Audi RS 5 Sportback thunders into the Middle East - in pictures

Dealers in the UAE are now taking orders for the German marque's latest sporty tearaway

The new RS 5 Sportback is here. All photos courtesy Audi

Taking a corner.

Taking a rest.

Inside the cabin.

Audi has more than a few snazzy models on its roster already, but Middle East buyers after something with a bit of poke and practicality will now have another one to choose from in the shape of the RS 5 Sportback.

The Americans got it first, even before Germany, the land that actually created it, but we can forgive the manufacturers their trespasses as the time lapse in its release in this part of the world hasn't been long enough for anyone to write a follow-up to War and Peace.

This elegant new model is, they claim, one of those high-performance cars that you can use to rip around in, but will also carry four (adult) people and be able to transport your latest (smaller) Ikea purchases home.

You can see how this is very much likely to be the case as the engine is a 2.9-litre V6 dual turbo affair, which will take you from 0 to 100 kilometres per hour in 3.9 seconds and deliver a top speed of 280kph.

Spacewise, it's a five-door model which is a few centimetres longer and taller than the RS 5 coupe that arrived last year.

How much the car will cost on these shores is yet to be definitely confirmed, but in the US prices are starting at $75,195 (Dh280,000).

Dealers in the UAE are taking orders now. And, on a purely artistic level, any buyer choosing an RS 5 in that green colour will no doubt agree it goes very nicely against a desert backdrop. Nothing beats a bit of automotive colour co-ordination.