APPARENTLY, the latest version of the Audi A5 falls into a category known as the specialist saloon offset market.

That's four door coupe to the likes of you and me and the new A5 Sportback is coming on stream a few months after Audi released the two door A5.

The Sportback is a couple of inches longer than the regular A5 and as well as having rear doors is a hatchback with 480 litres of luggage space - a backpack more than the booted model.

Apart from that it's nigh on identical and even costs the same with prices starting from £33,050.

Initially, Audi is offering the new A5 Sportback with a choice of three engines, two diesel and one petrol turbo with the S5 range topper packing a 3.0-litre V6.

The S5 is priced from £47,000 and comes fully loaded with a quattro drivetrain to handle its 354ps which endows it with a lively 4.6 seconds 0 to 60 time.

Compared to its predecessor the new Sportback is significantly lighter which not only helps its agility but also its fuel economy and the 2.0-litre ultra diesel version is rated at 68.9mpg with emissions of 106g/km and that's better than anything BMW can muster with its 4 Series Gran Coupe.

Even the S5 with its high performance bent has a CO2 figure of 170g/km which equates to 37.7mpg, some five per cent more economical than before.

Real world figures for the S5 were closer to 30 to the gallon on our drive while a 2.0-litre TDI quattro A5 Sportback returned an average of 39.7mpg - some way off the official 62.8mpg.

In anyone's book the new Sportback is a very handsome model, sleek and well proportioned.

There is more than an inch of extra legroom in the rear and it is a genuine four seater with high comfort levels all round.

Standard equipment includes xenon headlamps, a seven-inch colour display and a power operated tailgate while sat nav is included on all but the entry level SE grade.

Top specification S line versions come with LED lights front and rear, 18-inch alloys and lowered sports suspension.

All come with multi-mode drive settings to get the best from the car in a variety of conditions and Audi's high tech virtual cockpit display is a £250 option to set off the instrumentation.

Safety systems include an exit warning device which alerts passengers to potential dangers when opening a door while on the technology front the Sportback can use its adaptive cruise control to negotiate stop-start traffic at speeds up to 40mph.

For those who want a family sized car with coupe style looks the Sportback fits the bill to a tee.

The driving characteristics are out of the top drawer. All perform with aplomb (0 to 60 below eight seconds in the 190ps diesels) and the S5 has real venom with the slightly longer wheelbase not unsettling the ride in any significant way.

The 2.0-litre TFSI quattro has 252ps on tap which results in a 0 to 60 acceleration time of six seconds dead and is a smooth performer making the best of its seven speed S tronic auto transmission.

Official fuel return is 47.9mpg, emissions are 136g/km and in top specification S line trim is priced from £41,240.

A 190ps version of the TFSI engine is due to be introduced in the A5 later in the year as is a 3.0-litre diesel which is claimed to be capable of 61.4mpg.