2020 Audi RS5 Sportback

By Alex Forrest

Use the term hatchback, and most people will assume you mean a modest grocery getter and kid taxi. Apart from having a hatchback and four side doors, the Audi RS5 Sportback is the opposite of that.

It has a 2.9-litre, twin-turbocharged V6, costs more than $173,000 drive away and could get your groceries around a racetrack with enough zeal to scramble your eggs before they even leave the carton.

The RS5’s neck-straining 331kW V6 and all-wheel drive system had arrived in Australia well before we saw it under the RS5 Sportback. It was first seen here under the sleek wagon bodywork of the RS4 Avant, which arrived in May 2018.

This same potent driveline has also featured in the shorter, lower and narrower bodywork of the two-door RS5 Coupe, and now it’s in the RS5 Sportback, which really just comes with a couple of extra side doors.

Pundits have revered the RS5 Sportback’s outright performance and handling, and rightfully so. The twin-turbo V6 develops tremendous torque from a very low 1900rpm, and that is arguably the best aspect of what is overall an amazing bit of engineering.

Unusually, the RS5 Sportback comes with some impressive standard equipment, which includes 20-inch wheels, adjustable suspension, a Bang & Olufsen sound system and huge panoramic sunroof.

Standard safety gear includes adaptive cruise control with a stop-and-go traffic function and a head-up display. The RS5’s performance is to be expected when you’re in a price range that could buy eight regular hatchbacks.

However, where this car does truly impress is, somewhat counter-intuitively, when you’re using it as a normal, everyday car.

Its tremendous performance potential is one thing, but the RS5 Sportback’s ability to also convey passengers in quiet luxury with acceptable ride quality while offering the practicality of a large hatchback all make it viable as an everyday driver.

Following this car’s arrival in Australia in early 2019, it was further updated in the following December, when it received a new touchscreen for the interior infotainment screen, and some front and rear styling tweaks.

The engine is the same, and given the fire and brimstone it’s capable of, that’s just fine.