The reassuringly robust foundations of an SUV and the charismatic curves of a coupe have been merged together once again with the Audi Q5 Sportback.

The new Q5 Sportback will appeal to customers who appreciate the innately family-friendly utility and sophisticated technology of the standard Q5, but also admire the expressive and distinctive design of more purebred sports cars.

The Q5 Sportback has great presence, thanks to the large air inlets that flank the octagonal Singleframe, and the head lights with their distinctive daytime running light signature feature LED technology, with the option of upgrading to matrix LEDs.

The continuous, elegantly sweeping shoulder line brings emphasis to the wheels, and the side sill trim on the doors suggests resilience and solidity.

The state-of-the-art technological sophistication of the new Q5 Sportback is also underscored further in Vorsprung versions with rear lights that feature innovative digital OLED technology. The units each incorporate three organic light-emitting diodes, each of which is divided into six segments that can be controlled individually and configured differently.

Customers in the U.K. can choose from three different rear light signatures at the point of order, all of which include a dynamic coming-and-leaving-home lighting sequence and an additional safety feature - if another vehicle approaches from the rear to within two metres of the stationary Q5 Sportback, all OLED segments illuminate as a proximity warning.

At 4,690mm in length, the Q5 Sportback is seven millimetres longer than its sister model. Its height and width are identical, but its coefficient of drag is lower at 0.30. The long wheelbase of 2,820mm facilitates ample room for five in the cabin, the focal point of which is the cleanly styled two-section dashboard with its freestanding 10.1-inch MMI display.

As in the recently updated Audi Q5, incorporation of the third generation modular infotainment system or MIB 3 has rendered the rotary MMI control dial obsolete and enabled the introduction of full touch-screen functionality for the monitor, as well as a greatly enhanced natural language voice control system.

U.K.-bound cars will also get the 12.3-inch Audi Virtual Cockpit display as standard, along with MMI Navigation Plus and Audi connect internet connectivity. This means that when guiding the driver, the Q5 Sportback can display high-resolution satellite images from Google Earth and use the swarm intelligence of the Audi fleet to deliver lane-by-lane information on traffic flow and traffic forecasts in real time, as well as providing alerts for upcoming hazards such as slippery roads and fog.

Vorsprung versions raise the bar even further technologically, adding features such as a 19-speaker Bang and Olufsen audio system, a head-up display, Audi Phone Box wireless handset charging and a host of advanced driver assistance upgrades covering everything from manoeuvring into a parking space and then reversing out again, to turning at junctions, monitoring blindspots and observing motorway lane boundaries.

The standard powered tailgate glides upwards to reveal a luggage compartment with a volume of 510 litres, which increases to 1,480 litres when the rear seats are folded down.

Comfort for the long haul is assured in all versions of the new Q5 Sportback thanks to its exceptionally lightweight multilink front and rear suspension, which from S line level upwards has a tauter sport tuning. A set-up with adaptive damper control is also available for even keener tracking of the road surface, while an adaptive air suspension system that can vary the ride height of the bodyshell in five stages and by up to 60mm in Q5 Sportback Vorsprung models.

The Q5 Sportback is set to launch in the U.K. with two powerful 2.0-litre four-cylinder engines - a TDI and a TFSI - each with 201bhp. The potent SQ5 Sportback with its 342bhp twin-turbo V6 TDI will also form part of the first wave. Plug-in hybrid TFSIe variants with a choice of two outputs will follow a little later.

The four-cylinder engines are combined with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission, while the V6 TDI in the SQ5 Sportback works with an eight-speed tiptronic.