Audi SQ5 Sportback TDI quattro: we test the all-terrain SUV

The “S” versions of Audi have a special charm. They are cars that put the emphasis on sportiness, but without showing off too much — that’s what the RS models are for — like this Audi SQ5 Sportback. You could practically go through the options list and configure a Audi Q5 Sportback with the basic engine so that it looked similar to the SQ5. But it would not be an Audi “S”.

This Audi SQ5 Sportback is, in my opinion, one of the cars that best reflects the spirit of the S versions of the brand of the four rings: comfortable and versatile for everyday use, yet capable of bringing a broad smile to your face every time you put on your driving gloves. It even allows you the occasional little adventure off the asphalt!

The Audi SQ5 Sportback TDI and its possible rivals

The cocktail has it all: SUV body with coupé styling, but with a very practical interior and boot; a turbodiesel engine that doesn’t feel out of place in a sports car, either in performance or in sound, capable of making the SQ5 run very fast while consuming very little; and a magnificently tuned chassis. To round off the picture, thanks to the mild hybridisation the Audi SQ5 carries the ECO label from the DGT, with all the advantages that this entails, which are not few.

Of course, all of this comes at a price, and the SQ5 TDI has a respectable starting price: from 79,200 euros, and from 83,300 euros in this version with Sportback bodywork. Within its own range, a possible alternative would be the Q5 55 TFSIe quattro plug-in hybrid, with 367 CV, starting at 76,000 euros. Both are well away from the 60,000 euros of the “sensible” option, the 40 TFI quattro with 204 CV. You can “dress it up” almost like the SQ5 with the Black Line trim, but you’re already at 66,000 euros. And it doesn’t come close, not by a long way, to the dynamic qualities of the SQ5.

As you can imagine, it is not easy to find cars that combine all these characteristics. In fact, only one comes to mind, its natural rival, the BMW X4 M40d, with 340 CV and available from 77,600 euros. From here, staying within SUVs, an obligatory reference for sportiness would be the Porsche Macan, with the Macan S (380 CV, from 83,500 euros) as the balance point, although with a petrol engine and without an ECO label. The same goes for the Mercedes GLC Coupé range, where the alternative would be the 43 4MATIC version, with 390 CV and a price from 85,000 euros.

Flexing muscle: the design of the SQ5

Audi has managed to give the SQ5 a powerful and sporty image, but without excess. You can tell it’s a special “S” model, that’s for sure. The Singleframe grille stands out, with a special mesh with octagonal shapes, the vertical inserts in the generous air intakes on the front bumpers, and the Matrix LED headlights with automatic high beam and dynamic indicators, which come as standard equipment. At the rear, the diffuser integrates two oval double exhaust outlets, and optionally the OLED technology can be fitted. A totally dispensable element, as it provides an exclusive light signature but has a high price, 1,235 euros.

I think it’s a better idea to invest in one of the six optional metallic paint colours for the bodywork, such as the Distrito Green of the unit you see in the images; other options are Itra Blue, Mars Red, silver or white… In addition, the bodywork colour can be personalised to each customer’s taste through the Audi exclusive programme; in this case, the price is 3,000 euros.

The wide variety of wheels available also makes the SQ5 look more elegant or more powerful. As standard they are 20-inch with 225/45 tyres; the ones you see in the photos, signed by Audi Sport, are 21-inch, fitted with 255/40 tyres and cost 2,100 euros.

Interior of the Audi SQ5: quality and versatility for daily use

Inside, this version can be chosen with a black or grey design; personally I prefer the latter, with brushed aluminium inserts that add an elegant yet technological touch. The sports seats fitted as standard are magnificent, and optionally they can feature massage and ventilation functions.

The Q5 family has not yet been taken to the extreme of digitalisation that characterises other models of the brand, full of touchscreens integrated into the dashboard design and with hardly any buttons. This is not a criticism at all. I much prefer how the buttons on the SQ5’s multifunction steering wheel work — the turn-and-press type — than the new capacitive ones on the Audi Q4 e-tron, for example. The floating multimedia screen sits in a raised position that is easy to view below the air vents, and there are physical controls for the climate system and for some functions.

The digital instrumentation Audi Virtual Cockpit, with a large 12.3-inch screen, comes as standard. In this case it is the “plus” version, with some specific menus and displays. For clarity of graphics, resolution, design, speed and configuration options, it remains among the best digital instrument clusters we have seen to date.

Regardless of the level of digitalisation, the sense of quality is superb. And so is the ergonomics, with good visibility, a magnificent pedal box — footrest included — and plenty of practical storage spaces. The available space is also notable, both in the front and rear seats; even the sloping roofline does not compromise headroom enough to stop two adults travelling comfortably. It is one of the features of Audi Sportback versions compared with the SUVs they derive from, and we have also seen it in the Q3 and Q3 Sportback range.

Even the boot capacity remains almost intact, with a magnificent 500 litres, expandable to 1,470 litres by folding down the rear seat backs. This can be done in 40:20:40 sections; in addition, the optional plus rear bench (435 euros) allows the bench to be adjusted longitudinally to favour luggage or passenger space, as well as adjusting the angle of the backrests.

