2026 Audi SQ5 Premium: New Rochelle Buyers Guide
Quick Answer: 2026 Audi SQ5 Premium
The SQ5 Premium is the entry point into Audi’s compact performance SUV at $65,400 MSRP before the $1,295 destination charge, and it isn’t a watered-down way to get there. Every piece of SQ5 hardware ships standard on the Premium: the 362-hp turbocharged V6, the 7-speed dual-clutch, quattro® all-wheel drive, and the Sport adaptive air suspension that no other Q5 trim gets without paying for a Prestige. The cabin gets the full S treatment as well — diamond-stitched sport seats, the flat-bottom steering wheel, illuminated door sill inlays, standard 20-inch wheels, and the curved 11.9-inch virtual cockpit plus 14.5-inch MMI® display. Audi New Rochelle keeps the Premium in stock for buyers who want SQ5 performance without paying for features they’d never use.
The performance hardware isn’t a later upsell
Audi didn’t hold the good parts back to sell them a trim later. The Premium runs the identical twin-scroll turbo V6, the same 406 lb-ft of torque, the same 7-speed S tronic®, and the same standard quattro® that the Premium Plus and Prestige carry. The suspension follows the same logic: Sport adaptive air suspension, which continuously adjusts damping and can vary ride height on the fly, comes on every SQ5 regardless of trim. That’s a deliberate break from the standard Q5, where that hardware is a Prestige-only feature. On the SQ5, Audi decided the driving experience shouldn’t come with a trim tax.
Styling backs it up from the curb. Standard 20-inch 5-double-spoke-twist wheels, S-specific front and rear bumpers, and liquid chrome silver exterior accents mark this as an SQ5 before anyone reads a badge. Inside, diamond-stitched front sport seats in leather and Dinamica, an illuminated S-logo sill inlay at each door, stainless steel pedal caps, and a flat-top-and-bottom steering wheel with shift paddles carry the theme all the way through. LED headlights and a panoramic sunroof are both standard, which matters on the short, gray days a Westchester winter tends to deliver.
The tech floor is higher than a base trim usually implies
Because two other trims sit above it, it’s easy to assume the Premium’s technology is stripped down. It isn’t. The 11.9-inch Audi virtual cockpit plus curves into a 14.5-inch MMI® touch display as one continuous panel, wireless Apple CarPlay® and Android Auto™ are standard, and Audi connect® CARE adds remote vehicle services and security features out of the box. What the Premium skips: the Bang & Olufsen sound upgrade, the surround-view camera, the dashcam, and lane-centering on the adaptive cruise, all of which move up to the Premium Plus. If any of those matter more than the $1,900 step between trims, the next guide is worth a read before deciding.
What Premium buyers say about the store
Reviewers who chose the entry SQ5 tend to describe the same thing: full performance, minus anything they didn’t ask for. One recent example comes from an RS3 owner, a car that shares the same performance-first mindset as the SQ5, who had it serviced twice at the store and singled out the team by name: “everyone was so professional, helpful and pleasant to deal with, especially Susan, Samantha, Matt and Hector... I know where I’ll be coming for all my Audi servicing and purchasing” (Borivoj Cvejic). That’s the kind of review that tends to come from a buyer who already knew what they wanted going in — the exact profile of a Premium buyer focused on the drivetrain, not the options list.
Frequently asked questions: 2026 Audi SQ5 Premium
The bottom line
The SQ5 Premium proves Audi’s entry trim isn’t an asterisk. Every horsepower, every pound-foot, and the same air suspension carry over from the top of the range, which makes this the trim to start from if the appeal is the drive, not the cabin extras. Check live SQ5 inventory for current Premium stock, or step back to the 2026 SQ5 overview to see the whole range at once.
MSRP figures exclude the $1,295 destination charge, taxes, title, registration, and options; the dealer sets the actual selling price. Equipment, packages, and availability can change with configuration and production timing; confirm current specs with Audi New Rochelle. Customer quotes are excerpts from public Google reviews of Audi New Rochelle.