Audi A5 Sportback safety performance hasn’t been separately tested by Euro NCAP, but it’s heavily based on the A4, which has a five-star rating and would perform similarly in a crash. Occupants are well protected with at least six airbags on all cars, standard electronic stability control and anti-whiplash head restraints. There’s also a decent spread of optional safety equipment such as adaptive cruise control (which maintains a set distance with the vehicle in front), a system that warns the driver when another vehicle is in the blindspot and a lane-departure warning system that vibrates the steering wheel if the car crosses a line on the road without indicating.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounting points on the outer rear seats.

This is where the A5 Sportback stands out. Unlike most cars this size, it’s a hatchback rather than a saloon and so is able to offer 480 litres of boot space – the same as the A4. But the big advantage is the hatch opening which means it’s easier to carry larger loads. And for more awkward items such as bicycles, the rear seats easily split and fold down to boost overall luggage room to 980 litres.

The load area itself is wide and deep with only a small bootlip while there’s a clever load cover built into the tailgate itself.