Scoot in seconds: 2025 Audi SQ5 Quattro Technik

When setting out to write a new vehicle review, the first thing I try to do is put myself in the head of the likely purchaser, someone who might be considering a vehicle of this type, price range etc.

Obviously, someone shopping for a two-seat sports car is not interested in a three-ton full-size utility vehicle or pickup truck. Passenger space and accommodations, driving dynamics and towing capacity, for example, differ.

As I began to prepare this review of the 2025 Audi SQ5, I realized it checked all the boxes of my personal wish list: mid-size, 5-passenger crossover, all-wheel drive, above-average power and performance and the latest technology and features.

To be honest, most of those are the wants and needs of the lady with whom I share my life and a bed. I added the power and performance part. She wouldn’t know understeer from oversteer and has probably never seen the needle on the tachometer go past 3,000 rpm.

More room for her and more power for me

Our primary family vehicle is her daily driver. A couple of years ago she expressed the desire to swap our sporty four-door German sedan for a compact utility vehicle – easier to get in and out of and with the cargo capacity to handle her frequent visits to Costco and various garden centres.

Her vehicle also offers the desired practicality and comfort in an easy-to-maneuver size. We are empty nesters and only on occasion have need for rear seats.

The Audi SQ5 almost perfectly mirrors her crossover in size, capacity and other traits. BUT it offers considerably more power and performance – a lot more. One with all the stuff she likes, but also bringing the mechanical prowess I like.

It also costs about twice as much! That makes it the vehicle l would seek out after winning the lottery.

Better buy a lottery ticket – things are getting spicy

The Audi Q5 is the best-selling premium compact ute in the country – for many reasons. The S designation adds the seasoning to the recipe. The main spice is power.

The Q5 has a turbocharged four-cylinder under the hood producing 261-horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. The SQ5 replaces that with a turbocharged V6 belting out 362 horsepower and a delightful 405 lb. ft. of torque.

Both have Audi’s renown Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The Q5 has an eight-speed automatic transmission while the SQ5 upgrades that to a seven-speed dual-clutch.

The SQ5 will scoot to 100 km/hr in less than 5.5 seconds, a very satisfactory number…

… for those of us who value performance over fuel economy.

That’s the downside – the fuel economy can dip into double digits if the driver spends much time in appreciation of that oomph.

The third generation Audi Q5 and SQ5 ride on a new platform. The chassis is rock solid, the ride surprisingly compliant for a vehicle with such potential, thanks to the refined S-Tuned adaptive air suspension. Interior sound levels are very low, better than most in this class.

The interior is typically Audi – with quality and first-rate materials evident throughout.

The driver faces a 30-centimetre digital instrument cluster – the passenger can enjoy a similar-size display if ordered.

It has a privacy provision to prevent the driver from watching the same results of a web crawl or video stream. Between the two lies a 36-cm infotainment screen.

The front buckets are wide, supportive and can be adjusted to suit and please a wide variety of sizes and shapes.

There is a useful amount of storage provisions for the sundry stuff we all want at hand when on the road. Rear seat space is class-average. If you regularly carry large occupants, the next step up the size ladder might be a good idea.

At 760 litres, the well-finished cargo space behind the second row is typical of the class, but more spacious than most of the competition. Still, if you need to carry long items like skis or hockey sticks, the middle of the second-row seat folds down separately.

The Audi SQ5 checks all the right boxes for me: size, quality, technology and performance. Now, about that lottery ticket.

FACTS & FIGURES – 2025 Audi SQ5 Quattro Technik

PRICE

Base: $81,200

As tested: $86,240 including freight

SIGNIFICANT OPTIONS

Mythos black metallic paint, $890; black optics package, $1,200

MECHANICAL

3.0-litre turbocharged V6, 362 horsepower, 406 lb.-ft. of torque, premium fuel, seven-speed automatic transmission, all-wheel-drive. NRCan rating (litres/100km city/highway): 11.5/8.5

DIMENSIONS

Length, 4,681 mm; width, 1,892-mm; wheelbase, 2,794 weight, 2,013 kg

COMPETITION

BMW X4 M40i, Genesis GV70, Mercedes CLA 35, Porsche Macan