Audi SQ5 Sportback Review & Prices

The Audi SQ5 Sportback is the hard-hitting V6 diesel version of the regular Audi Q5 Sportback. It’s a coupe-SUV with a fastback rear, which is possibly more handsome but not quite as practical as the regular Audi SQ5.

Basically, it’s like ordering a Coke Zero instead of regular Coca-Cola. It’s for those who like a slimmer fit, and it’s possibly a bit cooler, too. 

Up front, the SQ5 Sportback looks more or less the same as the SQ5 SUV, with that massive Audi grille and slim headlights. The grille gets moody black detailing instead of shiny chrome, while behind the front doors, the SQ5 Sportback’s roof slopes away to a sportier, more tapered rear end — the SQ5 SUV’s roof stays steady all the way to the back. 

Inside, you get the standard Audi interior, which means it’s all exceptionally well put-together, and very high tech, but not very thrilling and just a little bit coldly industrial to look at. BMW offers more enticing interiors, as does Mercedes. Still, you get big displays for instruments and infotainment, while the driver gets a chunky flat-bottomed steering wheel and everyone inside gets to listen to an excellent Bang & Olufsen stereo. There’s also Nappa leather, which is nice, and lots of shiny ‘Piano Black’ trim, which is less nice. 

In the back seats, the lower roof will encroach on headroom for very tall back seat passengers, but actually there’s not a dramatic loss of space and this is still a fairly practical car, with good rear legroom. 

The boot of the SQ5 Sportback is slightly smaller than that of the SQ5 SUV, but only by 10 litres if you’re measuring up to the luggage cover. Fold down the back seats and capacity extends to 1,470 litres, but that’s quite a bit less than the SQ5 SUV’s 1,510 litres — that lower rear roof robs the last bit of loading room.

You won’t be thinking too much about boot space once you’ve fired up the 3.0-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel engine. The SQ5 pushes 342hp and oodles of low-down grunt to all four wheels (it’s a quattro, of course) via an eight-speed automatic gearbox. 0-60mph takes a mere 5.1 seconds, which is pretty brisk for a chunky SUV. The beauty of it is that because it’s a diesel, you get all that performance without the penalty of ridiculous fuel consumption. 

There’s a sporty suspension setup with adjustable dampers, while high-spec ‘Vorsprung’ models get air suspension which is seriously comfy over the bumps, but still keeps the SQ5 level in corners. 

As is so often the case with Audi, though, the SQ5 doesn’t feel quite as sharp to drive as an equivalent BMW, and it’s definitely a car dominated by the performance of its engine, rather than how much fun it is from behind the wheel.

You also lose a good chunk of rear visibility thanks to that fast-angled rear end — although the standard fit parking sensors and camera system help with low-speed manoeuvres. 

So, the Audi SQ5 Sportback is a sharp-looking SUV with seriously impressive performance, a comfy cabin, and enough space for it to still be useful for family duties. 

If you want to get the best price, check our Carwow’s Audi SQ5 Sportback deals. You can also browse used SQ5 Sportbacks, as well as other used Audis. To change your car completely, you can sell your car through Carwow too, where our trusted dealers will bid on your vehicle to get you the best price.

Because the SQ5 Sportback is actually a run-out model at the moment, it’s actually quite a bit cheaper to buy than the new-shape SQ5 SUV. Its closest rival is the new-shape BMW X3 M50d, which has more power, but which is actually fractionally cheaper. Of course, the X3 isn’t a coupe-SUV, so maybe the BMW X4 is a better adjunct, but that’s not available with a high-performance diesel engine. There’s also the Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, but again that doesn’t have a specific high-performance diesel model, and is more expensive than the SQ5 Sportback, even in regular specification. 

The SQ5 Sportback handles well for a chunky SUV, and it’s comfortable too, but alternatives can be more fun 

In town

Even with the lower roofline, the SQ5 Sportback sits you up nice and high, and gives you a good view out the front, even if the windscreen pillars are pretty thick. The view to the back is much less good though, and worse than in the standard SUV model thanks to those long, swept rear pillars. You’ll be making full use of the parking sensors and reversing camera, as well as the automated parking system, when in tight spots. 

The SQ5 Sportback is, obviously, the sporty version of the Q5 range, but even on its stiffer springs, it’s never too rough-riding around town, and the optional air suspension of the Vorsprung model is better again, even if it can be caught out by short, sharp bumps. 

The only difficulty is the automatic gearbox, which can make the SQ5 feel sluggish when pulling away, and which can be seriously annoyingly slow at picking up power when joining a busy junction. 

On the motorway

The gearbox is much less of an issue on the motorway, and it’s here that the SQ5 Sportback is at its best. That long-legged diesel settles down into a very low-revving cruise at 70mph, and the whole car feels exceptionally effortless. 

You only need to flex your right foot a little — slow gearbox allowing — to pick up any speed you need to get past dawdling traffic, and the SQ5 Sportback is nicely refined too, although you’ll notice a good bit of tyre roar on concrete motorway sections. 

The only problem is that it seems more than a bit stingy that Audi makes you pay extra for adaptive cruise control in a car costing the thick end of £70,000. At least the SQ5 is economical on long runs, with 35mpg possible. 

