• Audi RS5 Sportback is priced from Rs 1.04 crore.
• Styling updates include new headlamps and tail lamps, alloy wheels, and a revised fascia.
• Inside, it gets Audi’s latest 10.1-inch MMI infotainment system and updated digital driver’s display.
• Powered by the same 450PS 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 engine.
• Does 0-100kmph in 3.9 seconds and maxes out at 250kmph.
• Rivals the Mercedes-AMG C63 and BMW M3.

Audi India has launched the facelifted RS5 Sportback from Rs 1.04 crore (ex-showroom). Traditionally, the RS5 was offered as a two-door coupe but this time around, the high-performance sedan comes as a more practical four-door Sportback. While this gives it a bit of a conventional look, the extra set of doors make it way more practical. 

Design updates are a blink and miss affair. The performance sedan features new LED headlamps and tail lamps that break into a jig while locking and unlocking the car. Then there’s the traditional single-piece Audi grille which is lower and wider than before. Coupled with the aggressively styled bumpers, the sedan looks meaner when viewed head-on.

Other styling highlights include new 19-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels and large dual exhausts. This author also particularly likes the sloping roof and the haunches above the rear wheels that add a dash of muscle. 

The cabin design is largely similar to the pre-facelift RS5 but it does get Audi’s new 10.1-inch MMI infotainment system that can be controlled only via touch inputs. The graphics on the digital driver’s display have also been updated to make it look more up to date. 

What remains unchanged is the 2.9-litre bi-turbo V6 engine developing the same 450PS and 600Nm. It continues to drive all four wheels via an 8-speed automatic transmission. The result? Well, the performance sedan continues to go from 0-100kmph in 3.9 seconds with an electronically limited top speed of 250kmph. 

Ensuring safe and fun handling capabilities, the high-performance sedan sits on stiffer RS sports suspension and upgraded brakes. The self-locking centre differential ensures that power is directed to the wheel with the most amount of grip to push you out of corners. Lastly, the drive modes alter various parameters depending on the mode you select. 

The facelifted Audi RS5 rekindles its rivalry with the Mercedes-AMG C63 and the upcoming facelifted BMW M3.