There are four trim levels offered across the standard A4 Sportback line-up, which kicks off with the Sport version. This runs on 18-inch alloys, has LED headlamps with Titanium Black grille and rear diffuser, plus leather-trimmed sports seats, climate control and MMI Navigation Plus with 10.1-inch touch control display and Audi’s excellent 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit digital dashboard.

Next up is the S Line with 19-inch wheels, sportier styling tweaks, dynamic front and rear indicators and leather/Alcantara seats. The Edition 1 trim takes you up to 20-inch wheels, includes the Black styling pack and Nappa leather interior, while the top spec Vorsprung has fancier 20-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof and upgraded Bang & Olufsen sound system.

There’s a decent choice of engines with something to suit all tastes. The range starts with the 148bhp 1.4 TFSI 150PS petrol, followed by a 2.0 TFSI in 204PS and 265PS forms that have 201bhp or 261bhp – all with Audi’s 7-speed S tronic automatic gearbox, but the most powerful engine only available with quattro four-wheel drive. The three powertrain options are badged 35 TFSI, 40 TFSI and 45TFSI quattro respectively.The high-performance S5 Sportback is now only available as a diesel, but you can get the mighty RS 5 Sportback with a 2.9 TFSI twin-turbo petrol making 444bhp.

If you’d prefer a diesel, the range includes two 2.0-litre models badged 35 TDI and 40 TDI with 161 and 201bhp respectively. The R S5 comes with a 3.0V6 TDI engine making 334bhp, mated to an eight-speed Tiptronic auto.

Quattro four-wheel drive is only available on selected versions of the A5 Sportback, being fitted as standard to the 40 TDI and 45 TFSI, as well as the S5 and RS 5 performance variants.

The only direct rival for the A5 Sportback is the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, which follows the same formula of being a more practical five-door coupe that's based on a two-door coupe that shares its running gear with a four-door saloon. Other cars worth considering for stand-out looks include the Volkswagen Arteon, Jaguar XE and Alfa Romeo Giulia, while the usual range of saloons and two-door coupes from Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, as well as within the Audi range, are worth considering, too.