Introduction to the 2025 Audi SQ5 Sportback
A while back, the hot version of the Audi Q5, as ever badged SQ5, was a diesel-engined car. And a rather fabulous thing it was too, with a turbocharged V6 engine developing 367hp and a whopping 700Nm of torque, capable of topping 40mpg on a long drive. It was a fantastic, low-key and rapid all-rounder.
Well, the more things change, the more they stay the same... The SQ5 is back, but this time it has ditched passé diesel completely in favour of petrol, with a touch of hybrid assistance. Power is up, slightly, but torque was plummeted. Can the new SQ5, therefore, be as good an all-rounder as the old one? We tested it - on twisty Spanish roads - in sleek Sportback form.
Pros & Cons of the 2025 Audi SQ5
Pros: Fast, agile, fun, handsome, well-made
Cons: Thirsty, expensive, small boot, engine needs to be louder
Exterior & Design of the 2025 Audi SQ5 Sportback
• Sleeker styling than the SUV model
• SQ5 gets a chunky body kit, but it's still subtle
• SUV version still the better-looking car
The whole idea of a so-called coupe-SUV makes no sense: take a tall, chunky, practical family car and make it less practical in the pursuit of style. That said, the new SQ5 Sportback does look handsome, although the 'Grenadine Red' colour and silvery exterior trim of our test car doesn't work well to these eyes. The Sportback is, of course, a little sleeker than the SUV model, and its dimensions are:
Length: 4,717mm
Width: 1,900mm
Height: 1,619mm
Wheelbase: 2,823mm
Slightly lower and sleeker the Sportback might be, but it's the taller SUV version of the new Q5 that's the better-looking in our opinions, and in SQ5 form it really needs the exterior 'Black Pack' which darkens all of the trim and gives the car a meaner look. Mind you, in the good news column, the exhaust pipes are now all real and not dummies.
Interior, Practicality, Tech & Comfort of the 2025 Audi SQ5
• Great seats
• High quality
• Smallest boot of all Q5 models
The cabin of the SQ5 is not fundamentally different to that of the standard model, and especially not to that of the regular Q5 with the S line pack fitted. The heavily bolstered sports seats (here covered in a combination of leather and a synthetic suede called Dinamica) are exceptionally comfortable, and the Sportback body doesn't sacrifice a lot of rear seat space either - headroom is, of course, a little tighter but probably not enough to elicit any complaints from those in the back.
The big curved screen in front of the driver - containing two screens, an 11.9-inch one for the instrument panel and a 14.9-inch one for the infotainment - uses OLED technology, which makes the graphics really pop and the whole setup looks appropriately classy and expensive for a car costing north of €100,000, notwithstanding that the screens are shared with the more affordable Audi A5.
The on-screen menus are tolerably easy enough to navigate, but as ever some more physical buttons would certainly be helpful, although thankfully Audi has included a proper button at the end of the indicator stalk to disable the too-intrusive lane-keeping system.
The optional extra screen in front of the passenger seat seems pointless - from previous experience, my teenage front-seat passengers, who you'd assume would be tech-savvy enough to want to play with one, just ignore it and stare at their own phones anyway.
In practical terms, the SQ5 Sportback has the smallest boot of any Q5. The Sportback already loses five litres up to the luggage cover compared to the standard SUV, but the SQ5 loses yet more space, bringing the available volume down to just 470 litres (against 520 litres in the regular Q5, and 475 litres in the SQ5 SUV).
It's still just about big enough to be useful, but there is a significant reduction in the available space. Seats-down (and they don't fold completely flat) there's less than 1,400 litres of total cargo space. If you're a regular IKEA visitor, stick with the SUV.
Performance of the 2025 Audi SQ5
• 367hp from the turbocharged V6
• Feels suitably rapid
• Needs the optional air suspension
It seems like our perception of what a fast car should be has become somewhat warped of late by electric cars. After all, this €111,000 Audi will be well beaten to 100km/h from rest by an MG4 XPower, which costs less than half as much. The neck-snapping acceleration that comes with instant-torque electric motors is absent here.
