Such a car, being another four door-ed machine the designers have boldly claimed to be a coupe.

Reserved exclusively for two door models with a hard top, the term has been ‘misused’ in recent times ever since Mercedes-Benz launched their CLS model back in 2004. Followed by BMW’s mid-sized luxury crossover, the X6, and now with Audi’s A5 Sportback.

Not to say that people are complaining too much about it though.

Apart from confusing some of us, the CLS range has become one of Mercedes-Benz’s best sellers while the Bavarian’s X6, although letting go of only several units, still enjoyed relative success with their conservative sales targets.

So will the A5 Sportback be any different?

It could. But problem is, people are mistaking the Sportback for the smaller Coupe.

And that’s the result every manufacturer in the industry is gunning for.

To be able to add two extra doors behind the pair in front, to plaster the word ‘coupe’ all over advertising spaces and brochures, and to get everyone believing in the marketing magic.

The X6 didn’t quite achieve that result but the CLS proved that pairing up a tag everyone would never associate with a sedan, to a streamlined, lowered and sleeked out body was a winning combination.

So all that was left for Audi to do was to follow suit – which they did to staggering result.

Exterior

Another case of automobile designers earning their bonus last year.

As incredible and arduous as it sounds the hardworking men and women drawing and shaping for the Ingolstadt company managed to lift the trademark cues off the A5 coupe onto the Sportback.

So we’ve got the slightly swept back bold headlamps flanking the gaping grill, moving past the chiseled shoulder lines over the wheel arches and all of the lines culminating at the rear with the sloping C-pillar keeping the profile of the Sportback sleek.

With the front overhangs relatively long, the designers have decided to keep the rear quarter tight and short, cues we’d be more accustomed to find on sports cars.

A subtle spoiler has been seamlessly added to the boot lid, adding to the sporty stance of the car even at the back.

To complete the look, Audi has thrown in some gorgeous 18 inch rims that, with it fitting in the wheel arches snug, lend the car a more aggressive and hunkered down profile unmatched in the niche occupied by the Sportback.

Interior

As with most of its exterior cues, the insides of the Sportback are absolutely identical to the rest in the A5’s product dept.

So you’ve got the luxurious, comfortable yet supportive leather upholstery, premium plastics used around the car, centre console ergonomically slanted more towards the driver for a more airplane cockpit feel, multi-function steering and their MMI interface that’s probably one of the best in the market.

Things start to change though when the rear doors are open.

Rear seating is enough for two (most manufacturers are adopting this irritating direction) with seats split cleanly in the middle by a protruding arm rest.

Sitting on a slightly stretched platform that the rest of the 5’s use, the Sportback has managed to find a good portion of space at the rear. Even with the slanted roofline, Audi has managed to salvage some much needed headroom by creating a dent in the underside of the roof for the rear seated passengers.

Good news as well at the rearmost with the Sportback being endowed with 480 litres of boot space with the seats up (that’s only 10 litres less than the A4 Saloon) and 980 litres with the seats folded nearly flat.

The sloping tailgate, although hard to imagine being useful from the pictures, made a remarkable difference in loading ability, with me being able to get some bulky IKEA items I’ve been eyeing for some time now in and out of the boot without any hassle.

Driving Impressions

The 2.0-litre TFSI unit that sits under the bonnet is a familiar one.

Powering the likes of the Q5 crossover and even the S3 (it got tweaked a little bit for the S3), the capable engine manages to wring out 211 bhp with its peak twisting figure hitting 350 Nm. Another characteristic of the drivetrain is how they’ve set up for the power to be available really low down in the rev range at just below 2,000 rpm, so there’s no need for any excessive depression of the pedal when you’re moving off from standstill. The seven speed dual clutch S-tronic box helps that along by making sure you’ve got every gear you might need for the variety of occasions.

So predictably, the 6 seconds it takes to get this 1,415kg machine up to 100 km/h is not too shabby.

Now, there’s a few sources online, one being an internationally prominent review website, bluntly saying that the suspension on the 2.0-litre petrol model (the same one we’re testing here) made for a jarring ride especially with the S-trim on.

After a day of driving the A5 Sportback over bumpy roads, on the ECP and even on some light gravel, I can’t say I can relate to what the journalists were talking about. The ride seemed to be a tad bit on the stiffer side but it’s nowhere as bad as some reviews make it out to be.

Just to get a second and third opinion though, I got both my Mom and aunty in the car and asked them what they thought about the ride over dinner. No complaints.

What I found a bit of a pain was the need for me to feather the throttle off the lights. Since the power really doesn’t kick in from start, anyone half as impatient as me would immediately feed more force into the pedal to get more power and the result? The sudden jerk of power when the revs rise to the appropriate level.

Be patient and you‘ll be fine.

Should you buy it?

I love hatches but not particularly on these luxury and more premium mid-sized cars.

But just like the CLS, the Audi A5 Sportback manages to refrain from diluting the sleek, curvy, intense and hunkered down stance of the coupe it’s based on. The car appeals to the family man and woman looking to get something more family oriented in passenger and loading space at the rear, but still not ready to cross over from their two door obsession.

At $199,500, the Audi A5 Sportback occupies the sole slot in its unique class with the Mercedes-Benz starting at $307,888. I think more people would be choosing between this and the A4 saloon or the Avant ($186,116 and $183,116 respectively).

Again, this will boil down to personal preference and as such. If I had my cash in hand and was choosing between the three, I’d go for the Avant in a heartbeat. Get it lowered, slap some aftermarket rims on and I’ll be in business. Even though the A5 has the machismo that made me fall for it in coupe form, you really can’t go wrong with a lowered estate – especially one from Audi.

With Audi enjoying the first mover advantage, BMW has already announced plans for a 3 Series variation to take the Sportback on.