If you just ordered the RS 5 Coupé, you may want to skip this article… A little over a year after its market launch in Europe in late spring of 2010, but luckily for North American consumers, a few months before the sales launch, Audi has presented a mild cosmetic facelift for its performance model that follows in the lines of the rest of the updated A5 and S5 series.
The chief exterior changes on the outside are concentrated up front where the RS 5 gains a new single-frame grille with beveled upper corners along with the re-sculptured “wave” headlamps framed by narrow strips of LED daytime running lights, revised bumper and sharper edges on the hood.
The subtly modified tail lamp crystals and the newly designed 19-inch forged aluminum wheels with 265/35-series tires or optional, 20-inch wheels with 275/30-series tires, round out the difference on the outside.
Moving on the interior, there’s a new leather multifunction sport steering wheel with a flattened bottom, while the ignition key, the column stalks and the shift lever knob have also been redesigned.
There are no updates under the hood as the RS 5 continues to be motivated by a 4.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 churning out 450-horses at 8,250 rpm, and a peak torque of 430 Nm (317.15 lb-ft) available between 4,000 and 6,000 rpm.
A seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission and Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive system channel power to all four wheels.
The RS 5 Coupe launches from zero to 100 km/h (62mph) in 4.6 seconds and can reach an electronically governed top speed of 250km/h, or if ordered without the limiter, 280 km/h (155mph or 174mph respectively).
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