Getting behind the wheel of the A5 Sportback for the first time I realised I’d forgotten how beautifully finished inside modern Audis are.

Functional design that’s also elegant and put together with the precision of a fine timepiece sets Audi apart from rival premium brands.

It got me thinking about other parts of the interior before I noticed how offset the pedals were.

The sporty three-spoke steering wheel’s vertical spoke is in line with the clutch pedal, so when changing gear the driver’s left foot is repeatedly called to duty in the centre of the pedal box, while the right foot works even further right than its natural position.

The large left foot-rest also interferes with me pushing the clutch pedal in fully, my heel snagging each time.

I worry that any good work done in the design of the seat to ensure long-distance comfort could be undone by an unnatural posture from using the pedals that may be out of position.

It seems strange that there could be a design flaw such as this, but most European cars, and especially those that sell well in North America and China, would be designed as left-hand drive vehicles, and while they are sold in right-hand drive markets, the conversion work isn’t as simple as creating a mirror image of the foot-well on the left of the car.

Time will tell if there are any long-term ill effects but so far I’m not 100% happy with my first long-term sting in a manual car for several months.