IN THIS FEATURE Inventing a sector Typical Audi minimalism Feeling superior

Longer and lower-roofed than the five-door Golf Mk 5, the Sportback shares most of its engines with that model: the 1.6 8v (102 bhp, 109 lb ft), 1.6 16v direct-injection FSI petrol (115 bhp, 114 lb ft), the 2.0 FSI (150 bhp, 147 lb ft), 1.9 TDI (105 bhp, 184 lb ft) and 2.0 TDI (140 bhp, 236 lb ft). There's also the new turbocharged 2.0 T FSI (200 bhp, 206 lb ft), probably rather similar to the engine which will go in the new Golf GTi, and the 250 bhp, 236 lb ft 3.2 V6, as in the Mk 4 Golf R32. Both these models have quattro four-wheel drive and come with the option of the DSG Direct-Shift clutchless gearbox, as in the Golf R32 and TT V6. Six-speed Tiptronic auto 'boxes are also available. Higher-performance S3 and RS3 versions are likely to follow; the former 'more likely in the short term', according to an Audi spokesman, and probably due for launch in the second half of next year, the latter not yet signed off for production but provisionally scheduled for further down the line.

Red leather is thankfully optional

Offered with a high level of standard equipment, SE and Sport trims and options including DVD navigation, MP3 audio, full leather upholstery in colours from the subtle and sensible (black) to the luridly individual (red) and, from next year, a two-piece retractable glass roof, the Sportback's cabin is well-finished with typical Audi minimalism and subtle attention to detail. With supportive seats and a driver-focussed cockpit, it also has generous rear legroom, though the sloping roofline does cut into headroom rather. With the darker interior trims, it can feel on the claustrophobic side - though the forthcoming glass roof and careful choice of colour schemes will go some way to address this, and you could always argue that it just feels more like a sports coupe than a family hatch anyway. The rear seats fold, though they don't slide or tumble, giving a useful boot capacity and a place for the space-saving spare wheel, though a through-load ski-hatch arrangement is a £175 option.