Performance & drive
What it’s like to drive, and how quiet it is
With 336bhp, the Audi SQ5 is certainly fast – it can do 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds – but most rivals, including the Porsche Macan GTS are even quicker. Even the diesel-powered BMW X3 M40d creeps under 5.0sec for the same sprint.
Yet if you’re after something quick but also effortless to drive, the immense torque the SQ5's 3.0-litre diesel engine produces at low to mid revs will really appeal, because it allows it to gain speed without needing to be thrashed.
The results are good. The steering isn't quite as direct or communicative as the Macan’s, but it is accurate, making it easy to place the SQ5 exactly where you want on the road. It also controls its body remarkably well through tight bends. The Macan might be a little more fun, with its more rear-biased four-wheel-drive set-up, but we doubt it would actually prove any quicker on a mix of roads.
In the SQ5's Comfort mode, everything relaxes, including the suspension damping, allowing uneven roads around town to be dealt with commendably for a car with big wheels. Even the 21in alloys fitted to Vorsprung models (other versions get 20in ones) don’t ruin the ride thanks to its air suspension. If you throw into the equation the SQ5's whisper-quiet levels of wind and road noise, it makes for a hugely relaxing car to cover big miles in.
