the engine is subdued in everyday driving. As the mode name suggests, it's also a comfy ride as well, even with 21-inch alloy wheels. 

Switch to Sport mode and everything sharpens up — the V6 engine takes on a more menacing noise, the throttle that bit more responsive and the steering becomes heavier. Find the right road and you can really attack it with confidence, with sharp handling that doesn't bring much body roll. The suspension also firms-up as well but the SQ5 also has an Individual mode, allowing you to tweak how certain elements respond, meaning you can set the suspension to Comfort if you prefer, leaving everything else in Sport.  

The SQ5 is a reasonably large car but there's a good amount of visibility from the high driving position, while it's easy to thread through small streets when needed.

Audi's Quattro four-wheel drive system is standard on the SQ5, not only helping the balance of the car when accelerating out of corners, it delivers a more confident traction when the weather turns wet and slippery.

At the heart of the Audi SQ5 is a 367PS 3.0-litre V6 engine that's hooked up to a standard-fit S Tronic seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. To help get that power down onto the road, the SQ5 gets Audi's Quattro all-wheel drive system is standard. With 550Nm of torque, the SQ5 will rocket to 62mph in just 4.5 seconds, topping-out at an electronically governed 155mph maximum. Those figures apply to both the SUV and Sportback bodies.

That's not the whole story as the SQ5 is equipped with Audi's MHEV Plus mild hybrid system. Not only is this here to assist with fuel economy but it gives a welcome boost in power as well to make the engine even more responsive off the line. It works by pairing the engine with what Audi calls a powertrain generator to deliver 24PS of power and 230Nm of additional torque. 

Not only do you get a bit more grunt from the MHEV Plus system, it also means it can cut the engine at low road speeds and trundle around in pure electric mode. Don't expect to cover decent distances — it's not a PHEV but it does add a bit more refinement when trudging around town.  

While the Audi SQ5 won't be specifically crash-tested by the safety experts at Euro NCAP it will share the same five-star rating as the core Q5 range that was assessed in 2025. 

It achieved an 85% rating for adult occupant protection, 86% for child occupant protection, 76% for vulnerable road user protection and 77% for its integral safety assist packages.

As you might expect, the SQ5 has a wealth of driver assistance technology. This includes front emergency brake assist, swerve assist and front turn assist, camera-based traffic sign recognition and hill-hold assist.

If you have children then note that the Isofix mountings are standard on the outer rear seats as well as the front passenger seat.

You can fit the Audi SQ5 with an electric folding towbar if you wish — it's a £1155 option. That includes technology called Trailer Assist, which helps when reversing with something hooked up to the car and is displayed in the MMI infotainment screen.

The SQ5's maximum braked towing capacity is 2610kg.

Thanks to the extended wheelbase of the latest Audi SQ5 over its predecessor, there's now more space inside, for both passengers and luggage. 

The high-set driving position provides a great view out, while the seats are incredibly comfortable and supportive. There's good space upfront but the longer wheelbase of the new car really benefits passengers in the back. There's more leg and knee room, while if you plump for the SQ5 Sportback with its plunging roofline, headroom remains very good.

The boot on the Audi SQ5 is really well-shaped, with a lower loading lip than previously to make it easier to get larger items in and out. Thanks to the air suspension the SQ5 has a neat access feature — the rear of the car lowers by 50mm when you open the tailgate, making loading even easier.

The SQ5 SUV has a spacious 520-litre boot capacity, while the SQ5 Sportback sees space only 515 litres. The slightly boxier shape of the SUV over the Sportback model makes it a touch more practical but it's not by much.

With this being the flagship model of an already premium car, it comes as no surprise to discover that the Audi SQ5 comes with an excellent level of material quality inside. There are lots of soft-touch plastics at key points — we love the suede-style Dinamica fabric that adorns the door panels and other interior elements, while the perforated Nappa leather on the seats looks and feels great.

Theres a fair amount of gloss black plastic as well — it looks slick when its factory-fresh but you'll soon be reaching for a microfibre cloth to wipe away fingerprints and dust. 

The Audi SQ5 feels really well put together — the doors shut with a reassuring thud, while overall it has a very robust feel.

Like the Q5, the Audi SQ5's infotainment system is based around the brand's latest Audi Digital Stage technology. This sees a freestanding curved glass screen that incorporates both an 11.9-inch virtual cockpit driver display and a larger 14.5-inch central touchscreen. With both using OLED technology, each display is extremely crisp and clear, with excellent detail and colour. 

If you're moving up from an older SQ5, you might miss the central touchpad as everything is now controlled via the touchscreen interface. You'll need to spend a bit of time getting to know your way around it, especially as things like climate controls are now accessed via the screen and not adjusted with a physical knob or switches. There is a dial to adjust the volume of the stereo meaning you avoid the silly swipes and gestures that plague some systems. 

