Audi SQ5 vs Toyota Prado

What's the difference?

Let’s forget the money, for a second, because yes, you’re paying more for the Sportback variant. But if you can afford it, then why wouldn’t you. This is a sleeker, sportier and more stylish answer to the regular Q5, which was already a super-solid offering in the segment. And as far as I can tell, the practicality sacrifices you have to make are minimal at best. 

So why not?

The Kakadu treatment adds a welcome prestige to the Prado which is already a functional, comfortable daily driver and a very capable 4WD tourer as is.

It's reliably effective off-road and though it lacks the over-the-top macho appeal of something like the 70 Series LandCruiser, it still makes a very appealing platform as a touring vehicle. But this flat-tailgate Kakadu, minus the extra fuel capacity of a Prado with the tailgate-mounted spare, loses tourer appeal due to that fact.

If you choose to opt for a lower-spec Prado you'll forgo some nice Kakadu features – such as KDSS – but it'll still be a Prado after all. Money saved can be spent on aftermarket gear to fit out your new adventure machine.

Or you can wait in line with everyone else for the 2024 Prado...

Our adventure began with the SQ5, and, to my eye at least, it looks mean, and more like a jacked-up hot hatch than sportier version of a mid-size SUV.

Speaking of which, it looks bigger than a mid-size, too, as though the flattened roof has pushed the rear out for more length, at least visually.

By far its best angle, though, will be afforded to the people in front of you on the road, with each peek in the rear-view mirror revealing a wide, forward-leaning grille, all black honeycomb mesh, with a cat-clawed bonnet and headlights that sweep back into the bodywork, hinting at speed before it even sets off. 

Side on, the massive 21-inch alloys hide red brake calipers, but it does also reveals a tale of two SUVs, with the front half looking taller and straighter, while the rear roofline is more raked as it flies towards a fairly small rear windscreen with a roof spoiler that juts out over it. 

At the rear, the quad exhaust tips (which sound great), and a boot spoiler moulded into the bodywork complete the package.

But even in lesser lesser Q5 45 TFSI guise, this Sportback looks the business, I reckon. Though a little more premium than performance-focused, perhaps.

As the name suggests, the Sportback version gives you, well, a sportier back, and it all starts at the B-Pillar, with a more raked roofline that gives this version of the Q5 a sleeker, more slippery look. 

But they aren’t the only changes. In Sportback models, the single-frame grille upfront is different, and the grille is also positioned lower, and seems to jut out from the bonnet more, for a lower, more aggressive look. The lights are also positioned a little higher, and those massive air vents on either side are different, too.

The cabin is the usual level of Audi niceness, with a big central screen, big digital screen in front of the steering wheel, and a sense of genuine solidity and quality wherever you look.

There are some questionable materials at work, though, like the door trims and the hard plastic that your knee rubs against when driving, but all in all, it's quite a lovely place to spend time.

The flat tailgate Kakadu is 4825mm long (4995mm with tyre mounted on the tailgate), 1885mm wide, 1880mm high, and it has a kerb weight of 2290kg (2350kg for the standard Prado).

The 2024 Prado – or the 250 Series as it's known in other markets – has an identical wheelbase to the 300 Series (2850mm), so it's 60mm longer than the current model's. 

That next-generation Prado will reportedly measure 4925mm long, 1980mm wide and 1870mm high, so it's 100mm longer, 95mm wider and 20mm taller than the current Prado.

As mentioned, our test Prado's flat tailgate pack cuts fuel capacity from 150 litres to 87 litres, which results in a substantial drop in driving range. So, it'll factor heavily in the buying decision, especially if the potential owner is keen on off-road touring.

The current Prado's design is less blocky than previous iterations but retains a recognisable Prado chunkiness. If you like your SUVs even more streamlined, but with a healthy dose of retro, you'll have to wait for the 2024 Prado.

The Q5 Sportback range stretches 4689mm in length, 1893mm in width, and around 1660mm in height, depending on the variant. It rides on a 2824mm wheelbase. 

And remember when I said there were few practicality penalties for the new sportier look? This is what I meant.

Up front, it's basically the same Q5, so if you know that car, you'll know this one, with its spacious and airy feeling front seats.

In the back, though, things are a little different, just not quite as different as I was expecting. The new sloping roofline has actually only reduced headroom by 16mm. I’m 175cm tall, and there was clear air between my head and the roof, and plenty of leg-room, too.

The central tunnel arrangement means you probably don’t want to squeeze three adults across the back, but two would really be no problem at all. That way, you can deploy the back seat divider to uncover two cupholders, use the two USB charge ports or adjust your climate controls, including temperature settings.

