Key considerations
- Available for £13,500
- 3.0-litre V6 diesel twin-turbo, all-wheel drive
- Handling is safe rather than inspiring
- Goes like a train though, when trains went quickly
- Well-built and specced, practical, not thirsty or troublesome
- Lots of car for the money
Today we’re looking at the 2013-17 Audi SQ5, Audi’s first S-badged (i.e., sporty) diesel. It was also Audi’s first S-badged SUV.
On paper at least this looks like a vehicle with strong potential appeal for the family-toting PHer. The 2009-on first generation ‘8R’ Q5 on which the SQ5 was based was a mid-sized SUV that would hold five bods, or four comfortably, plus 540 litres of luggage. It would also get those bods and luggage through most road and weather conditions thanks to the quattro all-wheel drive which efficiently distributed power between the front and rear axles.
The SQ5 had all that Q5 stuff plus a substantial performance hike. An additional turbocharger bolted onto the Q5’s 3.0 TDI single-turbo V6 diesel hoisted power from 241hp to 313hp and torque from 428lb ft to 479lb ft. That torque lift necessitated a switch from the Q5’s underspecced 7-speed S-tronic dual clutch transmission to a tougher ZF 8-speed Tiptronic. That was a torque converter gearbox but despite that, and despite its near two-tonne weight, the biturbo SQ5 still did the 0-62mph in 5.1sec, which was more than a second quicker than the Q5 TDI. Top speed was unchanged at a limited 155mph, and the official average fuel consumption figure took a hit, but not much of one, from 45mpg to 41.5mpg. An impressive set of numbers, you might say.
In addition to the standard SQ5 diesel there were Competition and Plus models with 326hp and 340hp respectively. In 2017, the diesel SQ5 was replaced in the UK by a 354hp/369lb ft 3.0 TFSI petrol model that had already been in production since 2013 for non-European markets. For this second-generation car, chassis mods were brought in to make the SQ5 ‘more playful with a built-in potential for oversteer’. WLTP emissions regs put paid to that model, too, but the SQ5 was not finished, going back on sale as a diesel in 2019 with the old Plus-spec engine generating 347hp/516lb ft.
We’re focusing on the 2013-17 3.0 biturbo diesel here. We reckon that model might be an undervalued gem considering the package of performance and practicality on offer. And the prices. We’ll get into the detail later, but for now you might be surprised to hear that standard 313hp SQ5s start in the UK at just £13,500 for cars with 120,000 miles or more, with a wide selection of lower-mileage cars available between £15k and £20k. Competition and Plus models appear on PH Classifieds at prices from £20k and £25k respectively. It really doesn’t seem like a lot of money for what you’re getting, especially when you see the SQ5’s new price in 2023 of over £60k before extras.
At the end of this piece, we’ll link you to some surprisingly affordable SQ5s from the fifty-odd that were on PH Classifieds at the time of writing, but first let’s look at why you might, or might not, want to buy one of them.
SPECIFICATION | AUDI SQ5 TDI (2013-17)
Engine: 2,967cc V4 24v biturbo diesel
Transmission: 8-speed auto, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 313@3,900-4,500rpm
Torque (lb ft): 479@1,450-2,800rpm
0-62mph (secs): 5.1
Top speed (mph): 155
Weight (kg): 1,995
MPG (official combined): 41.5
CO2 (g/km): 179
Wheels (in): 20 or 21
Tyres: 255/45 (255/40 on 21in)
On sale: 2013-17
Price new: £44,000
Price now: from £13,500
Note for reference: car weight and power data are hard to pin down with absolute certainty. For consistency, we use the same source for all our guides. We hope the data we use is right more often than it’s wrong. Our advice is to treat it as relative rather than definitive.
ENGINE & GEARBOX
Apologies to diesel dislikers, but the star of the SQ5 show was its biturbo engine. It was a fine match for the 8-speed gearbox and quattro all-wheel drive system, serving up a relentless and repeatable rush all the way up to the 155mph limit, dry or wet. Fake noise through an exhaust sound generator gizmo gave the SQ5 a meaty V8-like growl under acceleration at lower speeds, overlaid by a subtle note of turbo fizz. The torque converter gearbox had paddle shifters and gave you all the usual options of manual gear selection and conventional auto operation along with a faster-shifting sport mode. By any standards it was a fine powertrain.
