2026 Audi Q5 Sportback review: Quick drive

The Audi Q5 is once again bringing Sportback.

Horrendous music reference aside, the third-generation luxury SUV range ushers in the second-generation Q5 Sportback, following a successful first go at a mid-size SUV ‘coupe’.

The 2026 Audi Q5 Sportback lineup is a little different this time around, however, in that it mirrors the SUV range spec for spec, but with a $3500 premium for the style-focused body.

That style-focused body is the latest in a relatively long line of ‘Sportback’ Audis, which officially started with the Audi A5 Sportback back in the late 2000s, but goes back as far as the 1969 Audi 100 Coupe S.

Perhaps more relevant is the increasing ratio of Sportback business in Audi’s SUV range. The outgoing Q3 Sportback, the first of Audi’s Sportback SUVs, has proven enormously popular with a 50 per cent share of sales in Australia.

To see if the second instalment of the Q5 Sportback deserves similar levels of success as its smaller stablemate, we got a quick drive of the new model in Sydney.

Should you head straight for an Audi Centre instead of looking at a BMW X4 or Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe? Read on to find out…

How much does the Audi Q5 Sportback cost?

The Q5 Sportback range kicks of at $84,500, which as mentioned earlier is $3500 more than the equivalent Q5 SUV.

The MY26 range will add TFSI quattro 200kW and e-hybrid quattro 270kW variants across both the Q5 wagon and Q5 Sportback lineups, with first deliveries commencing early next year.

Also like the Q5 SUV, the high-performance SQ5 Sportback launches with a ‘purist’ edition one specification that’s over $15,000 less expensive than the full-fat SQ5, with some luxury item boxes left unticked in order to pocket the change.

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Audi Q5 Sportback like on the inside?

Just like the standard Q5, really.

Audi’s ‘Digital Stage’ tech is front and centre, running the German premium brand’s latest user interface, all housed in glossy black bezels.

The driver is faced with a new four-spoke steering wheel ahead of the new 11.9-inch ‘virtual cockpit’ digital instrument cluster, which is housed in the same free-standing panoramic display unit as the central 14.5-inch MMI touchscreen infotainment system.

Both screens feature OLED technology for better brightness, depth and clarity, and on first impressions they’re quite attractive and fairly easy to get your head around, even if you’re used to Audi’s far simpler previous-gen interface.

I personally am not enamoured by the new virtual cockpit layout, which throws out the previous conventional speedo and tacho dials in favour of a new video game-esque adaptive central display with live assist tech view in the middle. One nice addition, however, is the integration of smartphone maps into the sidebar widgets.

As in the A5 and the Q6 Sportback e-tron, the new interface largely presents well with swish graphics and animations, and while the climate controls are now digital they’re permanently on the base of the display.

While I lament Audi giving into the virtual A/C trend, the good news is that it’s still one of the better implementations out there. The ledge below the screen helps you rest your hand when you’re attempting to make touch inputs on the move, and there’s a satisfying haptic feedback.

Same goes for the steering wheel controls, which look like glossy touch-capacitive units but the haptic feedback makes them feel like real buttons. That said, I do miss the clickiness of Audi’s previous-gen buttons.

You can also opt for the MMI passenger-side display in the Q5 sport as part of the $5700 Tech pro package. It effectively extends the central interface with app and streaming functionality, and has a privacy filter to avoid distracting the driver, though like I’ve said previously the extra 10.9-inch display seems a little naff.

Build quality feels pretty good, especially compared to the last-gen Q5, which was a little hard and scratchy in some areas inside. It’s not a patch on the general ambience of the Q8, but feels good compared to something like an X3 or GLC.

Audi says the Sportback’s sloping roofline hasn’t impacted practicality, but the standard Q5 already wasn’t standout despite its increased size.

Behind a taller driver like 6’1″ me, there’s adequate room for a similarly sized adult but it’s not stand-out. There’s decent leg and foot room, but your knees will be fairly close to the seat in front – even if it has scalloped backs. Headroom is fine though, thanks to the scalloped headliner behind the available panoramic sunroof.

Rear amenities are solid, however, with a third zone of climate control and directional vents fitted as standard, as are a pair of USB-C charge ports which can be upgraded to 100W with the Premium package to charge laptops.

You also get net-type map pockets, decent-sized door bins, a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders, and the requisite ISOFIX and top-tether child seat anchor points for the kiddies.

