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There’s a very small detail on the new-generation Audi SQ5 that I think means a great deal: the red Audi Sport oblong is back.

This oh-so-subtle differentiator could for a very short amount of time be stuck on the back of anything that had four rings at the front. Then Audi got rid of it entirely. Now it’s back on a proper S car.

It would be a reach to say this ties up with Audi Sport returning to form, but this SQ5 is certainly good and much more of an S car than Audi’s latest electric cars.

With the EV stuff, S variants have been a touch meh – more of a trim level with a few nice bits, rather than the toned-down RS experience that we had all come to enjoy.

Sure, the S6 E-tron is quicker than the regular Audi A6 E-tron, but with an EV it’s a bit like, so what? Plus it has a notably shorter range. By contrast, the SQ5 is notably different to the regular Audi Q5.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating:

Audi SQ5

Audi's S badge possibly at its best. Comfortable, quick and subtle. Expensive, mind you.

Good

Fast and effortless engine

Surprisingly comfortable

Large enough for family life

Bad

Relatively expensive

Not the most engaging performance SUV

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Sportback offers something different

Modern looking and feeling

Cons

A touch generic - quite like other Audi models

The new SQ5 largely follows the latest Audi design language. The front features Audi’s ‘Singleframe’ grille and thin lights, while the shoulder-line is typical family SUV.

As standard, all SQ5s get 21-inch wheels, adaptive suspension, S badges, red brake calipers and Matrix LED headlights.

There’s a Sportback model too. This, slope-roofed variant was first introduced in 2021 and in continental Europe it actually outsells the SUV. Not for us Brits. Must be something to do with less space for more money thing going on.

Admittedly the difference in boot space between SUV and Sportback is barely worth mentioning. Basically if you like the looks, go for it.

INTERIOR

Pros

Logically laid out

Passenger screen does have some use cases

Material quality generally good

Cons

Heating controls on a touchscreen

Some odd touches - such as foglights next to window switches

Gearbox paddles not worthy of price tag

The interior is very much like the Q6 E-tron. Up front there’s a 11.9-inch virtual cockpit (the screen behind the steering wheel) a 14.5-inch display (the screen in the middle) while the SQ5 also gets Audi’s Passenger Display (the screen on the passenger side) as standard.

They’re all suitably slick, easy to control and logical. The passenger side screen can be used to alter the nav or radio in real-time, helping the driver, or to watch videos on. The latter of which can’t be seen from the driver’s point of view. No Tiktok while behind the wheel, thank god.

Like with the Q6 E-tron, the SQ5 has very few physical buttons. The climate controls are on the big central screen. It gets its own dedicated bar at the bottom, is shown permanently, and responds quickly. But it’s still not ideal. At least they’re not haptic like Audis of old - so you don’t need to press it down hard like you’re trying to delete an app on your phone.

Material quality seems fine - just fine - and to my eyes and hands the tiny little drive selector nicked from a Skoda Enyaq that you pull back or push forward feels cheap and a bit apologetic.

The gear paddles are tiny and plastic. They would feel just about okay for a Skoda. But they’re not befitting of a £50,000 Audi Q5 and they’re nowhere near the quality I would expect for a £75,000 Audi SQ5.

Pull your hand away from the Temu paddles and you will find another peculiarity in the interior: a control panel where you might expect to find the window switches. Those switches are there too but accompanied by quite a few other buttons.

Those for the foglights, for instance. This isn’t so bad in isolation, but if you don’t tend to close car doors using their handles, you will end up turning the fogs on – as I and several other testers did.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

0-62mph time faster than many sports cars

Effortlessly powerful, torque from low down in rev band

Direct, easy to place

Cons

No need to really rev that engine

Manual mode is not really manual mode

The previous-generation SQ5 was supplied by the black pump, but Audi has seen fit to change it to a 3.0-litre V6 petrol – a 362bhp affair with 406lb ft of torque.

