2020 Audi A5 Sportback facelift previewed in M’sia – 190 PS 2.0 TFSI and 249 PS quattro variants offered

It’s been barely a year since the second-generation Audi A5 Sportback was introduced in Malaysia, and already the facelifted model is here to replace it. The late arrival of the previous car coincided with the local relaunch of the four-ringed brand, so this new one brings the A5 more in line with the global product timeline.

The refreshed five-door fastback will be offered as a 2.0 TFSI, both in quattro form and a new, more affordable front-wheel-drive variant; the car you see here is of the top-spec version. No details on equipment and pricing have been released just yet, but we’ll know more when the car is formally introduced very soon.

The engine is the familiar EA888 2.0 litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder. In the base model, it makes 190 PS from 4,200 to 6,000 rpm and 320 Nm of torque between 1,450 and 4,200 rpm. It also gets a 12-volt mild hybrid system that allows the car to coast with the engine off and operate the start-stop system when decelerating from 22 km/h. It gets from zero to 100 km/h in 7.5 seconds and has a top speed of 241 km/h.

On the quattro all-wheel-drive model, those figures are bumped up to 249 PS from 5,000 to 6,500 rpm and 370 Nm between 1,600 and 4,500 rpm, which is very slightly down on power compared to the outgoing model. The zero-to-100 km/h sprint time is cut down to 6.0 seconds and the car will max out at 250 km/h. Both models get a seven-speed S tronic wet dual-clutch transmission.

Dressed in a rather fetching shade of district green, this A5 wears Ingolstadt’s latest design language and bears a number of subtle changes to the handsome styling. At the front are a flatter Singleframe grille and a redesigned bumper with a full-width air intake design, plus some silver trim on this particular variant. You’ll also find matrix LED headlights with darkened internals and segmented daytime running lights.

The svelte side profile sees few changes, with a sharper side skirt design and new 19-inch two-tone multi-spoke alloy wheels being the only discernible tweaks. The rear end sports new tail lights with a similar segmented design as the front DRLs, as well as a redesigned rear bumper with a black diffuser-like insert and integrated trapezoidal exhaust outlets.

Inside, Audi has taken great care not to mess with a stylish, well-built cabin. The steering wheel gets a new design with an airbag boss that mimics the shape of the grille, while a larger 10.1-inch centre display sits proud of the dashboard. The latter is now a touchscreen, so the old rotary dial has been jettisoned in favour of a small storage compartment aft of the cupholders.

Taking advantage of the new display is the latest version of the Multi Media Interface (MMI), with a more minimalist design, smartphone-like multi-touch gestures and a new voice control system that recognises natural language. The car seen here comes with MMI navigation plus, which also bundles in the 12.3-inch virtual cockpit instrument display.

While we don’t know the full specs of this car, the quattro model looks to have broadly the same level of kit as its predecessor, coming with keyless entry, push-button start, triple-zone climate control, power-adjustable sports seats with driver’s side memory, faux and real leather upholstery, Silver Aluminium Ellipse trim, a ten-speaker, 180-watt sound system, a reverse camera and a powered tailgate.

There are no adaptive dampers this time, but you do now get lane departure warning. However, the A5 Sportback still doesn’t come with autonomous emergency braking, which is unacceptable at this price range – especially now that even BMW is offering the system on the 330i.

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