2020 Audi A5 gets a light makeover, plus a hi-po TDI option in Europe

The second-generation Audi A5 has been with us for two years, limiting the 2020 model refresh to a few bits and bobs. A flatter singleframe grille adopts a honeycomb insert to replace the chrome bars, the grille surround marked by three openings in the upper crossbar. Designers reshaped the lower front lip into an elongated wing, with a crossbar highlighted in a metallic finish on upper trims. The U.S. A5 already comes with LED headlights standard, and the all-LED bonanza now extends to every A5 for every market; Matrix LEDs and LED taillights with dynamic turn signals will be an option. A new side sill cuts a slimmer profile between the wheels, and in back, a new diffuser treatment and A8-esque tailpipes emphasize the A5’s width.   

Audi says it will offer three trims: basic, advanced, and S line — likely the European trim steps that won’t rewrite our Premium, Premium Plus, and Prestige steps in use now. There will be 12 color options for painting the outside, with District Green Metallic joining the chart. Inside, the rotary MMI wheel is no more, the MMI system self-contained in the 10.1-inch touchscreen atop the center console. The space formerly occupied by the knob, ahead of the shifter, is a small covered cubby, following the same template as the refreshed 2020 Audi A4.

Every one of four possible engines will be assisted by a 48-volt mild hybrid system and an electric turbocharger compressor. In Europe, the S5 TDI coupe and Sportback produce the customary 347 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque from a 3.0-liter V6 diesel. They get an eight-speed automatic, the stiffer S sport suspension, and four round tailpipes. Outside Europe, the S5 coupe and Sportback harness a 3.0-liter TFSI V6 with 354 hp and 369 lb-ft, able to carry the coupe from zero to 62 miles per hour in 4.7 seconds. 

Buyers can get the A5 Edition One at launch in any coupe or Sportback flavor with at least 190 horsepower. It comes standard with the mid-tier sport suspension, S line exterior tweaks, and the S line or Design Selection interior. The three colors available for the limited edition are Quantum Gray, Daytona Gray Pearl Effect, and District Green Metallic.

Order books for the 2020 Audi A5 open in Europe this fall, though dealer deliveries are not expected until early 2020. In Germany, the A5 Coupe 40 TSFI will start at 42,900 euros, the S5 coupe and Sportback starting 66,500 euros. Expect U.S. availability and pricing information to follow sometime soon.