Audi A7 Sportback: No question it's a great answer

The comprehensively equipped A7 is surprisingly good to drive but will it upstage the A6 which is expected to hit our shores in a few weeks? Photo / Supplied

Movie trailers: who'd be without them? In a concentrated blast you get all the most impressive, attention-grabbing bits of the main feature, plus the bonus of a bit of time to think about whether you want to commit to the whole thing.

That's pretty much how I saw my four days with the Audi A7 Sportback. Your Audi dealer will tell you all sorts of nonsense about how the A7 is a new genre of premium four-door coupe or has groundbreaking styling. It's actually a sexier, more practical version of the forthcoming all-new A6, with the best design elements and equipment.

It's hard to get excited about Audi powertrains - they're very good, but they're all the same. And so it proves with the A7, which offers the choice of a 3.0-litre supercharged-V6 petrol or a 3.0-litre turbo diesel (TDI), with a seven-speed S-tronic (that's Audi-speak for a dual-clutch robotised gearbox) transmission.

Both are $154,200, so with the TDI boasting an extra 60Nm of torque and sipping 2.2 litres less fuel per 100km, the choice is a no-brainer.

With quattro all-wheel drive, the A7 is rapid and composed, but not involving. That's okay - it's a 5m-long car that weighs 1.9 tonnes so it's no sports car. But it's slick and satisfying all the same.

And very well stocked, lifting much of its interior style and equipment from the flagship A8 sedan. Both models ride on 18-inch wheels, get the signature Audi Xenon lights with ornate LED daytime running lights, climate control with sun and humidity sensor, drive information display with an eight-inch colour screen, CD/DVD changer, full Bluetooth and music connectivity and a powered tailgate.

Oddly, it's even quite practical. Although that hatchback - sorry, four-door coupe with tailgate - body shape is mainly there for stylistic effect, you'd be surprised what you can carry in an A7. Nothing too tall, as the rakish rear and shallow boot will scupper your antique-dealer ambitions. But with 535 litres, it's substantial in its own way. Yes, you can fold down the rear seats, just like a real hatchback. Here's the bit where I should say the A7 is so unusual that it has no real rivals. Except that everybody seems to be on to this pseudo-four-door-coupe thing at the moment. Mercedes-Benz was first and there's an all-new CLS on its way, BMW has its 5-series GT and even Volkswagen is in on the act. I remain unconvinced about the German automotive industry's desire to fill every possible niche but, for all that, I do rather like the Audi A7. It's a pleasing mix of fashion-forward style with touches of retro at the rear, the interior is sensational and it's surprisingly good to drive.

Unusually for an Audi, it's also comprehensively equipped right out of the box, no extras needed.

There's just one problem with a great movie trailer: sometimes you feel like you've seen all the best bits and the main feature is a disappointment. Let's hope that's not the case with the new A6 when it launches here soon.

What a novel idea

Think Audi must be done playing around with niche coupe concepts? Think again. The German maker is rumoured to be working on an A9 coupe - a flagship that will sit above the A8 sedan and share some platform technology with the Lamborghini Estoque. But here's a twist: Audi is likely to launch the A9 in 2014 as a two-door, with a five-door later. A two-door coupe? Now there's a novel idea.

Alternatives

* BMW 530d GT
$153,900
* Ferrari FF
$670,000
* Porsche Panamera diesel
$192,400
* Volkswagen Passat CC R-Line TDI
$66,500

The bottom line:

Did anybody order a $150,000 hatchback? No, thought not. But while Audi's pseudo-coupe A7 seems to answer a question nobody asked, it's a stylish and desirable luxury model all the same.