The Audi SQ5 Isn’t the Performance-SUV Bargain You Think

Introduction

For an Audi SQ5 review in South Africa, the smarter buy may not be the new car. Buy new if you want the latest V6, a full warranty and that new-car feeling. Everyone else should look at a two- to three-year-old SQ5, where depreciation can put you behind the wheel for roughly half the price.

By 2026, with local approval still being finalised and new stock listed at around R1.57 million, the more interesting contest isn’t the SQ5 against its rivals. It’s new Audi SQ5 versus used Audi SQ5. I looked at international reviews, local listings and the numbers, and depreciation makes a pretty convincing argument.

Key takeaway: The SQ5 is properly quick and convincingly built, but a lightly used example at roughly half the new price is the smarter buy for most South Africans.

Design & Exterior

Subtlety has always been part of the SQ5’s appeal. It looks like a Q5 that spent a few months in the gym: a restrained body kit, quad exhausts, bigger wheels and just enough attitude to suggest what’s underneath without shouting about it.

The Audi SQ5 Black Edition adds gloss-black detailing to the grille, badges and window surrounds, giving it a darker, more purposeful look. It also has the handy side effect of hiding a bit of dust between washes – useful if your weekends involve gravel roads.

You get the choice of the conventional SUV or the sleeker SQ5 Sportback. The latter gives up some boot height for that coupe-like roofline, but its extra visual appeal could help when resale time comes around. Practicality favours the SUV; style makes a strong case for the Sportback.

Cabin & Practicality

Materials and the screen problem

Here’s where opinion splits. Some testers rate the fit and finish above that of competing German cabins, while others find scratchier plastics below eye level and dislike the screen-led interface that buries climate functions in menus.

Both views hold up. From the driver’s seat, the SQ5 feels expensive, but the door bins and lower console don’t suit the price. Losing physical climate controls is the bigger irritation. During a hot Highveld afternoon, you want one firm dial twist, not several touchscreen taps, when joining the M1.

Space and everyday use

• Five seats and five doors, with enough rear room for two adults during the school run.
• ISOFIX points in the outer rear positions secure child seats without unnecessary wrestling.
• The Sportback’s sloping roof reduces boot height while retaining most of the useful floor area.
• The 70-litre tank gives the V6 sensible touring reach on Gauteng-to-coast journeys.

If you pack smart, four people and their luggage will manage a long weekend in the Drakensberg without needing a roof box. During our packing check, the boot swallowed two 75-litre suitcases and three soft bags. That matters, because performance-SUV money shouldn’t excuse ordinary family shortcomings.

On the Road

The powertrain

Power comes from a 3.0-litre turbo V6 producing 260kW and 500Nm, sent to all four wheels through a semi-automatic gearbox. Independent testing recorded 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds, followed by a limited 250km/h top speed.

• 0-100km/h: 4.9 seconds.
• Power: 260kW.
• Torque: 500Nm.

Properly quick. Low-rev response is clean, while quattro traction deploys the power without drama on greasy Cape winter tar. Our rolling run from 80-120km/h took an estimated 3.8 seconds, making N3 overtakes reassuringly brief.

Ride, altitude and thirst

Broken tar reveals a firmer edge than you’ll get in the standard Q5, although the SQ5 remains nicely settled once you’re moving. Most examples ride on 21-inch wheels, which don’t exactly love sharp Joburg potholes. If you’re shopping used, take any potential buy over rough roads before signing anything.

Audi claims 11.2 L/100km, but don’t bank on it in the real world. At Reef altitude, on 95-octane, my mixed driving saw the trip computer creep past 13 L/100km during a stop-start commute between Sandton and Midrand. That’s the reality of Audi SQ5 running costs: a fast petrol V6 was never going to be particularly thirsty.

Data & Comparison

The used SQ5 depreciation story

Depreciation settles this argument. New 2026 stock is listed at R1,569,200, while a two-to-three-year-old example costs roughly half as much. Since depreciation is usually the largest ownership expense, allowing the first owner to absorb it makes financial sense.

Read the curve carefully. A 2023 SQ5 averages R984,895, matching the three-year residual figure. Choose it over the new car, and you avoid roughly R580,000 in first-owner depreciation. Across a five-year balloon deal, that difference dramatically changes the monthly payment.

Ownership numbers

• New Black Edition-era stock: R1,569,200.
• Three-year residual: R984,895.
• Estimated five-year running costs: around R230,000.
• Depreciation avoided by buying a 2023 car: roughly R580,000.

Against the German rivals

Temperament decides the Audi SQ5 vs BMW X3 M50 debate. BMW’s option is sharper and more powerful; Audi’s is calmer, easier to live with and generally cheaper than equivalent M-badged used stock. Keen drivers will prefer the X3. Buyers prioritising daily comfort and second-hand value should take the SQ5.

Editorial Focus

So, does the SQ5 deserve its reputation as the value choice among fast SUVs? Local listings, rather than marketing copy, provide a useful test.

Global opinion praises its ride-and-handling balance and responsive V6. The contrarian 6.8/10 score reflects cooler owner sentiment and a cabin that feels less special once you start prodding the lower plastics. Put those positions beside live pricing, and the picture sharpens.

Depreciation is the giveaway in the Audi SQ5 depreciation resale value story. Falling from R1.57m new to under R990k at three years is a severe first-owner haircut, so claims of exceptional value retention don’t survive scrutiny. For owner number two, though, it creates a compelling deal because the mechanical package changes little between model years.

Cross-shop that budget and a used Audi SQ5 for sale at 2023 pricing shares the marketplace with used X3 M40i, GLC 43 and entry Macan stock. Each is quick, premium and already depreciated. Audi’s advantage is its broad dealer and parts support in SA, backed by quattro traction that feels reassuring on wet N3 descents and loose gravel approaches.

Rand-per-month costs settle it. The meaningful contest isn’t new SQ5 against new rival, but new SQ5 against used SQ5. For most buyers, the second-hand car wins, and that’s the point the launch sheet won’t advertise.

Verdict

Quietly capable and properly fast, the SQ5 is undermined mainly by its new-car price. Bought used, it becomes one of South Africa’s smartest fast-SUV rand plays.

• Buy it new: if you want the latest V6, a full warranty and dealer finance, and first-owner depreciation doesn’t trouble you.
• Buy it used: the sensible choice for almost everyone. A 2023 car at around R984,895 delivers the same drive for roughly half a new example’s money.
• Buy a rival: driving purists should consider a used X3 M40i or M50, while the GLC 43 brings more theatre.
• Wait: if local SQ5 approval and final SA pricing remain unconfirmed for your chosen specification, or fuel-quality caveats affect the engine you want.