Audi has launched the S5 Sportback at Rs 62.95 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi). It was expected to be launched a few months ago, but with a slew of other launches this year like the A6 Matrix, Q3 facelift, RS7 facelift, RS6 Avant and new TT coupé, the company has had its hands quite full. Now, however, just in time for the festive season, Audi has added this sporty four-door coupé to its line-up.

While the RS5 already on sale here is a two-door coupé, the S5 launched in India is a Sportback – a frameless four-door coupé body style, like we’ve seen previously on the A7 and RS7. This of course means it’s still quite a stylish proposition, but adds space and practicality to the mix as well. It has been positioned just a little above the current Audi S4 sedan.

In fact, the S5 Sportback is closely related to the S4, sharing the same underpinnings and powertrain, and though the S4 is still on sale, it will be phased out soon enough, after which the similarly sized S5 will occupy its place. The next-gen S4 is still a long while away. The powertrain in the S5 is a 328bhp supercharged petrol V6 engine that puts its power through an S-tronic dual-clutch auto gearbox and Audi’s Quattro AWD system.

Audi ‘S’ cars are typically a little softer than their ‘RS’ counterparts, so expect a friendlier on-road experience than the hardcore RS5, but with a fair bit of performance too. The price too is a little toned down from the RS5’s one-crore-plus tag. At the moment, the S5 doesn’t have any direct rivals, save for the slightly smaller, four-cylinder Mercedes-AMG CLA 45. Its more direct rivals, however, are the Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG, Jaguar XE S and BMW 340i M-Sport, none of which are on sale in India.