Compare the2024 Audi SQ5VS 2024 BMW X6 M

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi SQ5 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X6 M doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Both the SQ5 and X6 M have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The SQ5 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The X6 M’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

Both the SQ5 and the X6 M have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the SQ5 the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X6 M has not been tested, yet.

On the EPA test cycle the SQ5 gets better fuel mileage than the X6 M (19 city/24 hwy vs. 13 city/18 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi SQ5 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The X6 M requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

For better maneuverability, the SQ5’s turning circle is 3.3 feet tighter than the X6 M’s (38.7 feet vs. 42 feet).

The Audi SQ5 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1100 pounds less than the BMW X6 M.

The SQ5 is 10.5 inches shorter than the X6 M, making the SQ5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The SQ5 has .5 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2.3 inches more rear legroom than the X6 M.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the SQ5’s rear seats recline. The X6 M’s rear seats don’t recline.

The SQ5’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The X6 M’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

The SQ5 has a 4400 lbs. towing capacity. The X6 M has no towing capacity.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the SQ5 to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The X6 M doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The SQ5 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X6 M doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Audi Q5/SQ5 outsold the BMW X6 by almost five to one during 2022.