New Audi A5 Sportback Spy Photos Preview An Expected Facelift

New design, new engines and new tech.

unveiled the new A4 family earlier in the year. Audi now wants to finish the work on the A5 Sportback. These spy photos show that the German company will not make any major visual changes to the premium liftback, but will make small, but clever tweaks.

The front bumper has been slightly modified to include modified air intakes. The radiator grille has also been redesigned, especially at the lower part. New internal graphics are used in the headlights, which should be similar to what we have seen in the A4.

Although the rear end is well hidden, we can see some modifications to the taillights. We also notice a new lower bumper vaance. Although the bumper appears to be the same in shape and design, the camouflage may be misleading our eyes.

New Audi A5 Sportback Spy Photos Preview An Expected Facelift

Under the mildly refreshed exterior, there are far more important changes. Audi engineers are adapting the mild hybrid technology of the larger A6 and A7 to the smaller A5. This system promises up to five times better fuel economy than non-mild hybrid powertrains.

We expect the A5 Sportback with the 2.0-liter Evo TDI engine to be very popular in Europe, particularly Germany. Already confirmed for the A4 with 136 horsepower (101.1 kW) and 204 HP (152 kW), we expect the same power options for the A5. Audi will gladly sell you a 3.0-liter TdI with 286 horsepower (213 kW) if you need more diesel power.

This prototype is very similar to the final production version of the A5 Sportback and could be officially unveiled by year’s end. We bet that Audi will wait until 2020 to reveal the prototype.