In the 45 TFSI and SQ5 models, the rear seats also slide or recline, meaning you can prioritise luggage space or passenger comfort, depending on what you're carrying.

Up front, there’s heaps of little cubby spots, including a key storage spot under the aircon controls, another in front of the gear shift, a phone slot next to the gear shift, two cupholders in the big centre console, and a surprisingly shallow centre console that’s home to a wireless phone charger and a USB port, joining the regular USB port under the drive mode selector.

And at the rear, Audi reckons there’s 500 litres of storage, only about 10 litres less than the regular Q5,  which grows to 1470 litres with the second-row folded.  

The Prado's interior has a comforting familiarity about it. Sure, it feels a bit dated, but I like it. It's plush, functional and very comfortable.

The front seats are heated, ventilated and power-adjustable and the driver and front passenger have easy access to the 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, which is simple enough to operate.

There's also the usual complement of cupholders (two in front of the centre console) and USB charge points, as well as the refrigerated cool box that replaces the centre console.

The Kakadu has three-zone climate control so everyone has a hand in how toasty or chilled they are during road trips.

Floor mats in the Kakadu are carpet, not the all-weather rubber mats you get in lower-spec Prados.

The second-row is a 40/20/40 sliding split and the outer seats are heated. Second-row passengers get directional air vents, fan and temp controls, seat-heating controls, 12V point (all in the rear of the centre console), and a fold-down centre armrest with built-in dual cupholder.

The second-row seats have three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations.

There are mesh map pockets on the driver and front passenger seat-backs.

The third-row seats – in a 50/50 split fold-flat configuration – are button-operated and power-folding. Passengers have a cupholder each, as well as air vents and a speaker mounted nearby. They also have a clear view of the 9.0-inch ceiling-mounted DVD screen.

With the third-row seats in use, boot space is listed as 104 litres.

If not in use, the rear-most seats can be power-folded away at the press of a button and the area used for luggage, concealed by a retractable cargo blind. With the third row stowed away, there's a claimed 553 litres of cargo space.

With the second and third rows folded down and out of the way, there's a claimed 974 litres available.

For reference, the 2024 Prado will have a 12.3-inch multimedia system (including wireless Apple CarPlay), as well as seating for five or seven passengers.

Our test vehicle is the Prado Kakadu, a seven-seat 4WD wagon with a list price of $87,468, excluding on-road costs.

Standard features include a 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia unit (with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and sat-nav), three-zone climate control air conditioning, a JBL 14-speaker sound system, a rear-seat entertainment system (Blu-ray DVD player) with 9.0-inch screen and three wireless headsets, button-operated third-row power-folding seats, panoramic-view monitor, tilt-and-slide moonroof, and 19-inch alloy wheels.

It also has a premium woodgrain-look power-adjustable steering wheel with paddle shifters, leather-accented, heated and ventilated front seats, dual-range 4WD, as well as 4WDing-suitable driver-assist systems, such as crawl control and multi-terrain select (both for off-roading), adaptive variable suspension (with three modes: comfort, normal and sport), rear air suspension and Toyota's 'Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System' (KDSS).

Driver-assist tech includes 'Toyota Safety Sense' (including 'Pre-Collision Safety System' with pedestrian detection, 'High Speed Active Cruise Control' and more).

A flat tailgate option (which moves the full-size spare wheel from the rear door to the Prado's underbody) is available for the Kakadu. Our test vehicle has it.

Worth noting that choosing this option reduces your fuel capacity from 150 litres to 87 litres, because you sacrifice the 63-litre sub-tank so the spare tyre can be fitted underneath the vehicle.

Kakadu interior seat trim choices are beige leather accented or black leather accented.

Exterior paint choices include 'Graphite', 'Espresso Brown', 'Glacier White', 'Crystal Pearl', 'Silver Pearl', 'Peacock Black', 'Eclipse Black', 'Ebony', 'Wildfire' and 'Dusty Bronze' (premium paint, on our test vehicle). Premium paint costs $675 extra.

There are accessories aplenty available for the Prado, but there are also bundled packs which incorporate several accessories to suit your lifestyle.

The 'Adventure Pack' includes an alloy bull bar (commercial), light bar (fitting kit sold separately), snorkel, roof rack with alloy roof tray (both sold separately) and weather-shields (left and right sold separately).

Then the 'Weekend Getaways' pack includes a nudge bar (black), light bar (fitting kit sold separately), bonnet protector (tinted), roof racks with bike carrier (both sold separately), tow bar, tow ball and trailer wiring harness.

