Audi RS5 Coupe 2020 first drive

It hardly seems to have been on sale long enough. But Audi has already rung the changes to the second-generation Audi RS5 Coupé.

The 2020 model adheres closely to the car it replaces, both in technical terms and driving character. The surprise is just how closely. Audi is convinced that the mechanical aspects of the three-year-old rival to the BMW M4 and Mercedes-AMG C63 Coupé are competitive enough to see it through to 2023, when it is due to be replaced by an all-new third-generation model that features a hybrid component to its downsized drivetrain. So Audi has directed its efforts here mainly at fine-tuning the RS5's exterior design in a bid to provide it with greater engine cooling efficiency, among other, aesthetic factors.

Even ardent Audi fans will need to look closely to spot the changes. They’re there, though – such as a lightly reworked front bumper with subtly reshaped outer air intakes and a trio of vents above a lightly reworked grille, a treatment Audi says was inspired by the original Quattro launched in 1984, no less. There are also new-look daytime running lights, which feature a six-part design for a more distinctive appearance.

The rear is distinguished by reworked tail-light graphics similar to those used up front and a reshaped bumper featuring a revised diffuser element. Buyers can specify either 19in or 20in wheels as well as two new colours – Turbo Blue and Tango Red.

Inside, the new RS5 Coupé retains the same excellent interior as its predecessor. It has been further enhanced by the adoption of a new operating system for the infotainment, with touchscreen operation in place of the rotary controller that had been used up to now. It uses Audi’s MMI touch-response technology and comes with an optional Navigation Plus package that, like the digital instruments, features Audi Sport-specific graphics for a variety of data.

At the heart of the facelifted RS5 Coupé is the turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 petrol engine used by its immediate predecessor. It continues to produce the same 444bhp as the turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder unit used by the first-generation M4 but some 15bhp less than the turbocharged 4.0-litre V8 powerplant of the second-generation C63 Coupé.

It is the abundant torque that distinguishes the joint Audi- and Porsche-developed unit, though. With 443lb ft between 1900rpm and 5000rpm, it endows the reworked Audi with a soothing effortlessness when cruising in Comfort mode and, alternatively, a fitting urgency to the acceleration when being worked harder in Sport mode.