Audi bringing sportback to the A5

The A5 Sportback boasts all the sharp, smart lines of the regular A5 but with five doors (including the boot, of course), the Sportback model is naturally more practical and spacious.

The body is made up of a canny mix of materials which makes it 15kg lighter than the outgoing model and the lightest in its class.

Couple that weight loss with a newly refined engine range and the new A5 Sportback is 17 per cent more powerful, yet uses up to 22 per cent less fuel, compared to its predecessor.

You can thank the introduction of VW Group’s spiffy two-litre petrol engines – delivering 190- and 252ps – and a pair of three-litre diesels with 218 and 286ps respectively.

For business types, there will also be a 190ps two-litre diesel, capable of returning 67.3mpg with just £20 a year road tax (109g/km CO2).

You’re probably more interested in the performance-focussed S5 Sportback though, right?!

This car is pretty much the same as the A5 but rather than practicality and going to meetings, this variant will blast you to 62mph in 4.7 seconds. That’s thanks to the 354ps three-litre V6 petrol engine under the bonnet and a weight loss of 85kg over its predecessor.

Appearances can be deceiving and on the surface, there’s little that hints to the S5 Sportback’s aggressive streak besides the red calipers and teeny tiny ‘S5’ emblem on the front grille and boot lid.

Inside, the A5’s cabin is a straight port of the A4, which is fine because it’s one of the smartest, most intuitive interiors around right now. That’s means there’s Audi’s smartphone interface and bluetooth system, as well as the stunning Virtual Cockpit system behind the steering wheel that we have raved about in the past.

The S5 however features some subtle menace such as the flat-bottom steering wheel and again, that red S5 emblem.

In addition to Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive, customers can spec their S5 Sportback with a sport differential. When hitting a corner at pace, this system will send more torque to the outside rear wheel to push the car into the curve and minimise understeer. Fancy.

Prices for the S5 are expected to start from around £52,000.

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