There are three engines total here, kicking off with the 2.0-litre TDI in the Q5 Sportback 40. It produces 150kW and 400Nm - enough for a sprint to 100km/h in 7.6s. The 2.0-litre TFSI in the Q5 Sportback 45 petrol bumps those figures to 183kW and 370Nm, lowering your spring to 6.3s. 

Both pair with a seven-speed S tiptronic automatic, and feature a 12-volt mild-hybrid system to smooth out acceleration and lower fuel use, as well Quattro ultra, which can disconnect the rear drive shaft so only the front wheels are driven.

The SQ5 gets a seriously lusty 3.0-litre TDI V6 which deliver 251kW and 700Nm, and a sprint of 5.1s It also gets a 48-volt mild-hybrid system, and an eight-speed tiptronic transmission.

The Kakadu has a 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine – producing 150kW at 3000-3400rpm and 500Nm at 1600-2800rpm – and that's matched with a six-speed automatic transmission.

This is a solid not dynamic combination, which is fine with me because it yields a drive experience that's equal parts relaxed, assured and undemanding.

Our test Prado has a full-time four-wheel drive system with high- and low-range.

Note: the Prado has a diesel particulate filter (DPF) and issues linked to those systems have been well documented, so head to our Toyota Prado problems page to stay up to date with any DPF details.

The next-generation Prado will feature five powertrains globally, however, Australia will only get a 48-volt mild-hybrid version of the current model's 2.8-litre four-cylinder turbo-diesel engine (150kW and 500Nm), with identical power and torque outputs as the existing engine.

The new hybrid engine will be matched to a new eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission.

It will have full-time all-wheel drive, a low-range transfer case, a centre diff lock, a electronic locking rear diff and a button-operated swaybar disconnect system – not Toyota's KDSS – aimed at yielding improved wheel travel while off-roading.

All Q5 Sportback models are fitted with a 70-litre fuel tank, which should produce a driving range in excess of 1000kms - though prepare for pain at the pump. Sometimes premium fuel in Sydney can run to around $1,90 a litre, for example, so the good stuff will cost you around $130 bucks a tank in the petrol cars.

Audi says the Q5 Sportback 40 TDI will sip 5.4 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, while emitting 142g/km of c02. The 45 TFSI needs 8.0 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, and will emit 183g/km of c02. The SQ5 sits somewhere in the middle, with 7.1 litres per 100km and 186g/km of c02.

The Prado has an offical fuel consumption figure of 7.9L/100km (on a combined cycle).

I recorded 13.4L/100km on this test. I did a lot of high- and low-range 4WDing – but the Prado never seemed to have to work hard.

It has 87L fuel tank capacity – that's 63 litres less than any Prado that does not have the flat tailgate, and going by our on-test fuel-consumption figure you could reasonably expect a full-tank driving range of about 650km.

The Prado with the rear-mounted spare has a 150-litre tank so, based on my fuel figures, you could reasonably expect about 1120km from a full tank.

How to best describe the drive experience in the Q5 Sportback? That's easy. And it's 'easy'.

Honestly, I know this is ostensibly the sportier version of the Q5, but the truth is that, in the 45 TFSI version we tested, it's a comfortable, light-feeling drive experience that only ever reveals its sporty nature when you really command it to.

Left in its Auto drive mode, the Q5 45 TFSI will positively waft around town, road noise kept to an absolute minimum, and feeling somehow smaller and lighter than its dimension would suggest.

You can dial-up the aggression by cycling through the drive modes, of course, but even in Dynamic guise it never feels too harsh, too aggressive. More that you've simply tightened the screws a little bit.

Plant your right foot and the 45 TFSI will collect speed in a way that Audi refers to as "hot hatch-like", punching towards the 100km/h sprint with verve and aggression. But having just stepped out of the SQ5, it still feels somehow sedate, and almost relaxing, rather than out-and-out aggressive.

And that's because the SQ5 variant is clearly, purposefully, the performance-focused variant here. I think this V6 engine is an absolute peach, and its the kind of powerplant that inspires you to stick with the vehicle's most dynamic settings, putting up with the just-too-firm suspension settings so you can access more fo the grunt more quickly.

And it feels constantly ready for action. Tap the accelerator and the car bristles, dropping down a gear, revving higher and preparing for your next command.

Through bends, it feels smaller and lighter than you might expect, with plenty of grip and steering that, while not overflowing with feedback, feels true and direct.

Short answer? It's the one I'd take. But you'll pay for it.

