2025 Audi SQ5 First Drive: Jack of Most Trades

• The Audi SQ5, like its less powerful sibling, is all-new for 2025.
• It gets more power, a new transmission, and some key suspension tweaks.
• So is it the one to have? Probably. Read on to see why. 

Thrust is strong in any gear, and the snappy shifts from the new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission allow you to enjoy the V6's surge of torque. The V6 is potent and makes a much sweeter noise than the standard Q5's four-cylinder.

The S is more taut than the base Q5, and that's largely thanks to changes Audi made to the front suspension. The steering doesn’t give you a perfect sense of what your front tires are doing, but it’s accurate and precise off-center.

Body control is excellent — the SQ5 stays largely flat throughout the corner with just enough lean to give you the sensation of how hard you're pushing. If you find yourself in something very tight (like a hairpin bend), the SQ5 can be hesitant to downshift and fire you out the other end. Both BMW and Mercedes' hotter offerings — the X3 M50 and AMG GLC 43 — do a better job of giving you immediate thrust, but that's down to the conservative way Audi has tuned its stability control system. 

Meaningful interior changes

The Q5's questionable elements are still here, like the screen-heavy interior and abuse of capacitive controls for core functions like the climate settings. You also still have to deal with the small, cheap plastic shift lever and the passenger screen that's just as distracting and unnecessary here as it is in the standard Q5. 

That said, the SQ5's interior materials are slightly nicer. Audi makes use of faux suede and carbon-fiber trim, and the SQ5's heated and cooled seats are nicer to sit in, with a touch more bolstering and adjustability. 

The steering wheel has a sportier three-spoke design instead of four. And the displays, as many as there are, have great resolution and color, making them easy to read.

Though we still have a few nits to pick, the SQ5 is so much more enjoyable to drive that it's the clear pick of the litter. Throw in the ritzed-up interior and you have a much more complete package than the standard Q5. If you can stomach the S model's $66,095 starting price (which can be pushed to over $75,000 for fully loaded versions), then this is the one to buy.