The driver display can also be tailored to taste as well. This is controlled by touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel. As we've found on other Audis that use this newer system, we miss the ability to have full-screen mapping displayed immediately in front of the driver — it is now restricted to the central screen. Audi could argue that the head-up display, which is standard on the SQ5 and comes with turn-by-turn navigation, does the same thing. And to be fair, it'd be right — the HUD is information-packed and just like the display screens, is bright and crisp. 

An optional extra on other Q5s, the SQ5 gets Audi's 10.9-inch passenger MMI display as standard. What's the point of a passenger display, we hear you cry? Mirroring the functionality of the central screen, Audi sees it as a way for the passenger to assist with setting the nav and choosing which music, podcast or radio station to listen to.

It also allows access to apps independently, so your passenger can be watching BeardMeetsFood clips on YouTube while you drive. We're not sure this solution to a problem that never really existed will prove that useful day-to-day given the central display only requires a slightly longer stretch of the arm to reach but it's there if you want it. 

Don't worry, there's Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, while there's a DAB radio tuner as well. Whatever you end up listening to it'll sound great thanks to the Bang & Olufsen 3D premium sound stereo. 

Prices for the Audi SQ5 SUV in its sole Edition 1 specification start at £76,275 before optional extras are factored in. Opt for the SQ5 Sportback Edition 1 and you'll need £78,775.

Standard SQ5 equipment levels are very generous which goes some of the way to justifying the Audis' expense compared with other premium-badged alternatives.

Take the BMW X3 in range-topping 398PS M50 guise as an example with its £67,340 price tag.

Matters appear closer with the Mercedes-AMG GLC 43 which costs from £76,715 for the SUV body and £78,715 for the Coupe version. While they're fitted with 2.0-litre turbocharged engines, their 421PS output trumps the SQ5's 367PS figure.

Another intriguing alternative is the petrol-powered Porsche Macan, a car which shares its underpinnings with the previous-generation Audi Q5. Its level of standard equipment can't match the latest SQ5's but with the Macan S and its 380PS powerplant costing £63,000 and the 440PS GTS range-topper weighing in at £75,000 it would be foolish not to consider the Porsche seriously.

As the Audi SQ5's on-the-road prices easily exceed £40,000 it qualifies for the Expensive Car Supplement tax. This means that an extra £425 a year is added on to your VED road tax bill between years two to six (at 2025/26 rates), meaning you'll be paying a total of £620 annually during that period. 

You're not buying a V6 performance SUV for its fuel efficiency, which is just as well as the SQ5 has WLTP Combined cycle efficieny claims of 32.3-34.1mpg for the SUV body 32.3-34.2mpg for the Sportback. That said, the MHEV Plus will help bolster real-world fuel economy when its running on electric power at lower speeds. 

It'll be no surprise either to discover that the Audi SQ5 has a group 45 insurance rating and while certainly higher than the regular Q5, it's not quite hitting the highest 46-50 groupings.

With the lowest potential CO2 emissions of 187g/km placing all SQ5s in the highest 37% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax band, unless you own the company it's probably best to consider one of Audi's PHEVs and EVs instead.

So far both SUV and Sportback versions of the Audi SQ5 are only available in high-end Edition 1 specification which comes as standard with:

• 21-inch multi-spoke black metallic Audi Sport alloy wheels
• S-specific exterior styling
• S-specific adaptive air suspension
• Matrix LED headlights with cleaning system
• Digital OLED tail lights
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera system
• Electrically adjustable, folding, heated, auto-dimming door mirrors with logo-projecting puddle lights
• Acousting windscreen and front door glass
• Darkened rear privacy glass
• Panoramic sunroof
• Keyless entry and starting
• Electrically operated tailgate
• Heated and ventilated S-specific front sports seats with integrated headrests and embossed S logo
• Heated outer rear seats
• Fine Nappa leather upholstery
• Heated, S-specific leather-trimmed three-spoke steering wheel
• Matt anthracite brushed aluminium and Dinamica faux suede interior trims
• Front door aluminium sill tread plates with illuminated S logo
• 11.9-inch OLED Audi Virtual Cockpit Plus driver display screen
• Head-up display
• 14.5-inch OLED MMI Navigation Plus central infotainment touchscreen
• 10.9-inch MMI front passenger display screen
• Bang & Olufsen 3D premium sound system
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity
• Three-zone climate control
• Multi-coloured interior LED ambient lighting
• Auto-dimming interior rear-view mirror
• Adaptive cruise control
• Audi drive select modes