However, pause, rest and recalibrate and the SQ5's performance starts to come into sharper focus. No, it won't bend physics like a hot EV, but then since when was 4.5 seconds to 100km/h slow? As with all the best engines, this turbocharged and mild-hybridised 3.0-litre V6 takes a little time to get to know and some effort to extract the best from. That is precisely what makes for an entertaining drive.
After the flat drone of the 2.0-litre TDI engine (and the surprisingly noisy 2.0-litre TFSI petrol version) the SQ5's V6 is like having warm honey drizzled into your ear. It's smooth and unobtrusive at low rpm, but snarls, barks and hiccoughs down the exhausts when you switch over to Dynamic mode and start to stretch it to the 6,300rpm redline (although you've already hit peak power at 5,500rpm).
The 48-volt mild-hybrid system, with its 18kW electric motor, both helps with acceleration and also allows you to do low-speed manoeuvres silently, which will be helpful if you don't want to wake the neighbours up when you're doing an early airport run.
However, if you don't actually like your neighbours and do want to wake them up, there's an 'Emotional Start' function - lightly press the ignition button to wake up the car's systems, select Dynamic mode, and then fire up the engine to a squirrel-scattering blast of high revs and a noisier idle.
For all that, the V6 engine could do with being a touch aurally rowdier. It's an exceptionally smooth engine, and while it sings an entertaining alto-tenor at high revs, it's always slightly in the background. Blame drive-by noise regulations for the muzzling. Perhaps an aftermarket exhaust would do the trick.
Whatever about the noise, the V6's performance is certainly not in doubt. A brisk 0-100km/h time is backed up by proper in-gear muscle and never mind that this petrol engine is 150Nm of torque down on the old diesel SQ5's. Snap overtakes are entirely do-able, and the engine and seven-speed S tronic gearbox work well together and work better again when you're pressing on.
Taking manual control allows you access to a little more noise when you want it, and some entertaining exhaust sounds on the overrun as long as you've got Dynamic mode selected.
Sadly, this SQ5 doesn't have the classical Torsen-differential Audi quattro four-wheel-drive system and instead uses a lightly tweaked version of the Haldex multi-plate clutch setup employed by all the new Q5s. It doesn't specifically send more torque to the rear wheels, but if you're in Dynamic mode and pressing on a touch, the system will react accordingly.
With the air suspension working its body-stabilising magic, the SQ5 feels exceptionally fleet of foot even in tight corners, especially for a tall SUV weighing slightly more than two tonnes. The new Q5 range as a whole is blessed with sharper steering feel than that of the old model, and the SQ5 exploits that to the full, with seriously impressive reflexes and a genuine sense of fun when the road turns challenging.
That air suspension - still an option, in spite of the SQ5's price tag - is exceptionally good at calming things down when you want to just sit back and cruise, and the SQ5 retains the refinement and comfort of the standard Q5 (which is to say it's really comfortable and quiet, bar a bit of tyre roar). The SQ5's options list is long and expensive, but the air suspension box seems one well worth ticking.
Running Costs of the 2025 Audi SQ5
• Three-year warranty, unlimited for the first two years
• V6 engine is very thirsty
• Surprising motor tax cost
For all the fire and vim of the 3.0-litre V6 engine, the SQ5 is surprisingly cheap to tax - OK, so €600 isn't chump-change, but anyone driving a pre-2009 1.8-litre petrol car will still be paying more in tax every year, thanks to the SQ5's 185g/km CO2 figure.
Real-world fuel economy? Ahem... Well, on our test drive - our mountain-road-heavy test drive with the Audi Drive Select set mostly to Dynamic mode - we averaged 18 litres per 100km, which is 15mpg. Audi says you can bring that down to 8.1 litres per 100km in day-to-day driving, but frankly, good luck with that.
