Take a coupe, add two doors and a lift-back style tailgate, but don't go calling it a
sedan, instead brand it as a Sportback.
It's a slightly convoluted blueprint, but one that is working wonders for Audi with
its A5 Sportback.
There's a new model in town, let's take a closer look.
It may come across as a niche model, but the A5 Sportback now out-sells Audi store lord,
A4 sedan in Australia, which makes this latest update pretty important.
Joining the 2-door A5 coupe and cabriolet models, the A5 Sportback starts at $71,900
in a front-drive, two-litre petrol grey.
We're driving the Quattro all-wheel drive Sportback priced from just under 80K.
The A5 Sportback's popularity begins to make sense when you're on the road.
It feels like a bigger car inside and outside compared to the A4 and its larger on-road
footprint really translates to a more mature driving experience.
It's got a better ride and handling balance, and I think overall it feels more sure-footed
and more composed than the A4.
Now sure, the drive experience isn't perfect, there's still some road noise present.
It thuds audibly over road joints and cat's eyes, but overall, there's a lot to like on
the road.
Included within that is the 45 TFSI clever engine, which generates big outputs from it's
small displacement, along with an official fuel consumption rating of 7.1 litres per
100Ks, a figure owed in small part to a new mode hybrid electric system, which runs off
a separate lithium-ion battery.
It all sounds very complicated, but the real world translation is quite benign.
At speeds above 55 kilometres an hour, the MHEV system allows the A5 Sportback to coast
along during those typical coasting scenarios, helping to restart the engine when you reapply
the throttle.
At speeds below 22 kilometres an hour, it brings into play that stop-start system that
is familiar with a lot of modern engines.
Otherwise, the two-litre engine in the A5 Sportback is much like any other Audi.
There's a little bit of low speed hesitation, but beyond that, there is a clear, tractable
and accessible power across the dial.
You will feel the weight of the A5 Sportback in the upper echelons, particularly when you're
going up an assent, but otherwise, it does a really good job of hustling along this circuit
two ton mass.
No to 100 officially takes six seconds flat.
The A5 Sportback delivers solid rear seat proportions despite it's raked roof line,
with enough space for a couple of six-foot adults.
The equipment list is strong here too.
Virtual cockpit display, matrix LED headlights, three-zone climate control and keyless entry
and start among its standard features.
Audi's three-year warranty is a bit off the pace of some luxury rivals, but otherwise,
it's easy to see why the A5 Sportback continues to woo buyers away from SUVs.
Sedans or passenger cars might not find favor with Australians in the same way as a modern
SUV, but I feel like the A5 Sportback should prove an exception.
There's a lot to like here, from the big boot area, to the roomy rear seat, and even the
presentation of its cabin, thanks in part to that beautiful virtual instrument cluster
and the big 10.1 inch centre display.
It means that you walk away from the A5 Sportback with a nice, sophisticated and sporty feeling,
which I'd argue is befitting that this cars brief.