Not that far behind the Audi A5 Coupé and Cabriolet comes the A5 Sportback and, although nominally a platform member of the A5 trio, it is a distinct model in its own right with very specific styling to accommodate the sloping hatch back end.

Possibly not that easy to spot at first glance, the styling is a carefully considered exercise and stylist, Markus Gleitz, points to the narrowing flanks saying: “We had to design this as a four seater to allow the lines of the car to flow together elegantly to support the look of the rear hatch.”

So a four-seater it is – with the rear seats lowered slightly to give adequate headroom beneath the downward curving roofline. The A5 Sportback is 36 mm lower than the A4 Sedan, while the short front overhang, long wheelbase and wide track emphasise the car’s athletic disposition set off by four frameless doors with slim window lines.

The tailgate is seamlessly integrated into the extended, tapered tail end with the slender C-pillars and even the high-level brake light is new and elongated to fit neatly into the overall architecture. The luggage compartment volume of 480 litres nearly matches that of the A4 Avant and can be increased to 980 litres by folding the rear seats down.

The front is dominated by the single-frame grille, distinguished here by horizontal bars and a narrow surround of anodised aluminium. Xenon headlights and daytime running lights are standard, as are the fog lights with their chrome surrounds mounted in the side air intakes. The daytime running light feature light-emitting diodes (LEDs) arranged in an arched strip.

The A5 Sportback’s sporty character is also immediately apparent when viewed from the side. The large wheels are framed by a powerful body with a slender window strip. The C pillar runs rearward in a long, elegant wave and integrates a narrow third side window with an upward pointing tip – homage to the Audi 100 Coupé S from 1969.

“Audi South Africa’s 3,6% market share represents a 24% improvement in market penetration compared to 2008, and is also Audi’s highest ever market share,” says Ryan Searle, General Manager of Audi Sales and Marketing.

For the South African market, The A5 Sportback is initially offered with a choice of two petrol and one TDI engines. The petrol engine line-up comprises the 2,0-litre TFSI unit with power and torque maximums of 155 kW and 350 Nm respectively, and the 3,2-litre FSI V6 with 195 kW and 330 Nm. Both petrol power plants are equipped with the Audi valve lift system for variable control of valve lift. The intelligent technology boosts performance, while simultaneously reducing fuel consumption.

The front-wheel drive A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI is equipped with Audi’s multitronic continuously variable automatic transmission with eight ‘virtual’ ratios linked to both manual and sport modes. The 3.0 V6 TDI delivers 176 kW of maximum power and a torque peak of 500 Nm.

The two top variants share the same seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission and deliver their muscle to all four wheels via Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive system. These two models are also optionally available with the newly developed sport differential, which variably distributes power between the rear wheels. The front-wheel-drive A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI is equipped with the latest generation ESP stabilisation program that now includes a new electronic differential lock. The system works like a mechanical locking differential and makes the handling more neutral by preventing understeer and improving traction. This enhances the driving dynamics when cornering under load and on both wet and dry road surfaces. As soon as the electronics detect the load on the inside, front wheel is reduced too much and the wheel is losing traction, the system initiates brief, controlled braking. This redirects the excess torque to the outside wheel, which due to the greater dynamic wheel load is capable of delivering more power to the road.

Standard equipment includes servotronic steering, climatronic three-zone air-conditioning, multifunction three-spoke steering wheel with gear shift controls, concert radio/CD player with Audi Sound System, driver information system with colour display, tyre pressure monitor and electrically operated front seats with lumbar support for 3.0 TDI and 3.2 V6.

Pricing starts at R414 500 for the 2.0T FSI 155 kW multitronic, moving up to R503 500 for the 3.2 FSI quattro S-tronic with the 3.0 TDI quattro S-tronic at R511 500.

As with all Audi products there is a whole raft of optional add-ons from the must-have to nice-to-have and our launch cars were fitted with the optional 18-inch wheels (17-inch are standard).

On a run from Durban to Eshowe and back, what used to a beautiful and suitably winding road is now breakdance around potholes big enough to swallow an entire informal settlement. Suffice it to say the Audi – and we had only the two V6 versions to try out – makes rapid changes of direction with alacrity, the brakes word just fine and steering input is instantly translated accurately.

The low profiles tyres on those roads did make the ride quite choppy and, perhaps a compromise with wheel and tyre size might be the way to go for South Africa owners. Nit picking, the steering felt slightly wooden as there is far less returned to the driver than one would possibly expect from a car with this sporting heritage.

Colin Windell is the editor of Fleet magazine and contributor to SACarFan.