We recently tested the all-new 2025 Audi SQ5 and loved it – a true performance SUV with a throaty 362 horsepower V6 that was thrilling to drive. But what if your idea of thrills is EV based? No worries – Audi has an all-new 2025 SQ6 Sportback e-tron waiting just for you.

And with the promise of up to 509 horsepower, you know we had to have a go!

Stealthy Sporty, Luxury

The SQ6 makes a bold first impression, it looks expensive, stylish and sporty – but stops at being shouty or overdone. Tasteful.

The front makes a powerful statement with a massive pentagon shaped 3-d “single frame” grille, while slender LED headlamps and high-mounted daytime running lights give a unique and aggressive appearance. Dynamic interactive lights put on a show when you enter and leave. Very cool! Side intakes add to the powerful vibe.

The Sportback name means you lose a little of the squared-off SUV vibe for a more aero appearance. Audi says the profile resembles a streamlined drop of water – we think it looks more like an aggressive sports hatch that just likes to sit above the crowd.

There’s plenty of visual muscle here with fender flares, deep cut-ins in the doors and a high shoulder line that follows from nose to tail. By keeping things color keyed, the look is powerful yet remains a bit reserved. Tasteful, like we said.

Adding to that are special Edition One 21-inch, 5-arm, bi-color darkened rims. The Edition One adds a lot of menace to the overall vibe – along with those stunning kicks, you also get Anthracite Audi rings, black exterior trim and mirrors, darkened headlights and e-tron edition puddle lights.

The rearview continues the sporty vibes with a small lip spoiler below the rear window, digital OLED taillights with a horizontal bar that spans the width of the tailgate, a deep cut-in, and contrasting lower fascia below the rear bumper. Finishing off our tester’s looks was a gorgeous Magnet Gray paint that looked creamy, flawless and rich, rich, rich! OK, this is a stunning vehicle.

Class-leading Interior

Audi is known for some of the best interiors in the game, and the SQ6 shows the brand has no plans on giving up that standing.

Like the SQ5, the SQ6 interior is a technical tour de force, with not 1, not 2, but 3 displays for your driving and info-tainment pleasure. It’s starting to feel like a jet cockpit up here!

In front of the driver is a flat top and bottomed steering wheel, fronting an 11.9-inch, driver-customizable digital gauge cluster, which keeps key information handy – especially EV range and driver assist technologies. Seamlessly creating a wall-of-information it flows into a 14.5-ich info-tainment touchscreen display, and that huge amount of screen space makes everything large, clear and easy to use. Audi’s interface is excellent, and it shows that you can have lots of tech but still present it in a friendly manner.

The climate control functions have dedicated controls that always remain on screen, so there’s no having to fish around in multiple screens just to get comfortable. Our own apps like Apple CarPlay and WAZE looked great as well. We also like that Audi gives you a volume control knob – but placed low and near the cupholders it’s not always an easy reach – luckily the steering wheel mounted controls are handy and easy to use.

Our SQ6 also showed what’s becoming the new hotness in info-tainment tech, a dedicated 10.9-inch display for the front passenger, and it serves up a very cool feature, Dynamic Privacy mode with shutter technology blocks out the driver from being able to see the screen when driving.

It’s a full-function display, letting the right seater help with navigation, info-tainment – you can even play games on the screen! Adding to the info-heavy interior, the driver gets an excellent head-up display that uses a 3D effect for easier viewing.

Great sounds come on board, too – our Prestige package equipped tester featured an 830-watt, 20 speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system that includes speakers in the front headrests. We especially liked how WAZE gave you navigation prompts through those headrest speakers.

You have great seating as well. The front sport seats are heated and ventilated, as well as offering a massage function – great to kick back and relax, especially when you’re charging. The rear seats are heated as well, and despite the rakish fastback roofline, we were pleasantly surprised to find plenty of rear headroom – passengers up to 6-feet tall should have no problem fitting in. Audi says the SQ6 has slightly less rear legroom than the SQ5, but we didn’t really notice much difference.

The quality of materials is superb as well. While our SQ5 was eye-popping in Arras Red, our SQ6 remained a bit more subdued with a black interior. You still feel like you’re well treated, though, and liberal suede-like covering on door panels, dash and center console make you feel positively cossetted. Cargo area is plentiful too, with 30.2 cubic feet with the rear seats up, and 60.4 cubic feet with the rears folded down. Both numbers are slightly larger than the SQ5 Sportback, so there’s no penalty of having a large battery for the EV powertrain here.

Massive Power on Demand

That S in SQ6 stands for sport, and Audi takes that very seriously.

The first thing to peak enthusiast’s interest is that the new SQ6 shares the platform with the all-new Porsche Macan EV – there’s some good DNA!

The SQ6 also makes a powerful case for itself, with up to 509 (gulp!) horsepower and 631 lb.-ft. of torque. (double gulp). While we’re getting used to some big numbers from performance EV’s, this is still impressive, and the big Audi really hustles with 0-60 mph in just 4 seconds.

And since it’s an EV, the smoothness and quietness make it feel even quicker than that – you just whoosh up to speed. Anywhere, anytime, you pretty much have a mountain of power that really becomes addicting. And while it doesn’t make the rich V6 sounds of our SQ5 tester, the jaw dropping power more than makes up for it.

EV credentials are strong, too. While the EPA rates a fully charged SQ6 at 283 miles, our tester showed just over 300 on a full “tank”. Either way, that’s quite good, and you’ll probably shelve any kind of range anxiety. And when it does come time to charge, with a DC-fast charger you can go from 10-80 percent charge in as little as 21 minutes. In a real rush? Audi says you can add around 135 miles of charge in just 10 minutes.

While that power is addicting, it’s the overall package that really impresses. The SQ6 feels very Audi with a smooth, composed ride that oozes comfort and confidence. Those 21-inch wheels and summer tires deliver superb grip, and the typically light Audi steering is full of feel, and it’s an easy vehicle to drive very quickly. That’s especially true in Dynamic Mode that firms things up and even gives some added piped-in spaceship sounds to goad you on.

A good share of the thanks here goes to the Audi Adaptive air suspension, which gives super control, impressive responsiveness and ride quality at the same time. It’s a win-win.

On such a relatively heavy vehicle, brakes are important and here the Audi scores big with great brake feel that’s very natural and a perfect partner to the SQ6’s stunning acceleration. And while we’ve found that towing really eats up the battery range in an EV, with a max capability of 4,400 lbs., you can bring along the toys.

What’s the Charge for EV Thrills?

OK, this is a premium model from a premium manufacturer – so buckle up, buttercup!

Our tester started $76,300, but being a true European, there’s plenty of room for some tasty options. On our tester, that included the Prestige package ($5,400), and Edition one package ($2,800). Add in a reasonable $1,295 for Destination, and we rang the bell at $85,795.

Competitors would include the platform-sharing all-new Porsche Macan Electric, and the comparable 4S loaded up is $108,000 – a significant step up in price. We’ll wager the Macan is a more involving drive with loads of Porsche feel – but 25% is a pretty hefty premium!

We’d also look at the Genesis Electrified GV70, which is aimed more in the direction of luxury.  With 483 horsepower it’s very close to the Audi in acceleration, but probably a bit less involving in the actual drive.  Still, with a beautiful, luxurious interior, and priced attractively at $76,000, it definitely should be in your consideration set.  

With gorgeous looks, a best-in-class interior and invigorating performance, the all-new 2025 Audi SQ6 Sportback is at the very top of the luxury-performance premium SUV class!