Further back, the Q5 Sportback loses a nominal amount of cargo volume compared to the Q5 SUV, particularly with the second row of seats in play. Audi quotes 515 litres with the back seats up, and 1415L with them folded.

That compares to the 520-1473L quoted by the Q5 SUV. Australian vehicles also get the ‘Storage and compartment package’, which brings things like netting and straps to hold loose items in. The Q5 also lacks any form of spare wheel under the boot floor, instead featuring only a tyre repair kit.

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

The Audi Q5 Sportback is available with a range of electrified powertrains, ranging from 48V ‘mild-hybrid plus’ to ‘e-hybrid’ PHEV.

Here, we’re focusing on the TDI quattro turbo-diesel as that’s the only version we drove on the launch.

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Audi Q5 Sportback drive?

Like the several other Audi models I’ve reviewed in recent weeks, my time with the Q5 Sportback was limited to a 30-minute stint between St George Sailing Club and the Royal National Park in and around Sydney.

The 36km-plus route offered a mix of winding B-roads through the ‘nasho’, as well as stints on the highway and in the suburbs, giving us a varied if not quite extensive breadth of conditions.

As with our drive of the standard Q5, the bulk of our time was spent with the 2.0-litre diesel, which as we’ve commented across a number of Volkswagen Group models, is quite a sweetheart.

Muted diesel clatter, a meaty low-range torque band and relaxed, almost effortless performance headline the oiler’s resumé, and Audi’s latest ‘MHEV plus’ technology helps smooth out the low-speed behaviour of the seven-speed ‘S tronic’ dual-clutch automatic.

It’s not perfect – there’s the occasional elastic feel off the line as the small electric motor hands over to the diesel engine, and the transmission’s clutches engage – but driven with a measured right foot and consideration for its comfort-leaning skew, it’s a very relaxed and effortless performer.

That diesel rattle will present itself if you push it hard, but for the most part you’d be hard-pressed to tell it’s a diesel, particularly because the mild-hybrid system shuts it off quite early as you come to a stop (~20km/h) and the ‘plus’ element means it’ll often start off in EV mode and very quickly kick the TDI motor into life once you’re moving.

Given the Sportback body carries over the SUV’s chassis and running gear, there are no discernible differences in the ride and handling, which means the coupe-styled Q5 has the same highs and lows as its more conventionally designed sibling.

So, that means light and not very feelsome steering (particularly in its non-dynamic settings), and a firmer ride on the frequency-selective dampers and passive suspension, which conversely makes for tight body control in the bends.

It’s at its best on the open road, where the transmission slides into seventh, the diesel engine purrs away silently just over 1500rpm, and the ride settles nicely. One thing that hasn’t changed about larger European diesel SUVs is just how capable they are at eating up the miles at 100 clicks.

As for assistance tech, the Q5 Sportback, like its SUV sibling, has just about everything bar a semi-autonomous highway mode like the model it replaces, and countless other vehicles both in this segment and others.

Audi is apparently working on a software package for both PPC and PPE platform-based models to roll out this feature and others that are available overseas, and it will likely come with a model-year upgrade. It will potentially be retrofittable to some existing cars pending the fitment of requisite hardware, but the brand’s local team couldn’t confirm further details.

It’s a shame that Audi has been forced to leave features off the roster for the Australian market in its effort to expediate the new Q5’s local release, especially because the brand’s adaptive cruise assist function is generally very good.

The Q5 otherwise has a well-sorted set of assistance technologies, including adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane departure warning and lane-keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic assist.

Standard surround cameras with front and rear parking sensors are a meaningful upgrade to the base spec, making it much easier to place this 4.7m-long, 1.9m-wide family SUV in tight suburban carparks or school carpool lanes.

