The Audi SQ5 Sportback sits in a slightly odd part of Audi’s performance range. It is considerably quicker than a regular Q5 and has enough power to be genuinely entertaining, but it has never tried particularly hard to behave like an RS model. You can still use one every day without feeling as though the car is constantly reminding you how sporty it is supposed to be.
ABT Sportsline hasn’t completely changed that character with its latest package. Instead, the German tuner has added power, suspension, wheels and a collection of exterior changes that push the SQ5 further without turning it into something it was never meant to be.
There are two power upgrades available. The standard SQ5 produces 367 hp and 550 Nm, while ABT’s Power S takes that to around 440 hp. Go for Power R and the numbers climb to 470 hp and 650 Nm.
That’s probably enough.
We’ve reached a strange point where 470 hp in a family SUV can almost sound ordinary, particularly when tuners are regularly announcing 800- and 1,000-hp builds. In an SQ5, though, another 103 hp should be very noticeable without making the rest of the car feel like supporting equipment for an oversized engine.
ABT has also worked on the chassis rather than stopping after the power increase. Suspension springs can lower the Sportback by between 40 and 45 mm, while cars equipped with Audi’s factory air suspension use a different setup. Apart from changing the stance, that should take some of the softness out of a tall SUV when the road starts getting interesting.
The visual changes aren’t difficult to spot, although ABT has shown more restraint here than on some of its larger builds. There’s a new front spoiler and rear apron insert, together with four matte-black stainless-steel exhaust outlets measuring 102 mm. The 22-inch ABT EVO Sport wheels are finished in gloss black and wrapped in 255/35 ZR22 tires.
Twenty-two-inch wheels on a Q5 still sound enormous when you say it out loud. Look at the finished car and they really don’t.
Perhaps that’s the part of this conversion that works best. ABT hasn’t tried to turn the SQ5 into a smaller RS Q8, nor has it covered the body in vents and wings that don’t belong there. The interior is similarly restrained, with changes largely limited to ABT floor mats and illuminated entry elements. You know it’s modified, but you don’t need an explanation every time you park it.
The price is harder to ignore.
ABT lists the complete Power R package at €21,000 including German VAT, before €3,520 for installation, painting and TÜV inspection. That puts the finished conversion at €24,520. For SQ5s fitted with air suspension, ABT lists the corresponding package at €20,700, with another €1,980 covering installation and the associated work.
If you divide €24,520 by the additional 103 hp, the whole thing starts looking rather difficult to justify. But that’s not really what ABT is selling. The bill includes the wheels, suspension work, aero pieces, exhaust treatment and smaller interior details as well as the additional performance, so this is closer to a complete version of the SQ5 than an expensive ECU tune.
Whether that makes €24,500 reasonable is another question.
What it does produce is an SQ5 that still understands why somebody might choose it instead of a full RS model. It has considerably more power and looks much tougher than the standard car, but it hasn’t abandoned the slightly understated personality that made the SQ5 appealing in the first place.
And with 470 hp, nobody is going to mistake understated for slow.
