I had to work at this. Its neo-classic looks, inside and out, embraced me in an aura of understated cutting edge.
But for all that, the four-door, coupe-like allure of the Audi A5 Sportback - due in South Africa in the first quarter of 2010 - only let me see into its heart when I dispensed with the formalities, disregarded style clues such as frameless doors, and got down and dirty with the steel and rubber and electronic and oily bits that make a car "go".
And so it was after a dithering and, I must say, tetchy first 100km or so over wet and leafy roads, I knocked this Audi into Sport mode and got up the revs.
Until then I had been disappointed, frankly. The Sportback, a mix of the A4 and A5, felt a bit light, a bit too sensitive over ripply roads and a tad insubstantial.
That sounds harsh but I'm only relaying my genuine first impressions. I didn't settle into it straight away. I was, of course, impressed by some practicalities such as the decent rear room which makes it an option for those who need a sedan but value a bit of esprit in their car's looks and performance.
The boot is not insubstantial, if a trifle shallow, but it makes a reasonable case to be accepted as a top-edge looker with space within.
However, with that two-litre turbo petrol under its cleverly crafted bonnet - what a magnificent entrance it makes - I was looking for gusto aplenty.
So there I was, snuggled in, everything more or less at my fingertips, the wipers working unpaid overtime in the lashing rain, Bohemian Rhapsody on the radio and a couple of days down home beckoning. I was well set up.
A few other drivers switched lanes to get a better look at it but still I couldn't settle. Not until I got away from the traffic and the thrashing lorries.
Then I took my chance to let it breathe on the freer, looping roads that comprise my circuitous route home. Ordinary automatic wasn't good enough. I needed it in Sport (where it holds the gears longer). Aha! Then I got somewhere.
Suddenly, with the foot down and the rev counter going all the way to, and a little beyond, the red line at 6100rpm before it would release its grasp on the gear and plunge me in to another, I was finding this car a far better proposition by the kilometre.
There was a subtlety there that just dished out the power, relentlessly, without trumpeting its achievement or making it feel like a great big physical experience.
Maybe I'm getting old but, in the mood I was in, I was looking for more of a bohemian rap than rhapsody. You know, something to quicken the heartbeat.
But the Sportback isn't like that. It has the wherewithal (0-100kmh in 6.6sec is an acceleration credential many a so-called sports car would be glad to boast) but manages to cloak it in smoothness.
LONG, SWEEPING BENDS
Even now, after giving it one final lash, I could only admire its composure at speed and turn.
It was at its best - or rather I enjoyed it most - when letting it zip along at high revs and decent speed on roads with long, sweeping bends. The sort that can unstick a lesser car and leave you feeling a bit nervous.
With quattro all-wheel drive and a balance not many have achieved, the only time it showed any strain was when I had to brake extremely hard to avoid a fox - but it never lost its composure.
It was almost strange to be driving a petrol engine (there is also a diesel, of course) and the slickness of this powerplant in conjunction with the seamless gear-change is easily overlooked because, like a lot of other elements in the package, there is a level of proficiency that deflects rather than attracts attention.
I would most certainly have liked a better, truer feel of the road through the steering wheel - again, it felt better at speed, and maybe a more robust exhaust sound would have generated an aura of power commensurate with its capability.
BORDERING ON THE REMARKABLE
If you have a family with two young children there will be adequate space in the back. Despite the sharply raked curve of the roofline, they've managed to make access and room reasonable.
It's just about fair as four-door motors go but bordering on the remarkable when considered in the context of this car's design and layout. It's not as roomy, nor does it have the useable boot space of, say, its A4 stablemate, but it looks an awful lot better. Not sure if I'd prefer it above the "ordinary" A5.
This is a new breed, where style meets practicality more than halfway.
It didn't light my fire to the extent that some other Audis have of late but, if you work at it you'll find, like good food or wine, it unfolds pleasantly as the acquaintance deepens. - Irish Independent