PARIS MOTOR SHOW: New Audi A5 and S5 Sportback revealed

Audi has whipped the virtual covers off its new A5 and S5 Sportback models ahead of their debuts at the Paris motor show later this month.

Breaking cover seven years after the original model, the latest A5/S5 liftback models adopt the German marque’s latest corporate exterior design language, featuring a familiar single-frame grille and heavily contoured lines along the bonnet and bodyline -- as found on the corresponding two-door A5 Coupe and S5 Coupe.

The new five-door differentiates itself from the predecessor model with a wider, more masculine stance, punctuated by flared wheel-arches and three-dimensional LED lights front and rear.

It’s a similar story inside, with Audi playing to the strengths of the original A5 and S5. Taking pride of place in the cockpit of higher-spec models is the German car-maker’s much-touted virtual cockpit display, conveying essential car, infotainment and navigation settings via a configurable 12.3-inch instrument display.

A 7.0-inch central touch-screen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability sits atop a bevy of digital climate-control switches and dials in the centre fascia. The changes combine with a roomier cabin attached to a larger 480-litre boot.

Audi has extended the Sportback’s safety kit to include automated emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance, rear cross traffic alert and road sign recognition.

Riding on a stretched format of the A5 Coupe’s architecture, the Sportback has a longer wheelbase than before, at 2824mm instead of 2811mm.

As with the new coupe models, the A5 Sportback will be available with a choice of two petrol and three diesel engines: 2.0 TFSI (140kW/320Nm), 2.0-litre TFSI (185kW/370Nm) and 2.0 TDI and TDI Ultra (140kW/400Nm), 3.0 TDI (160kW/400Nm) and 3.0 TDI (210kW/620). Audi Australia is yet to confirm exactly which engine variants it will take.

Sitting at the top of the range -- until the next-generation RS5 lobs, at least -- is the S5 Sportback, which scores the same 3.0-litre turbo-petrol V6 that does duty in the S6 coupe, making a healthy 260kW and 500Nm. The German marque is claiming a corresponding 0-100km/h acceleration time of 4.7 seconds; line-ball with the S5 coupe.

Audi is set to offer a choice of front- and all-wheel drive configurations, with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic and eight-speed tiptronic automatic available depending on the variant. Efficiency is said to have improved by up to 22 per cent on the outgoing model.

With the regular A5 coupe and S5 coupe set to reach Australian showrooms by the end of this year, the Sportback is likely to land here around mid-2017. Until then, keep an eye out for more details later this month from the Paris motor show.