Notions of subtle, driver-pleasing interaction have somehow been missed; if an Audi turns out to be really fun to drive, the RS6 for example, it seems almost to have happened by accident.But something novel is happening here. This has paddles on the steering wheel to shift up or down, six gears and near-miraculous smoothness.The novel happening is this. Every tiny movement of steering wheel and accelerator triggers an instant but exactly metered reaction; you feel connected with this car in a way few of today’s cars can replicate, and so what if it creaks and rattles a bit?The new car cannot compete with the 205’s easy, almost scornful pulling power from low speeds, although its 180bhp overcomes its greater mass to make it ultimately faster. I am blazing along a fast, sinuous, empty road near the Col de Vence, at the wheel of the grandest, most expensive Sportback. Judging by the real-aluminium accents in its beautifully-wrought cabin, this is a Sportback with Sportpack, and it has a 3.2-litre, narrow-angle V6 engine (250bhp), Quattro four-wheel drive and the Volkswagen group’s remarkable, double-clutch, DSG transmission. But the new Audi has a slightly longer tail than the three-door A3, making it a semi-estate car.

Another rival, then, is Alfa’s 156 Sportwagon, even though that car is arguably from the size-class above.Monaco means fantastic driving roads in the Alpes Maritimes, roads which will uncover the sportiness that Audi says it has infused into the Sportback. BMW has just raised the game with the introduction of its 1-series, for which the Sportback is a direct rival. So Sportback, unexclaimed, it shall be.A “premium” (quite expensive, nicely finished and wearing an upmarket badge) hatchback is clearly a pleasing object to own, witness (according to Audi) the rise in sales numbers of cars costing more than £14,000. What you see here is really just a new five-door version of the hitherto three-door-only Audi A3, set apart from its sibling by the extra door-count and the aggressive “single-frame grille” that is the new face of Audi But Audi could not sell it that short Hence the up-sexing.More quotes from its creators. It is a “fascinating, coherent design” able to “arouse powerful emotions”.

You are buying not just a car but the realisation of a dream; and the name is Sportback!Sportback!? An exclamation mark suffixed nearly every rendering of the name at the launch in Monaco, but even Audi would not expect us to use it in perpetuity any more than Fiat expected a full stop after every reference to the orginal Punto. SPECIFICATIONS Price: £22,705 (range spans £16,010 to £24,625). On sale September Engine: 1,984cc, four cylinders, 16 valves, turbo, 200bhp between 5,100-6,000rpm Transmission: six-speed gearbox, four-wheel drive Performance: 145mph, 0-60 in 6.9sec, 35.7mpg official average CO2: 216g/km

SPECIFICATIONS Price: £22,705 (range spans £16,010 to £24,625). You could use a slightly thinner grade of motor oil, so a 10/40 or 10/30 instead of 20/50 could help. Check when the cambelt was last changed — leave it too long in most cars (that’s over 30,000 miles), and it could break. Consult the manufacturer as to when they recommend it should be changed.*CAR DOCTOR: Write to Car Doctor, Features, Independent House, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS, or e-mail cardoctor independent.co.uk.

Being associated with “trendy sports”, enhancing a lifestyle, and so on. When starting, the engine is noisy for the first few miles then goes away What is this? A Brierley, HuntingdonA. We dealt with this problem recently and provided the noise goes away when warm you haven’t got too much to worry about. My car has a full service history and is generally in good condition although it is now over 10 years’ old. It sounds like a simple problem: the idle speed must be set far too low. Maybe your car hasn’t been serviced for some time, so get it into a garage and have a full service. An automatic car that constantly stalls in this way is very dangerous indeed, and I’m surprised that you have managed to drive it at all.Q My driver’s door handle has become really stiff.