New Audi Q5 Sportback lands with SUV stance and a swoopy roof
The new Audi Q5 now has a sleeker, sportier twin – this is the new Q5 Sportback
- New coupe-SUV sibling to the Audi Q5
- Available with a petrol or diesel engine
- Priced from £52,450
This is the all-new Audi Q5 Sportback, and it’s here to add a little sporty flair to the mid-size SUV. The regular Audi Q5 has been one of the German brand’s best-selling models here for a long time, but the Sportback model will appeal to those wanting to stand out from the boxy SUV crowd. It gets a new, sleek silhouette with a coupe-esque roofline, just like the Q4 e-tron Sportback and Q6 e-tron Sportback.
Unlike those cars, however, the new Q5 Sportback isn’t an electric car. Instead, it uses the same traditional combustion engines as the new Q5 and A5, meaning you have a choice of petrol or diesel power. Picking the Sportback version of the Q5 comes at a £2,500 premium over the standard SUV, with prices starting from around £52,000 – UK customers can place an order from January 14th 2025.
What do I need to know about the new Audi Q5 Sportback?
The ‘Sportback’ badge is used to describe Audi’s sleeker, swoopier models. In the case of the Audi Q5 Sportback, that involves taking the regular Q5 SUV and performing a complete roof transplant. The result? A car with SUV proportions and the roofline of a coupe.
It’s not the first Audi Q5 Sportback, though – the first model arrived in 2021, but Audi claims the new model has a “more dynamic” silhouette. That’s in part due to the fact that this model was designed from the outset as both a regular SUV and a Sportback model, hence why it looks a bit sleeker this time around.
From the waistline down, it’s essentially the same car as the new Q5, which made its debut earlier this year. That means it rides on Audi’s PPC platform, designed exclusively for combustion-engined models. There are three engines available from launch, including a pair of petrol and diesel engines with 201bhp, as well as the 362bhp SQ5 Sportback. The latter gets a 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine, replacing the diesel V6 of the outgoing car.
All versions get mild hybrid technology, which includes a small battery and electric motor to boost efficiency. It can manoeuvre at low speeds under electric power alone and Audi claims the system adds up to 24bhp in certain scenarios. There’s also a dual-clutch automatic gearbox and quattro four-wheel drive for every Q5 Sportback.
The interior is identical to that of the new Q5, although some boot space has been sacrificed to achieve that sloping rear end. Its 515 litres of space is just shy of the BMW X4’s 525-litre boot, but this drops to 470 litres in the SQ5 Sportback.
How much does the new Audi Q5 Sportback cost and when can I buy one?
The Audi Q5 Sportback costs £2,500 more than an equivalent Q5. That translates to a starting price of £52,450 for the entry-level Sport model with the petrol engine. S Line and Edition 1 models cost a bit more – £55,050 and £59,250, respectively – but bring lots of extra equipment. If you want the diesel engine, you’ll have to pay an extra £1,650. The Audi SQ5 Sportback stands alone as the sole performance-focused model of the range with a price tag of £76,900.
Order books open in the UK on January 14th 2025 and first deliveries are scheduled for May.
Prefer you coupe-SUVs to be battery-powered? Read our reviews of the Ford Capri and Cupra Tavascan…
Recommended
New Cupra Terramar family SUV starts from £37,605
Most Popular
New Ford Puma Gen-E: Britain’s best-selling car goes electric
Best new car deals 2024: this week’s top car offers
Jaguar Type 00 concept revealed: a bold electric future for the British brand