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  The A5 Sportback will launch as two models In Australia, 2.0 TFSI and 3.0 TDI ? both with quattro all-wheel-drive and 7-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic gearbox. Photo Gallery

Kevin Hepworth road tests and reviews the Audi A5 Sportback at its Australian launch

Audi's one-niche-at-a-time drive to market leadership continued apace for the new year with the arrival of the A5 Sportback.  The five-door, coupe-styled four-seater joins the Cabriolet and Coupe models in the A5 line-up to tick of yet another niche in a market that threatens as many gap-fillers as it promises core models.

"When I first drove this car I was very, very excited by what it promised," Audi Australia's outgoing managing director Joerg Hofmann said at this week's national launch of the new car. "Then when we began to look at volume expectations it became obvious that the A5 Sportback had the potential to be very significant for us."

Sales and market

So significant that Audi is predicting the Sportback will account for around 1000 sales a year, or almost half of all the A5 volume when it goes on sale on February 1. That will be a significant boost towards the company's stated goal of a record 12,000 sales in 2010.

"There is no real competitor for this car in the Australian market," Audi's general manager for marketing, Immo Buschmann, says. "This car has real substance and will appeal to sedan buyers who want a car with coupe-like styling yet are not willing to give up the space offered by a sedan."

Buyers will, however have to give up a fifth seat as the Sportback — like the coupe from which it has been stretched by some 86mm — is a dedicated four-seater, albeit with a generous amount of shoulder space for the rear seat passengers.

Drivetrains and prices

The A5 Sportback will launch as two models In Australia, 2.0 TFSI and 3.0 TDI — both with quattro all-wheel-drive and 7-speed S-tronic dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The petrol TFSI carries a sticker price of $78,400 while the 3-litre diesel will hit showroom floors at $89,100.

Adaptive damping is available on the TFSI for an additional $3500 while the TDI offers an optional full driver select package (sport differential, adaptive damping and dynamic steering) for $7600.

Equipment

While both models come well specified with the full complement of electronic safety aids and eight airbags, leather trim and quality entertainment systems the very necessary reversing camera remains an option at $1165 while satellite navigation is an additional $4550.

Driving

On the road the A5 Sportback is ... well, it's an A5.  If you were led blindfolded to the car and set behind the wheel you would be hard pressed to distinguish the dynamics of the Sportback from its syblings, particularly the Coupe.

The cabin, while snug an encompassing, is not claustrophic with ample head, shoulder and leg room for all four passengers. Luggage space is generous with 480 litres available in standard trim, increasing to 980 litres with the rear seats folded.  The A5 is a car you want to drive. It feels well-engineered and it is.

An almost exclusive use of aluminium for the suspension components, in turn mounted to an aluminium sub-frame, reduce the unsprung weight giving a lower centre of gravity and noticeable poise. Combined with the body rigidity provided by five grades of steel through to ultra high strength the Sportback has a comforting feel of solidity and balance.

The direct injection petrol TFSI is good for 155kW of power and a very handy 350Nm of torque across a vast rev range from 1500rpm through to 4200rpm. That wide band of maximum urge allows the TFSI to stay within its optimum performance range without undue hunting for ratios and almost demands the car be driven enthusiastically.

Throttle response is good and there is a real willingness of the front end to turn into corners, hunker down with prodigious grip and then launch out of the apex as the quattro drive balances up in readiness for the next change of direction.

The 3-litre TDI offers pretty much the same capability — only moreso. The oil-burner's 176kW and 500Nm gives the Sportback a 0-100km/h sprint of 6.1 seconds — half a second quicker than the TFSI — while promising fuel efficiency of just 6.6L/100km. That makes the A5 Sportback TDI the 23rd Audi model to benefit from the government's lower luxury car tax incentives for vehicles using 7.0L or less per 100km.

Part of the fuel efficiency — the TFSI claims 7.5L/100km — is due to the recuperative energy system fitted to the A5 Sportback whereby energy is recovered during braking and coasting to be stored temporarily in the battery. That stored energy is called on during acceleration to ease load on the engine resulting in a fuel saving of up to 3 per cent.

The A5 line-up will be completed towards the middle of the year with the arrival of the S5 Sportback, unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year. The 3-litre TFSI powered S5 is expected to carry a sticker price of around $130,000.

Audi A5 Sportback

Price: from $78,400 (2.0 TFSI) to $89,100 (3.0 TDI)
Engine: 2L/4-cylinder 155kW/350Nm; 3L/V6 turbo diesel 175kW/500Nm
Transmission: 7-speed S-Tronic dual clutch automatic
Economy: 7.5L/100km (TFSI), 6.6L/100km (TDI)