Blending coupe good looks, sedan comfort and station wagon - sorry, Avant - practicality, the A5 Sportback is cited as a modern embodiment of the grand tourer with no direct rivals.
And discounting the BMW 5-Series GT (same idea, bigger scale), Audi could be right.
To create the Sportback, it looks as if Audi added a tailgate - plus a pair of rear doors and some extra length - to the A5, which is already offered in two-year-old coupe and more recent convertible guise.
In technical reality, it has a lot more in common with the A4, and that's the comparison car when discussing where this five-door, four-seater model sits, and how it sets out to fill a gap between the A4 sedan and Avant.
Priority, though, is to attract attention from what Audi New Zealand boss Dane Fisher describes as a more design-focused buyer base "fascinated by new concepts and the latest innovation.''
Audi is planning more of these odd-numbered cars - at next month's Geneva Show we'll see the teensy A1, and next year the A7, a hatchback version of the next-generation A6 and Ingolstadt's answer to the Mercedes CLS.
"The odd-numbered vehicles will be a little bit more expressive, have more of a design focus and be a little bit more adventurous,'' says Mr Fisher.
The A5 follows that guideline, though the proposal it sits midway between the A4 sedan and wagon might be debated. It suits the argument more for cargo capacity than passenger placement, with the sloping rear eating into headroom.
The Sportback is starting in New Zealand with a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and a 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel likely to be the popular choice. A performance king S5 comes midyear.
Each model comes in standard and $6000-dearer S-Line specification, all quattro and with the new seven-speed dual-clutch DSG transmission set to filter into other Audis as the year progresses.
Another innovation is an energy recuperation system that takes energy recovered during braking and deceleration and stores it temporarily in the battery. This can reduce fuel consumption by 3%.
Standard equipment includes three-zone air-conditioning, leather trim, daytime running lights, cruise control, halogen headlights, Bluetooth preparation, keyless entry, rear parking sensors, stability control and eight airbags. The diesel is on 19-inch wheels against the petrol's 18s.
S-Line adds iPod preparation, enhanced trim, sportier front seats, steering wheel gearshift paddles and, on the diesel, adaptive suspension with Audi Drive Select, which allows different settings for the suspension, steering, throttle response and gearshift patterns.
A fat list of optional extras covers everything from a $150 hill holder to sat nav at $6000 for the basic package and $8500 with TV. Even the LED daytime running lights that have become an Audi styling trademark are extra, packaged with xenon lights.
Response-sharpening dynamic steering features, while the TDI is also available with a sport differential that oscillates torque between the left and right rear wheels according to traction requirements.
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