Audi says the new A5 Sportback, five-door five seater is the best of three worlds and it is the third and final model for the A5 range; which includes the two door, four seater Coupe and the two door, four seater Cabriolet. A5 Sportback prices currently range from £23,710 up to £36,110.
The new model has the elegant styling of a coupe, the comfort of a saloon with its extended wheelbase for better rear passenger legroom and the practicality of a five door hatchback for load and passenger carrying.
A5 Sportback design and dimensions
All A5 models are based on the floorpan used by the new A4 range, but the Sportback has a wheelbase extended by 60mm to provide that extra rear legroom as well as a huge boot and load area.
The Sportback uses the same front section from the nose to the A pillars as the A5 Coupe but all bodywork from that point to the rear is new. Although the new model retains the sleek low roofline and side profile of the Coupe the addition of the two rear passenger doors means the new model will appeal to owners who regularly carry adult rear seat passengers.
The neatly designed hatch tailgate allows easy access to the load area with its 60-40 spilt folding rear seat backs. There are 480-litres of load capacity with the rear seats in place and 980-litres with the backs folded down.
A5 Sportback market and competitors
Audi UK expects to sell around 5,000 A5 Sportback units in the UK in a full year once the range is complete, 75% of which will be diesel versions with S-Line specification taking up to 55% of sales, SE 40% and the standard specification just 5%.
The majority of sales will be to business user-chooser and fleet customers. For reference the more expensive A5 Coupe will attract 8,000 UK customers in a full year and the Cabriolet around 4,000 buyers.
The A5 Sportback's main appeal will be its coupe styling but with the big advantage of having four doors and a tailgate. The usual competitors are the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and the underated and often overlooked VW Passat five-door Coupe.
The BMW remains top for driving refinement and handling, the C-Class for ride comfort and interior space, the Passat CC is cheaper to buy and the A5 Sportback excels for looks, brand value, standard leather upholstery and the highest resale values.
On the downside, the longer wheelbase seems to have upset the balance and poise of the car so the handling is not as precise as the A5 Coupe or the A4 models. On country roads the ride is unsettled, the car floats over undulating roads and the steering gives little feedback to the driver.
However it is a comfortable vehicle and most high mileage owners will appreciate that. Road noise intrusion on motorways, which appears to enter the car from the load area, is also a bit annoying.
A5 Sportback engines
The current all direct injection engine line-up has 2.0-litre TFSI petrol 180 and 211PS units with start-stop function, 3.2-litre petrol FSI 265PS quattro, 2.0-litre TDI diesel 170PS with start-stop, 2.7-litre TDI 190PS and 3.0-litre TDI 240PS units.
There will be a main selling 2.0-litre, TDI 143PS diesel engine to come and an S5, 3.0-litre petrol supercharged 333PS engine with a price tag of under £38k. Quattro all wheel drive is available on a wide choice of these units.
During a brief test drive session this week I tried the 2.0 TFSI 211PS quattro version and because it produces 350Nm from only 1,500rpm this petrol engine would be my choice for any retail private buyer customer who doesn't cover huge mileages.
The quattro all wheel drive gives year round security under all road conditions and sharpens up the car's lazy roadholding. My test drive fuel economy was a good 38.2mpg and that was with the seven-speed S-tronic auto gearbox.
Only the price of £30,325 will make your eyes smart or you can opt for the same engine with front wheel drive for £27,415 in SE specification form.
But the sensible choice for business users, until the143PS TDI engine arrives, is the 2.0-litre TDI 170PS diesel unit with 350Nm of torque with start-stop technology.
In perfectly adequate SE trim form this car will cost on the road £27,140 and with the six-speed manual transmission the CO2 emissions are a low 137g/km which means a VED tax bill of £120 now, but from next April this should go down to £110 under the new First Year VED rating.
Benefit in Kind company car tax is also rated at a low 18% and the insurance group is 14.
Audi A5 Sportback MILESTONES
Audi A5 Sportback 2.0-litre TDI SE with start -stop
Price: £27,140
Engine/transmission: 2.0-litre, TDI common-rail turbocharged four-cylinder diesel, 170PS, 350Nm of torque from 1,750rpm, 6-speed manual
Performance: 142mph, 0-62mph 8.7 seconds, 54.3mpg (39.7mpg actual), CO2 137g/km VED £120, BIK tax 18%
Insurance group: 14
For: Eye catching and classy good looks, hatchback practicality, big boot, good rear seat legroom, leather upholstery as standard, high specification, great engine
Against: Limited rear seat headroom for adults, sloppy ride over country roads, little feedback from the steering, noise intrusion through the load area