You’d think that establishing agreed official fuel consumption figures for any car would be easy but it’s not, especially with the goalpost-shifting effect of WLTP standards that replaced the NEDC fuel consumption test procedures in September 2017 and that became mandatory for IC cars in September 2018. We’ve seen 39.2mpg quoted for the SQ5 as well as the more common 41.5mpg that we’ve plumped for. Either way, a likely real-world number somewhere in the mid- to late 30s was impressive in the context of the low-five second 0-62mph performance. It was a grand tourer with a small g & t thanks to its 75 litre (16.5 gallon) tank which brought 600 miles between fuel stops within range if your passengers’ posteriors could handle it. 2016-on models were Euro 6 compliant.
Problems? Well, some Q5 3.0 TDIs weren’t trouble-free, pre-2012 models in particular suffering from excessive oil consumption (a litre every 1,500 miles), leaky fuel pumps, problems with the start-stop system, timing chain and tensioner failure and in one case at least complete transmission blow-up. Fortunately the SQ5 is not known for any of these problems, although carbon buildup is not unknown, EGR coolers have occasionally failed through sticking inlet manifold flaps, and key fobs sometimes refused to recognise the car.
The servicing schedule was conventional, 10k miles or annually. Brake fluid was to be changed every two years. Instead of a timing belt the 3.0 TDI had a chain that was designed to last for the life of the vehicle. At the time of writing at least Audi UK’s moneysaving ‘All-in’ service plan for vehicles three-six years old didn’t cover anything with an engine bigger than 2.0 litres, and even late diesel SQ5s would probably be too old for that anyway. If you wanted to stay within the dealer service network for a 3.0 diesel SQ5 that’s three-15 years old, i.e., all of them, you’d have to go for a fixed price service plan. This appears to include one oil service with vehicle health check and another oil service (presumably in year two, it’s not brilliantly obvious) which also includes a pollen filter change, a full vehicle inspection and report, and a road test. For that package you’d be paying £599 upfront or just under £25 a month, which over two years amounts to £600 so you’d take that option probably, but check the small print.
CHASSIS
You knew there had to be a catch, didn’t you? Yes, that’s right, the SQ5 isn’t the most involving drive on the planet. It looked promising from the outside with 20in or 21in wheels under wide arches and a 30mm drop in the ride height compared to the Q5, but come the first serious bump in the road and some drivers were wishing they were living in a land of snooker table-smooth roads rather than the UK.
Dynamic Steering was standard on the SQ5, changing the steering ratio and weight depending on speed, but strangely you couldn’t get the adaptive dampers that were an option for the normal Q5 and there was no sports differential (unless you went for the Plus) or Dynamic Ride Control either. Instead. you had stiffer (relative to the Q5) passive suspension and stiffer anti-roll bars. Suspension isn’t sentient, but if it was the phrase you might use to describe it would be ‘sometimes confused’. The effect could be unnerving if the SQ5 dropped into a hole halfway through a fastish bend. Oddly, the ride could seem better in dynamic mode than in comfort mode.
In fairness, keeping roll in check was presumably right up there on the S chassis engineers’ must-do list, and they achieved that via firmness. A £220 Drive Select option did give the SQ5 driver five modes, but if your driving expectations were on the high side, which they might well have been for an S-badged Audi, you were probably going to be disappointed. The feel-free nature of Audi’s then-new electric steering meant that it was never massively obvious what was going on under your pants.
Hill descent control was part of the standard spec, but the uncertainty of the chassis and the firmness of the ride meant that you still needed to exercise a degree of care off the road. Having said all that, let’s not get carried away here. This was essentially a very safe and dependable car. The stability control was very keen to step in (Audi only permits a minor reduction in interference in its SUVs) and there was always the saving grace of all-wheel drive. If those two between them didn’t stop you getting into a pickle, then the braking was powerful enough to keep you out of most hedges.
20in tyres (or 21in on the £1,250 ‘Star’ option wheels) have never been cheap, so your low SQ5 purchase cost could soon become a distant memory if you were using all of the performance all of the time. The rubber can wear out in under 15,000 miles, or 10,000 if the car has been remapped.