It’s a great unit, pliable with a wide band of operation and a real turn of pace. The torque levels mean that if you want to treat it like a diesel, you can. Lots of low-down pull makes it easy to drive and to drive quickly without using too many revs. It can spin past 7000rpm but peak torque is achieved below 4000rpm.

Its journey to these numbers is linear and non-fussy. It’s not theatrical like Alfa Romeo’s V6 or quite as lovely or as offbeat as Audi’s own five-cylinder engine, but it has its own personality.

And when Dynamic mode is selected, there’s even a bit of drama with a few exhaust crackles. Sure, it’s as digitally augmented as a Black Eyed Peas song, but it’s subtle enough for it to not be too cloying, unlike a Black Eyed Peas song.

It has a bit of mild-hybrid tech: a pair of electric motors (one on the engine, one on the automatic gearbox) and a 1.7kWh battery. This adds 24bhp and apparently allows for some electric-only running.

I did not experience said electric running. The integration works fine when you’re going but causes a problem when you’re stopping: there’s a bit of a pedal push needed to get onto the disc and the force needed isn’t always the same.

The problem isn’t insurmountable, just slightly irritating. Not being 100% sure on how hard to press the brake pedal isn’t great in a car that’s as large and as powerful as this.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Air suspension is magnificently well-judged

Offers enough feedback for an S car

Fun can be had...

Cons

...but you need to work quite hard for it

The SQ5 comes with air suspension as standard. Some petrolheads sound like broken records when it comes to Audi suspension, repeating old lines about shattered teeth, largely associated with S Line cars of a decade ago. But the SQ5’s set-up is lush.

Even in its firmest setting, I could use it day-to-day. It all feels very connected, well thought out. Comfortable but with enough heft and damping to not make it feel like a burly, two-tonne SUV.

The steering is a touch light but feedback is strong. Dynamic mode adds a bit of heft and a bit of feel too. Its surefootedness means you have to go a bit Asbo to have much fun driving it, but fun is possible.

The square steering ‘wheel’ is easy to use on a set of flowing bends, but I found it difficult to use on roundabouts. It almost forces you to not shuffle the wheel at all, which really isn’t ideal, because I, like most SQ5 drivers, am not blatting through Tertre Rouge but negotiating a Tesco car park.

When left to its own devices, the seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is pretty handy. When the drive mode selector is switched to Dynamic, it changes down quickly and with gusto; in Comfort, it’s less keen to swap cogs.

Things begin to fall down when you change gears yourself. Pull the left shifter in Dynamic when approaching a corner and you feel the whole car jump forward ever so slightly. It’s a BMW-esque thump in the back that’s supposed to say ‘hey, kiddo, you’re driving a performance car’, but it’s just jarring to me.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating:

Audi SQ5

Audi's S badge possibly at its best. Comfortable, quick and subtle. Expensive, mind you.

Good

Fast and effortless engine

Surprisingly comfortable

Large enough for family life

Bad

Relatively expensive

Not the most engaging performance SUV

It’s a really solid car, this SQ5. And one befitting of its performance-oriented badging.

It’s fast, comfortable and practical and the Sportback shape is innovative and adds a bit of surprise-and-delight.

Criticisms? The powertrain and suspension add up to a £75,000 experience but the interior has too many small foibles – ones that, that when tallied, make the price tag questionable.

Murray Scullion

Title: Digital editor

Murray has been a journalist for more than a decade. During that time he’s written for magazines, newspapers and websites, but he now finds himself as Autocar’s digital editor.

He leads the output of the website and contributes to all other digital aspects, including the social media channels, podcasts and videos. During his time he has reviewed cars ranging from £50 - £500,000, including Austin Allegros and Ferrari 812 Superfasts. He has also interviewed F1 megastars, knows his PCPs from his HPs and has written, researched and experimented with behavioural surplus and driverless technology.

Murray graduated from the University of Derby with a BA in Journalism in 2014 and has previously written for Classic Car Weekly, Modern Classics Magazine, buyacar.co.uk, parkers.co.uk and CAR Magazine, as well as carmagazine.co.uk.