Compare the2023 Audi SQ5 SportbackVS 2023 BMW X6 M

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Audi SQ5 Sportback 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 Sportback and X6 M have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The SQ5 Sportback 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 Sportback 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 top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the SQ5 Sportback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 110 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The X6 M has not been tested, yet.

On the EPA test cycle the SQ5 Sportback gets better mileage than the X6 M:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Audi SQ5 Sportback uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The X6 M requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi SQ5 Sportback higher (5 out of 10) than the BMW X6 M (3). This means the SQ5 Sportback produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X6 M every 15,000 miles.

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

The Audi SQ5 Sportback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1050 pounds less than the BMW X6 M.

The SQ5 Sportback is 10.4 inches shorter than the X6 M, making the SQ5 Sportback easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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

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

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the SQ5 Sportback has a standard rear wiper. The X6 M doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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 Sportback Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The X6 M doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Audi SQ5 Sportback outsold the BMW X6 by over four to one during the 2022 model year.