Beyond the Test Drive

Words by Jamie Crocker

A luxury driving experience that intelligently refines the driving experience.

For a vehicle pitched at the discerning driver, the Audi SQ5 makes few compromises. It is both powerful and precise, a car that delivers performance in spades without sacrificing ease of use or everyday comfort. While many SUVs promise to balance utility with enjoyment, the SQ5 makes good on that offer. With its taut lines, performance-focused interior and engineering pedigree, it feels as suited to a long-haul motorway stint as it does to a country lane or city approach. What’s more, it arrives in Cornwall courtesy of a dealership with longstanding ties to the region – Yeomans Ltd, whose Audi showroom just outside Truro is the only one of its kind in the county.

The car in question is a bold, confident machine. Visually, the exterior styling hints at its credentials: a squat stance, a wide grille with brushed metal trim, imposing 21-inch alloys and brake callipers more usually seen on a track car. The profile is athletic without being flashy. There’s a sense of mechanical intent that suits the brand’s S badge well, and a strong rear section framed by digital OLED tail lights and quad exhausts that feels well-judged.

Inside, the design pivots from power to poise. Vermilion leather sports seats, deep-set and ventilated, wrap around the driver and front passenger, offset by brushed aluminium inlays and fine Nappa options. There’s a deliberate weight to the materials, both in finish and feel, which reinforces the car’s sense of presence. The cabin is large but not excessive, quiet in traffic, and beautifully engineered at speed. The centre console is dominated by Audi’s MMI touch display and a secondary screen for media and navigation inputs. Voice control is standard, natural language recognition is strong, and the response time to commands such as “Hey Audi, open the sunroof” is immediate.

During a 550-mile test drive across Cornwall and Devon, there was no urge to stop, no sense of fatigue, no stiffening limbs. The steering wheel is compact and weighted perfectly, with adaptive response depending on driving mode. Six profiles are available via Audi drive select, including efficiency, dynamic and off-road, with a seventh – Allroad – available with the adaptive air suspension upgrade. Whether you’re easing into a dual carriageway or snaking along the Atlantic Highway, the car stays composed, absorbing surface undulations and correcting lateral shifts with minimal drama. On tighter bends, the optional sport differential distributes torque with uncanny intelligence, actively sending power to the outer rear wheel to enhance grip and reduce understeer.

The SQ5’s 3.0 V6 engine is a refined, reworked unit that sits at the core of its performance. It delivers 367PS and 550Nm of torque, enough to send this 2.1-tonne SUV from 0 to 62mph in 4.5 seconds, yet remains impressively efficient thanks to a suite of supporting systems. These include the new MHEV plus 48-volt electrical system which supports the combustion engine, reduces CO₂ emissions and at the same time increases performance and driving comfort. This system also enables the use of an electrically driven air conditioning compressor, meaning that even when the engine is switched off, the air conditioning system continues to operate at full power.

A stand-out feature worthy of mention is the way the engine and seven-speed  S tronic transmission work in harmony. Shifts are rapid but smooth, and in coasting mode the drivetrain disengages entirely, allowing the car to glide with the engine off for up to 40 seconds, a detail that will matter more than you’d expect on long journeys. When the power is called upon again, the transition is instant. There’s no lurch, no second-guessing; it simply picks up and goes.

The driving experience is further enhanced by Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Under normal conditions, the split favours the rear wheels, but in moments of reduced traction, torque is reallocated intelligently – up to 70% to the front or 85% to the rear, depending on which axle has more grip. Combined with predictive efficiency assist and lane-keeping tech, this means the SQ5 not only drives well but thinks ahead, adapting to changing conditions and supporting the driver with minimal intrusion.

When manoeuvring, high-definition cameras and a wraparound display remove the guesswork. Sensors and assisted braking make reversing into a tight Truro parking space as straightforward as pulling into a bay at a motorway service station. And while this might not be a car designed for weekend hauling, it has a load capacity of 1,446 litres with the seats folded down and can tow up to 2,400 kg – figures that will please those with trailers, boats, or family gear in tow.

As for in-car entertainment, the Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system turns the cabin into an immersive sound chamber. Dynamic ambient lighting beneath the windscreen and around the gear shift changes tone depending on the driving mode selected, subtly adjusting the mood without becoming a distraction. The infotainment system supports multiple user profiles, allowing different drivers to save their seat positions, climate preferences and sound settings. Smartphone integration is excellent too, with wireless charging, app connectivity via the myAudi platform, and hybrid radio that switches between FM, DAB and online streams depending on signal.

It’s an exhaustive feature list, and yet the SQ5 never feels over engineered. Each layer of functionality is purposeful. There are no gimmicks, no superfluous touches. It is a car that delivers substance with style – and it feels very much like a reflection of the people who supplied it. Yeomans Ltd, a long-standing motor group with branches across the south, has been present in Cornwall for more than two decades. 

The Audi showroom in Tresillian, Truro is the county’s only authorised dealership, and in recent years it has earned top rankings for both investment and after-sales under Audi’s national Q Power programme. It helps, of course, that the staff retention rate is unusually high, many of whom have progressed through apprenticeship routes and stayed, ensuring continuity of service and a depth of product knowledge not always found in the sector.

While the dealership forms only a small part of the overall story, it matters. A test drive in an SQ5 is not just a matter of sitting behind the wheel, it’s about confidence in the handover, in the after-care and in the brand that stands behind it. Yeomans, to their credit, understand this well. They offer a collection and delivery service for servicing and a courtesy vehicle when needed, thus maintaining a loyal customer base across Cornwall and beyond.

So is the SQ5 a luxury car? Yes. Is it a performance car? Absolutely. But above all, it is a car that does what it sets out to do with power, accuracy and little fuss. For those who need versatility without sacrificing enjoyment, it ticks all the boxes.

yeomans.co.uk