"Service due!” was how the Audi A5 Sportback signed off as I parked at the office the other week. It had reached 18,650 miles in almost a year, and with the driver information display showing a miles/days reminder the previous week suggesting 200 miles or 375 days, I expected it wouldn’t be too long before the car went in for its first visit to the dealer for routine maintenance.

Routine was an apt description as the only additional work carried out was a replacement pollen filter – an item, we were told is normally replaced at 20,000 miles so it seemed logical to replace it now rather than allow a potential fault to occur later.

Work was carried out by Peterborough Audi, which also offers an ‘Audi Cam’ option where if non-routine work is discovered during a service, the registered keeper of the vehicle can view a short video made by the technician showing what’s wrong and what work might be required.

The cost of the service was around £340 including VAT, and should allow the A5 Sportback another 18,000 trouble-free miles, although such is the nature of variable service intervals, how the car is driven can dictate how soon a service is required. For example, mostly urban driving could result in a much earlier prompt to visit the dealer than someone who covered most of their miles on the motorway.

However, this will not be Fleet News' concern, as the A5 Sportback goes back to Audi in the New Year after just over 12 months in our custodianship.

We won’t miss the ultra-firm ride, and those frameless doors that deposit water on the seat when opened on a wet day.

But the A5 Sportback is still proving to be a desirable user-chooser car, distinct from the A4 range, but more practical than the A5 coupé, while its smooth 177bhp diesel engine is as refined as any offered by its competitors.