A very complete specification… with some options that should be standard

MMI Navigation is standard, as are the sound system, three-zone climate control, ambient lighting and the Audi parking system plus. The generous standard equipment can be complemented with a multitude of personalisation and comfort options, such as a stationary heating system (1,930 euros), plus lighting package with up to 30 colours (485 euros), a head-up instrument display (1,220 euros), the panoramic sunroof (1,815 euros) or various leather upholsteries.

Among the options that, given the category and price of the car, we think could have been included as standard, are the comfort key (700 euros), the alarm (600 euros), the rear camera (560 euros) and some driver assistance systems such as Audi pre sense basic (310 euros), unintentional lane departure warning (1,010 euros) or the Audi lane assist lane-keeping aid (560 euros).

A factory-fitted towing hitch is also available as an option (1,245 euros), as are the city (820 euros) and Tour (1,480 euros) assistant packages; the latter two strike me as thoroughly recommendable. In the second, for example, you get adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go function, the traffic jam assistant, the predictive efficiency assistant and the turn assistant.

The SQ5’s V6 TDI engine: is it really a diesel?

Even after many kilometres, and having confirmed it several times, many of those travelling as passengers in the Audi SQ5 will repeatedly ask themselves the same question. The Audi SQ5 simply doesn’t feel like a diesel, despite what the cliché might suggest.

The engine is the 3.0 TDI V6 already known in the brand, which received many improvements in its latest update: forged steel pistons, new injectors, a turbocharger with a smaller, lighter turbine, an intercooler that shortens the intake air path… As notable technologies, let’s recall that this TDI V6 uses a 48-volt Mild Hybrid system that improves response and efficiency, and allows it to carry the ECO label.

Within the 48-volt MHEV system, another interesting component is the electric compressor, a mechanism that in practice delivers on its promise: virtually eliminating the turbo response delay, or “turbo lag”, by increasing intake boost when setting off and accelerating with the engine at low revs, when a conventional turbo struggles to do so.

As for the much-debated question of whether diesels are clean or not, Audi settles it with a dual catalyst system — SCR and particulate filter — with double AdBlue injection. It comfortably meets the established standards.

On the road with the Audi SQ5 TDI

How does all this technology translate into figures and sensations? The V6 TDI produces 341 CV and a maximum torque of 700 Nm, which remains constant from 1,750 rpm to 3,250 rpm. It reaches a top speed of 250 km/h, electronically limited, and stands out for its acceleration: 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds.

Comparable cars that offer such sporty performance generally have one problem: they need a petrol station — or a charging point — every few kilometres. This is not the case with the Audi SQ5, which brings out something diesels can still boast about: unbeatable consumption. Achieving averages between 8.5 and 9 l/100 km requires little effort in normal driving, a figure not far from the 8.2 l/100 km homologated.

Things change a lot if you switch to Sport mode, but in the worst case you’ll be around 15 l/100 km, already driving very aggressively. Petrol cars capable of following in the SQ5’s wake will be in the double digits.

From the moment you start it up, the SQ5 TDI shows superb pulling power, accompanied by a deep, throaty sound, thanks to the butterfly valves strategically placed in the exhaust system. Although, with so many powerful electric cars and their ability to deliver peak torque from zero, we are getting very spoilt. But this V6 will never catch you off guard.

Furthermore, the torque-converter tiptronic gearbox, very smooth and fast enough when you need it, means you can concentrate on the steering wheel and pedals and forget about everything else. By the way, thanks to the mild hybridisation, the engine can disconnect when coasting (when lifting off the accelerator) in efficiency mode for intervals of up to 40 seconds. The transmission system is rounded off by permanent quattro four-wheel drive, with a torque split of 40/60 between the front and rear axles, which can vary according to grip conditions to send up to 70% of engine power to the front wheels and 85% to the rear.

With this, and with the sporty S chassis (firmer damping and bodywork lowered by 30 mm), nothing more would be needed to enjoy an SUV that is comfortable when travelling and as effective as few others when linking bends as quickly as possible. The insulation is fantastic despite the wide tyres, offering a pothole-absorbing comfort that cars with far less sporty intentions would envy, the bodywork rolls very little or hardly at all (depending on the driving mode selected), and the steering and brakes stand out… because they go unnoticed.

But Audi still offers three options that amplify the sportiness the SQ5 is capable of conveying. The first is the variable-ratio dynamic steering (1,245 euros); though I’d go for the adaptive air suspension (1,200 euros) well before that, which offers up to five levels of body height adjustment and adds an offroad profile to the usual ones (auto, comfort, dynamic, individual and efficiency) in Audi drive select.

Finally, the sports differential (1,680 euros) adds a plus of agility by distributing more torque to the outside rear wheel in corners, reducing understeer; also known as torque vectoring. It’s not that I think it’s an essential option, but if I bought an Audi S, I’d want it to come as standard, and to know I have it for those days when you get “serious” and want to really enjoy the drive.

Image gallery Audi SQ5 TDI