BODYWORK
One unexpected advantage of the SQ5’s ‘boring’ SUV body styling was that dropping the suspension and shoving big wheels on did not result in the aggressive Audi look that can wind up other road users. Its looks are nicely understated. If you wanted to juice them up a bit, front splitters and rear lip spoilers were available from firms like Maxton Design.
SQ5s with sunroofs seem to mainly exist outside the UK and that’s a good thing because they are known for rattling and/or allowing water to enter the cabin through clogged drains. The odd mirror motor failure has been reported.
INTERIOR
The SQ5 cabin was simple, clean, uncluttered by an excess of buttons and nicely enhanced by a smattering of ’S’ badges and bespoke gearshifter. In the driving seat you might hear the odd rattle from over your shoulder somewhere and some of the plastics might seem a little scratchy but overall this car lived up to Audi’s strong reputation for build quality.
There was no shortage of equipment with electric leather memory seats (mmm, electric leather) with heated fronts, three-zone climate control, digital radio, electric/heated door mirrors, blind spot info, lane departure warning, auto xenon headlights, auto wipers, parking sensors, driver break warning (as opposed to brake warning), the list goes on somewhere else. Lots of storage opportunities too, but sat-nav wasn’t standard until the 2017 petrol SQ5 came along with its flash new Virtual Cockpit. Before that it was part of the £1,695 Technology package, or £2,320 if you wanted adaptive cruise. The diesel that we’re looking at here had a 7in central display. The black wood trim option looked a lot better than it sounded but some owners have had trouble with fragile aluminium dash trim or prematurely ageing leather.
There was enough space in the 540-litre boot to hold four sets of golf clubs, a useful metric if you’re into the game. Lowering the 60/40 split back seat – an easy lever-operated job – increased that to 1,560 litres, which would be enough for nearly twelve golf bags if you were into golf club retailing. Loading was a cinch thanks to the low lip and big aperture, which is the posh word for opening. There was a Rear Bench Seat Plus option which basically meant the seats slid back and forth to let you tailor your luggage and leg space to the journey.
Seat comfort is of course subjective. Some have found Audi seats generally to be on the hard side, but hardness can be superior to softness on long trips. For comfy touring the artificial growl under acceleration was replaced by quiet refinement once cruising speed had been reached, and wind and tyre noise were both remarkably low for a heavily-rubbered SUV. The flat-bottomed steering wheel wasn’t standard, but quite a few buyers ticked that box so you’ll see plenty of them on the used market.
The basic Q5 was awarded excellent crash protection and occupant safety scores by Euro NCAP in 2009, so you’d like to think that the 2013-on SQ5 not only won’t be worse but also might be better.
PH VERDICT
You don’t see many complaints about SQ5s. That’s partly because very little goes wrong with them, but owners’ even-tempered attitudes might also reflect their rational acceptance of the SQ5 not being the most exciting car to drive. The overall package of torque, practicality, safe handling and brand value is what they like, and they’re right to like that because it’s a strong do-it-all package.
It’s not an RS, and maybe an SUV can never be an S in Audi world, depending on your view of what an S badge means. Does any of that stuff matter though? Motoring culture has moved on. SUVs attract far less vilification these days too. When you add it all up, the SQ5 presents itself as a fine all-rounder, especially at £15k or less for cars with plenty of life left in them.
So, what can we offer you? Well, it’s hard to ignore the cheapest SQ5 on sale in the UK at the time of writing, this at £13,495. That gives you a clue as to what one of these might look like after 123,000 miles, i.e., not at all bad.
Most diesel SQ5s seem to have been around, mileage wise. The cheapest Competition-spec (326hp) SQ5 on PH as we went to press was this 50-miles-short-of-100k 2016 example in black at £20,495. For an extra grand you could chip 30,000 off that car’s mileage with this white 313hp car from 2015 at £21,470.
Three more grand on top of that gets the odometer reading down to 32,000 in this black one-owner 2014 car that’s been heavily optioned up with a carbon interior, pano roof, 21in wheels, B&O sound, flat-bottom steering wheel, four heated two-tone seats and (cue heavenly choir) a heated and cooled cup holder. Who even knew that was a thing? Yours for £24,450. The car that is, not the cup holder.
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