Audi's standard warranty (two years' unlimited mileage with the third year capped at 90,000km) seems a bit stingy these days, but there is a useful 'Service Club' which allows you to spread out your regular servicing costs. Not that the average SQ5 buyer is likely to be too bothered about that.
Irish Pricing & Rivals of the 2025 Audi SQ5
• Most expensive of the new Q5 range
• Long and expensive options list
• Rivals have more power
At €111,874 for our test car (and just over €111,000 for the standard SQ5 in SUV form) this is the most expensive of the new Q5 range, a fact that should be entirely unsurprising.
What is perhaps more surprising is how much extra you have to pay to spec it up to a decent level. Adaptive cruise control? On the options list. Wireless phone charger? On the options list. Air suspension? On the options list. You'll also want to pay to upgrade the standard 20-inch alloys as they look rubbish. Oh, and that Grenadine Red metallic paint is a €1,600 option. Basically, you can easily sink around €150,000 into a new SQ5 and still not have your perfect one.
It's also up against some very capable rivals. The new M50 version of the BMW X3 has significantly more power than the SQ5 (although it's also a little more expensive) while the Mercedes-AMG GLC Coupe 43 has much more power again (421hp), though also costs about €20,000 more.
Verdict - Should You Buy the 2025 Audi SQ5 Sportback?
No - but that's a specific no for the Sportback version which we don't think looks as good as the SUV model. Equally specifically, you need to avoid the Grenadine Red and silver exterior trim of our test car; Navarra Blue metallic and the black exterior pack make for a much better combo. Stick to that and it's a definite yes; the SQ5 is fast, smooth and entertaining.
FAQs About the 2025 Audi SQ5 Sportback
Is the Audi SQ5 any good?
Yes, it absolutely is. Sure, it could do with having a slightly louder engine and the boot's a touch small in this Sportback version, but it's fast and fun and still practical enough for everyday life.
Is the Audi SQ5 expensive to maintain?
Yes, it will be. While the cost of a year's motor tax isn't half as expensive as you might have thought, in all other respects - fuel consumption, insurance, tyres, brake pads etc - the SQ5 is going to be a pricey thing to run.
Is an Audi SQ5 a fast car?
Yes, it most certainly is. True, there are plenty of (cheaper, and often electric) cars that hit 100km/h from rest in less time than the SQ5's 4.5 seconds, but this is still a properly fast machine, one that beats the more powerful Mercedes-AMG GLA 43 to 100km/h, and which can carry immense speed across the ground.
Is Audi SQ5 fuel efficient?
Ha-ha! No. Audi quotes an official consumption figure of 8.1 litres per 100km, but you'll be lucky to see that in daily driving. Expect more like 10-11 litres per 100km on average.
How many child seats fit in the back of the Audi SQ5?
There are three ISOFIX points in the Audi SQ5, two in the outer back seats and one in the front passenger seat. You can theoretically fit a slim booster cushion in the centre rear seat, using the seatbelt, but try it out for size before assuming that.
Has the Audi SQ5 been assessed for safety by Euro NCAP?
This latest Q5 and SQ5 haven't yet been tested by Euro NCAP, but we can extrapolate a little from other results. The previous Q5 scored a full five stars, albeit that was back in 2017. However, much of that car's physical structure is carried over to the new model, so that seems like a solid base from which to work. Meanwhile, the new Audi A5, which shares the Premium Platform Combustion (PPC) chassis with the new Q5, scored a full five-star rating last year from Euro NCAP, so the omens for the new SQ5 are good.
Want to know more about the Audi SQ5 Sportback?
Is there anything else you'd like to know about the Audi SQ5 Sportback? Or anything you feel we haven't covered here? Then just head over to our Ask Us Anything section and, well, ask us anything. It's a free service and we'll do our best to answer your questions.
