This Is The Most Powerful Audi SQ5 Yet

The Audi SQ5 has been a no-brainer for Audi ever since it figured out that people like tall things that go fast. Since its introduction 11 years ago, it’s come with both diesel and petrol power, but now, for its third generation, Audi has settled on a mild-hybrid petrol setup, pushing out 362bhp.

It arrives as the range-topper of a refreshed Q5 range, sitting atop the same Premium Platform Combustion underpinnings as the new A4-replacing A5. The powertrain is familiar from the new S5: a 3.0-litre, twin-turbo V6 combined with a 48v mild hybrid system for a total of 362bhp and 406lb ft of torque.

That’s driven through a seven-speed dual-clutch auto, sending power to all four wheels, par for the course for a quick Audi. There are no performance figures yet, but we’d reckon on a 0-62mph time somewhere in the high four or low five-second range, and the standard-procedure 155mph top end.

Everything’s fairly familiar from the new A5 and S5 inside too, with the SQ5 getting the same dash setup with up to three screens: an 11.9-inch digital instrument cluster, a 14.5-inch central infotainment screen, and an optional 10.9-inch display just for the passenger, in case they feel left out.

Sitting below the SQ5 are a pair of turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines; one petrol and one diesel, and both making 201bhp. The petrol four is front-wheel drive as standard with an optional Quattro system, while the diesel is all-wheel drive only.

Set to be produced at Audi’s plant in Mexico, the new Q5 is arriving in Europe in the first quarter of 2025. We only have German pricing so far, with the SQ5 starting at €82,900 – a shade under £70,000. The most basic front-drive Q5, meanwhile, starts at €54,650, or around £46,000.