It's facelift time and a modest tech update for the whole Audi A5 family - that means Coupe, Cabriolet and Sportback, and also the hot S5, which - like some of its larger S-branded stablemates - has gone diesel.
District Green
The second-gen A5 launched in 2016 so this visual update is expected - and expectedly minor. The Singleframe grille is flatter and wider, while there's a trio of slatted vents above which has become Audi's new signature, even though it harks back to 1984's Sport quattro. New side sills, larger front air inlets and a rear diffuser with trapezoidal tailpipes are some of the other signifiers of the facelifted A5, with LED lights as standard across the range. A total of 12 colours will be offered, including a new finish called District Green metallic.
Touchscreen capable
The A5 family now has the MMI touch system but that doesn't mean a third screen lower down on the dash like the larger Audi models; the architecture of the fascia is such that physical climate controls are retained. However, the 10.1-inch display perched atop the centre stack replaces the old rotary MMI controller and it features acoustic/haptic feedback for all 'button' presses. It also has much more advanced connectivity and mapping software, while in front of the driver is the full HD, 12.3-inch Virtual Cockpit instrument cluster.
MHEV powertrains
All four engines offered in the revised A5 line-up will be mild hybrid electric vehicles (MHEV), with outputs from 163hp upwards. All variants will have automatic gearboxes as well, these being a seven-speed S tronic or an eight-speed Tiptronic depending on the torque levels. Quattro all-wheel drive will be an option from the mid-range and standard on the more powerful derivatives. Suspension-wise, passive springs and dampers have a 'sporty' tune, but even firmer Sport suspension and another option with electronically controlled dampers will also be offered. Alloy wheels, meanwhile, will range up to 20 inches in size.
S5 switches codes
Like the S4, SQ5, S6 and S7 before it, the S5 has switched from petrol power to derv. It gains the same 347hp/700Nm iteration of the 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel as the S4 and SQ5 (the S6 and S7 have an additional 2hp to play with!) and you can have it in the two hard-topped body styles for now (no mention of an S5 Cabriolet). Either will do 0-100km/h in less than five seconds and they're limited to 250km/h, but they'll also return up to 46.3mpg with CO2 emissions around 160g/km.