So far, there are three big players in this segment: the Honda Crosstour, the Acura ZDX and the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo -- all of which suffer from a sort of Quasimodo affliction of proportion. That’s particularly true of the Crosstour, a vehicle that hasn’t helped Honda sway buyers from recall-riddled Toyota in the way that the company had hoped. Unlike SUVs or minivans of similar girth, the Crosstour doesn’t offer much in the way of cargo room. Add to the $30,000-plus price tag the fact that you can’t do much towing, and buyers are likely to go elsewhere for family needs.

Likewise, the two luxury examples -- the ZDX and 5 Series GT -- suffer from similar hobbles when it comes to sales, and neither has taken off like a wildfire here in the U.S. So why is Audi charging headfirst into these waters? For starters, it has an ace up its sleeve with the styling of the A7. The car is hands-down the most attractive of the group, and with a supercharged V6 engine under its hood and the company’s excellent all-wheel drive, it just might provide enough of what buyers want to be a suitable CUV replacement. Given the lukewarm -- at best -- reception to the other players on the field thus far, though, even those excellent attributes hardly guarantee success for the A7 Sportback.