By Andy Hum

“THE BEST of three worlds” is how Audi is describing the new A5 Sportback, which it says has the ‘emotion and elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon.’ The new four-door version of the A5 was launched on January at the Singapore Turf Club.

Managing director of Audi Singapore, Reinhold Carl, is confident of this model, saying, “This means we’re creating a new market segment with the A5 Sportback and it doesn’t have any direct competitors.” With Mercedes’ CLS costing about a hundred grand more and no confirmation yet about BMW’s 5 GT making its way here, the A5 Sportback should face little competition.

The sleek curve on its rear end may give some the impression that it’s a model built from scratch, but the A5 Sportback actually shares several major components with the A4. Its wheelbase is 2,810mm-long (just 2mm more than the A4) and its overall length is just 8mm longer. Both models even have the same 480-litre boot size.

While it does resemble the A4 saloon at the front, its selling point comes from its rear. From the roofline, what would have been a more upright C-pillar on the A4 is now a gentle gradient that flows towards the boot edge. This design also means that the rear windscreen is part of the bootlid, like on the four-door Porsche Panamera.

Two variants of the A5 Sportback are available: a 2.0 TFSI quattro and a 3.2 FSI quattro. The former is powered by a turbocharged 211bhp 2.0-litre in-line four engine, like the ones found in the A4, A5 Coupe and the Q5 crossover, while the latter gets a 265bhp 3.2-litre V6. Both will be fitted with Audi’s seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, allowing both cars to get from 0-100km/h in about 6.6 seconds.

Standard equipment in both models include the ‘Audi drive select’ system, which allows drivers to change the vehicle dynamics at the push of a button, and also xenon headlights. The more expensive 3.2 FSI quattro model gets a navigation system, 19-inch rims, a Bang & Olufsen sound system and the S line exterior package, which includes sportier aesthetic bits and front sports seats.

Prices for the A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI quattro start from $174,500 with COE and $201,800 with COE for the 3.2 FSI quattro.