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

2026 Audi Q5 TFSI 150kW + TDI quattro 150kW equipment highlights:

• S line exterior
• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Matrix LED headlights
  • incl. selectable light signatures
• LED tail-lights with rear projection light
• 11.9-inch ‘virtual cockpit’ OLED digital instrument cluster
• 14.5-inch OLED touchscreen infotainment system
• Wireless and wired Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• Satellite navigation
• Audi sound system with subwoofer
• Colour interior ambient lighting
• Wireless phone charger incl. cooling
• Auto-dimming mirrors with memory
• Extended upholstery package incl. contrast stitching
• Inlays in matte brushed aluminium
• Rear seat bench – sliding, reclining
• 4-way adjustable headrests

Q5 sport adds:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• Panoramic sunroof
  • Electrically opening
  • Electric sunshade
• Sport front seats with integrated headrests
• S line interior
  • S embossing on front seats
  • 3-spoke sport steering wheel – flat top, bottom
  • Inlays in matte brushed aluminium with linear embossing
  • Pedals in stainless steel
  • Black headlining

SQ5 edition one adds:

• 20-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels – black metallic
• S sport suspension
• Red brake calipers
• Privacy glass
• Black exterior package
  • Singleframe grille
  • Front and rear bumper trims
  • Window trims
  • Lower door trims
  • Roof rails
  • Exterior mirror housings
  • Dark tailpipe trims
  • Audi rings in anthracite

SQ5 adds:

• Metallic paint
• 21-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels
• S exterior aluminium styling
• Acoustic glazing – front-side windows
• Premium leather upholstery incl. diamond stitch
• Interior elements in Dinamica suede
• Ventilated front seats
• Massaging front seats
• Interior dynamic interaction light
• Head-up display
• 16-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system
• Higher charging capacity for USB-C interfaces

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Audi Q5 Sportback safe?

The new-gen Audi Q5 is yet to receive an ANCAP safety rating, but it does have a five-star rating from sister authority Euro NCAP.

*Euro NCAP scores

Standard safety features include:

• 9 airbags incl. front-centre
• Active front assist – AEB
  • Autonomous emergency braking – forward
  • Front cross-traffic assist
  • Front turn assist
  • Swerve assist
• Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
• Driver attention and fatigue monitor
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Lane departure warning
• Side assist
  • Blind-spot monitoring
  • Safe exit warning
  • Rear cross-traffic assist
  • Rear turn assist
• 360-degree cameras incl. kerb view
• Park assist plus
  • Parking sensors – front, rear
  • Semi-autonomous parking
• Speed sign recognition
• Tyre pressure loss indicator

Audi has also allowed for quick access to certain assistance feature settings by way of a favourites menu, allowing you to select up to five functions that you might want to quickly switch on or off.

Further, the German marque has said it spent a bit of time pre-launch calibrating the Q5’s assistance systems locally, as it does for most of its new models.

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Options

Numerous packages and single-item options are available depending on the variant.

Premium package: $5400 – Q5 + Q5 sport

• Head-up display
• Bang & Olufsen 3D premium sound system
• Colour interior ambient lighting
  • incl. dynamic intersection light
• USB interfaces with higher charging capacity
• Acoustic glazing for front door windows

Style package: $3400 (Q5 sport) $4900 (Q5)

• 20-inch Audi Sport alloy wheels
• Black exterior package
• Privacy glass

Tech pro package: $5700 – Q5 sport + SQ5

• Heated steering wheel
• MMI front passenger display
• Electric steering column
• Heated outboard rear seats
• Digital OLED tail-lights

Carbon style package: $9200 – SQ5 + SQ5 edition one

• Carbon exterior mirrors
• Carbon door inlays
• Carbon roof spoiler

A range of standalone options are also available depending on the variant, including premium paints, alternate alloy wheel designs, interior upholsteries and trim inlays, and rear window sunblinds.

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Audi Q5 Sportback cost to run?

As with the wider Audi lineup, the new Q5 Sportback range is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre new vehicle warranty with five years of roadside assistance.

To see how the Audi Q5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Audi Q5 Sportback

To be honest, the key factor in deciding whether you should choose the Q5 Sportback over the Q5 wagon is whether you’re willing to stump up the extra money for the design.

As there are no discernible differences in how the Sportback behaves from behind the wheel compared to its more conventionally styled sibling, it simply comes down to personal taste.

Beyond the confines of Audi’s stable, the Q5 Sportback’s entry point is substantially cheaper than both the ageing X4 and the Benz GLC Coupe, and also offers a sprawling range of variants which its German rivals do not, at least here in Australia.

It’s perhaps not as fun to drive as the Bimmer or as plush or grand as the Benz, but the Q5 Sportback balances both sides of that fence while also being thousands cheaper than its key rivals.

My pick? The TDI quattro drivetrain is a sweet all-rounder, and is probably the best value. Otherwise, the SQ5 Sportback edition one is a performance SUV bargain.

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