The Kakadu is an easy-driving and very comfortable 4WD wagon.

It's quiet inside the Prado with most external noise kept to a muffled hum.

Steering has a nice weight to it, although it can feel a bit floaty if you're used to a more tightly controlled vehicle. The driver can dial-in their position as the steering wheel is electric tilt-and-telescopic adjustable.

The Kakadu has a 11.6m turning circle and feels nimble along crowded streets and in busy regional centres.

The 2.8 litre turbo-diesel engine and transmission pairing is an unhurried, almost sluggish combination, yielding a relaxed drive experience, but acceleration is gutsy enough to punch the Prado off the mark and get it moving at pace to overtake when needed.

Brakes – ventilated discs at each corner – were able to bring the 2.3 tonne Prado to a rapid controlled stop every time I stomped them into submission during my patented ‘Watch out for that kangaroo!' emergency-braking tests on dry and wet bitumen.

One of the Kakadu's major points of difference with lower-spec Prados is that it has Toyota's 'Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System' (KDSS), which helps iron out most ride and handling irregularities.

KDSS hydraulically alters tension on the sway bars to suit the terrain; on-road, it tightens them for reduced body roll and more dynamic handling, and off-road it loosens them for greater wheel travel to further improve performance.

The Kakadu also has adaptive variable suspension which can be set to one of three modes ('Comfort', 'Normal' or 'Sport') via an in-cabin switch to help dial-in smooth and well-sorted ride and handling; and its height-adjustable rear air suspension with switchable low, normal or high modes.

The Kakadu's Dunlop Grandtrek AT30 tyres (265/55 R19) are well-suited to on-road driving, but fall a bit short, performance-wise, when 4WDing.

On the loose-gravel dirt track that leads to my unofficial 4WD testing ground, the route had been gouged by deep ruts from recent rains. The Kakadu managed it all well.

And a lot of the credit of that controlled ride and handling is due to KDSS, loosening swaybars to suit the terrain, allowing axles full-stretch articulation as required.

And that's very handy at low speeds when sustaining safe and controlled momentum via maximised traction is the goal.

And this was even more evident when I tackled my favourite set-piece rocky hill-climbs.

The Kakadu trucked over the undulating ground at low revs and with wheels dipping and rising as they stuck to the dirt. Wheel travel in a standard Prado is fine but the KDSS-equipped Kakadu gets even more flex on the move.

It conquered everything with impressive ease, only ever scrambling momentarily for grip because of its tyres.

Swap those with a decent set of all-terrains and you'd instantly make a great off-roader even better.

Steering retains a nice balance at low speeds, throttle response is good (not touchy over bumpy terrain), the driver has plenty of visibility (crucial for low-range highly technical 4WDing that relies so heavily on choosing the correct line) and the Kakadu's dimensions offer off-road angles – of 30.4 degrees (approach), 21.2 (ramp-over) and 23.5 (departure) – that are good for a cityfied SUV wagon.

The Kakadu has plenty of torque across a wide rev range, and front, centre and rear locking differentials.

It also has a raft of driver-assist tech, including crawl control (low-speed low-range cruise control/traction control with five selectable speeds), and 'Multi-Terrain Select' (with off-road driving modes that adjust steering, throttle and traction control to suit the terrain you're on, e.g. rock and dirt, mud and sand etc).

Towing capacity is 750kg (unbraked) and 3000kg (braked).

The Kakadu has a gross vehicle mass (GVM) of 2990kg and a GCM (gross combined mass) of 5990kg.

For reference, towing capacity on the 2024 Prado is tipped to be 3500kg (braked), but, at time of writing, this was unconfirmed.

The Prado has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2011, but that rating expired at the end of 2022 and Toyota has no plans to re-test this generation. As mentioned earlier, the new Prado is not expected here until 2024.

The second-row seats have three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations.

The Prado has seven airbags, three top-tether points and two ISOFIX locations in the second row, and is stacked with driver-assist tech including pre-collision avoidance with AEB, high-speed active cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assistance, automatic high beam, road sign assist and more.

All Audis are covered by a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which really isn’t great in a world of five-, seven- and even 10-year warranties.

The brand will let you prepay your services, required annually, for the first five years, with the regular Q5 Sportback billed at $3140 and the SQ5 billed at $3170.

The Prado has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, which is the mainstream market standard.

Maintenance is scheduled for every six months or 10,000km, which is more frequent than the more common 12 months/15,000km.

Every new Prado comes with capped price servicing of $260 per service up to the three-year mark, for a total of $1560 over three years.