Some cars shout. This one lowers its voice and lets you lean in. The 2014 Audi A7 Sportback has one of the cleanest silhouettes Audi has ever drawn - a long, falling roofline that turns a five-door into something closer to a grand tourer, and it has aged into the kind of shape people still turn around for at the lights.

Under the bonnet is the 3.0 bi-turbo diesel, and it is the reason this car makes so much sense in Melbourne. There is a deep well of torque from just off idle, so overtaking on the Hume is a matter of thinking about it rather than planning it. Then you settle back to a cruise and watch the fuel gauge refuse to move.

Quattro all-wheel drive is the quiet partner in all of this. Wet tram tracks through Richmond, a gravel driveway up in the ranges, a boot full of luggage on a wet Friday - the car simply grips and gets on with it. Confidence you never have to think about is worth more than a number on a spec sheet.

Inside, it is classic Audi restraint. Everything falls where your hand expects it, the materials feel expensive rather than showy, and the cabin is genuinely quiet at highway speed. Long trips end with you feeling like you have been sitting in a good chair, not wrestling a car.

The Sportback body is the practical twist in the story. That elegant tail opens into a proper hatch, so bikes, flat-packs, golf clubs and the weekly shop all disappear inside without the indignity of a boot lid that only opens halfway.

At 90,000 km this A7 has plenty of road ahead of it, finished in white with the presence to carry it. It is a lot of car for the money - the sort of purchase that makes the drive home from work the best twenty minutes of the day.

Nobody has ever walked out to an A7 in a car park and thought, I wish I had bought something more sensible.

All prices displayed exclude government charges. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information provided, MM Carz recommends you confirm with one of our consultants to confirm specific specifications/features about the car. Please also note our vehicles may not always be on display, as they may be in for detailing - please contact us in advance to confirm availability before visiting our showroom.