On a twisty road

The SQ5 is actually distantly related to the Porsche Macan, but there’s a world of difference in how they tackle a twisty road. The Porsche feels pointy and agile, but the Audi feels much less so. It’s secure, and smooth, and goes where you want it to, but there’s not as much in the way of driver enjoyment as you’d find in the Porsche. 

Of course, the standard quattro four-wheel drive system comes into its own in poor conditions and the SQ5 Sportback is an imperiously sure-footed car even when the British weather is doing its worst. The optional air suspension helps again here, keeping the SQ5 more level in cornering, although the optional active anti-roll system that can be had in the bigger Audi SQ7 isn’t available here. 

The V6 diesel has all the low-down shove you could want — thanks to a clever electric turbocharger system which spins-up to power in super-quick time — but because it’s low-revving and growly, it never comes across as being quite as satisfying as a powerful petrol engine.

The SQ5 Sportback loses some space in the back seats and boot, but it’s still broadly practical

Up front, the SQ5 Sportback feels roomy and comfortable, and even the very tallest drivers should be able to get nicely set thanks to the broad range of adjustment in the steering wheel and seats. 

Storage is fine, albeit nothing special. There’s a pair of cup holders under a smoothly-sprung cover on the centre console, and larger bottles will fit into the door bins. The glovebox is quite small, but there’s some useful storage space under the front armrest. 

There are some small storage trays nearer to the gear lever, but it’s actually quite hard to work out what they’re for as they’re shallow and rather oddly shaped.

Space in the back seats

There’s plenty of legroom in the back of the SQ5 Sportback, but obviously headroom is not as good as in the SQ5 SUV. It’s not disastrous though, and kids will fit fine back there, as will grown ups as long as they’re not much over six-foot tall. There’s just about enough room to get three people in the back seat, but the middle seat is very narrow and not very comfortable, so you’ll need skinny friends. 

There are ISOFIX anchors for two child car seats, although you have to pop the covers off them before you can clip in a seat, which means you need to find somewhere to put these covers without losing them. 

The door bins are quite large in the back, but Audi’s insistence on using seatback nets, rather than a proper pocket, is somewhat limiting. There are USB sockets and a 12V outlet though, which is handy. 

Boot space

At 495 litres, the SQ5 Sportback’s boot is 10 litres down on the SQ5 SUV, and pretty much a direct match for the outgoing petrol-powered Porsche Macan. It’s still a good boot though, nicely square and with a flat loading lip, and there are useful tie-downs and hooks to stop things flying about. The rear seats tumble forward easily thanks to handles in the boot that release the seatbacks, and that opens up 1,470 litres of space. Again, that’s less than the 1,510 litres you get in the taller SUV version, but it’s still useful. 

A BMW X3 has considerably more boot space, though, so consider that if practicality is what you need. 

The SQ5 Sportback’s cabin is looking a little old now, but it’s fantastically well-made

You can criticise, if you like, the fact that the Audi SQ5 Sportback’s cabin is getting on in years, and that it has only a relatively small infotainment screen and lots of old-fashioned physical buttons. Frankly, though, the SQ5’s dash shows up a lot of younger competitors when it comes to being simple and user-friendly. 

The physical buttons for the climate control are just delightful, and are so much easier and quicker to use than controls on a screen. Speaking of which, the SQ5 Sportback’s 10.1-inch infotainment display is easy to use and doesn’t leave you hunting around in menus for the one thing you need. Well, not too much anyway. There’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, of course, and a neat set of digital instruments that includes a full-width map view in navigation mode. 

The quality of the cabin — from the Nappa leather seats (heated, and with a massage function) to those physical buttons — is everything you’d expect from an Audi in terms of quality, but it must be said that the relentlessly black-and-chrome colour scheme becomes a bit dour after a while. 

The SQ5 Sportback comes with just the one engine option — that twin-turbo 3.0-litre V6 diesel. It’s pretty efficient for an engine with 341hp, capable of averaging around 35mpg if you drive it gently even though Audi claims only 33mpg. You’ll easily dip into the 20s though, if you start to use the engine’s muscle much of the time. 

Even though it’s a diesel, the SQ5 Sportback’s CO2 emissions are pretty high, at 219g/km, so VED road tax is pretty pricey for the first year, and you have to pay the expensive car levy too. 

Company car buyers would probably be best off getting a plug-in hybrid Audi Q5 instead, as Benefit in Kind tax will cost you less per month, and that’s going to go up considerably in the coming years. 

This version of the Audi Q5 was tested by Euro NCAP way back in 2017, so its impressive five-star safety rating is now well and truly out of date. Audi has kept the SQ5’s safety systems updated in the years since, so it would probably still perform well if re-tested, but it really jars that such things as adaptive cruise control, active lane assistance, and even a 360-degree camera system are all on the options list. 

The SQ5 comes with an alarm and immobiliser, but a desirable high-performance model such as this really needs a tracking device too. 

Audi hasn’t done very well in the most recent set of Driver Power owner satisfaction surveys. The Q5 didn’t make it into the list of the Top 50 Cars To Own, while Audi as a brand finished in a low 27th position out of 32 makes, although a relatively low 21% of owners reported faults with their cars. 

Audi’s warranty isn’t great either. You get three years, but it’s only unlimited mileage in years one and two, with year three capped at 60,000 miles.