Five-door Audi TT Sportback wows Paris

The Audi TT Sportback concept car has been unveiled to a packed crowd at the Paris Motor Show. It's a longer version of the new TT coupe, with five doors for added practicality.

The concept car seems to reaffirm Audi’s intention to develop new models for the TT range in addition to the traditional coupe and roadster, feed off the TT badge’s prestige. The Sportback follows on from the Audi Allroad Shooting Brake concept revealed earlier this year. That was essentially a cross between the TT coupe and an SUV.

Like the coupe, the TT Sportback concept is built on the Volkswagen Group’s versatile and increasingly common MQB platform, but it's 290mm longer and 60mm wider than the two-door, as well as 120mm longer between the front and rear wheels. This means there’s much more room in the back for rear passengers, as well as extra storage space throughout the interior.

Aside from the stretched body, styling differences between the standard TT and the Sportback are few and far between. The radiator grille is flatter and wider, the design of the LED headlights has been altered and the front bumper is slightly rounder. At the rear of the car, the Sportback has slimmer tail-lights than the coupe.

Inside, the Sportback has the same interior as the coupe, so there's a 12.3-inch 'virtual cockpit' display instead of conventional dials, and the air vents have built-in digital control panels. The concept is strictly a four-seater, but the two individual rear seats can be folded down to free up even more boot space.

While something like the Sportback could very conceivably go into production, it’s highly unlikely that the 394bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine in the concept car would be part of the engine range. It's capable of accelerating the Sportback concept from 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds, with fuel consumption of 40.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 162g/km. The engine is attached to a seven-speed automatic gearbox and Audi’s quattro four-wheel-drive system.

For reviews of cars in the current Audi line-up, including new Audi TT coupe, visit the Carbuyer Audi reviews page.