Seeing as most of the Audi family has already gotten their facelifts, it seemed obvious that the A5->ke1188 was the next in line to receive a fresh look.

Not surprisingly, Audi was thinking the same thing as it officially unveiled the 2012 line-up of the Audi A5, one that includes a number of variants - coupe, sportback, and convertible - to bolster variety for the consumers.

The sportiest of the lot is the 2012 A5 Coupe, which features its fair share of cosmetic improvements as well as new powertrain options. The changes made on the 2012 A5 Coupe features a new lighting form that fits right in with what Audi has been doing with some of their latest releases. That's right; no more of those rectangular, shoe-box looking headlights that made the A5 look stiff in the past.

As for the powertrain, the 2012 A5 Coupe has plenty of choices for the market, including a new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 version that produces 272 horsepower.

All in all, the 2012 A5 Coupe offers refreshed looks with improved driving dynamics and better fuel economy.

Audi could have done more, as far as we're concerned, but we're not complaining with the changes they made on the car. At the very least, the fresh new looks fits right in with the performance tweaks done on it. No complaints from us on that end.

More details on the Audi A5 Coupe after the jump.

2008 - 2012 Audi A5 Coupe

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2008 - 2012 Audi A5 Coupe
  • Engine/Motor: inline-4
  • Horsepower: 211
  • Torque: 258
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior and Interior

Looks can be deceiving if you don't look close enough. That's what the 2012 Audi S5 Coupe offers; it looks pretty much the same, except that it doesn't if you study it more meticulously.

Among the changes on the 2012 model include re-sculptured lights on the front and rear of the car with "wave-like" LED headlamps that departs from the rectangular shape of the 2011 model. Notice that all of Audi's latest releases come with this lights design, making it a no-brainer to include on the new A5. In addition to the new lights, the A5 Coupe also comes with a modified front grille, a redesigned front bumper with larger air intakes, a new rear bumper, and a set of 17" alloy wheels that can be upgraded 20" as an optional package.

Audi also made some minor improvements on the A5's, improving the car's overall driving dynamics with a new electromechanical steering, new damper settings and revised rear suspension bearings that gives the car better handling and greater ride comfort.

Over at the interior, Audi introduced a new steering wheel, new auto gearbox lever designs, new finishes on the car's center console and instrument panel, and a new multi-media interactive system that includes a WLAN hotspot and Google Earth navigation.

Performance

In 2008, the A5 arrived in U.S. showrooms with only a 3.2-liter V-6 engine that produced 265 horsepower and 243 pound-feet of torque. This engine mated up to either a six-speed manual transmission or a six-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Audi listed the 2008 A5 as having a 5.8-second 0-to-60 mph time. The 2009 model year carried over unchanged.

The 2010 model year brought the introduction of a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that produced 211 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. This engine mated to the same transmission as the up-level 3.2-liter V-6 engine, but saw a huge jump to 22 mpg city and 30 mpg highway.

In 2011, Audi dropped the optional 3.2-liter V-6, leaving only the turbocharged 2.0-liter. The base transmission remains a six-speed manual, but the optional transmission is now an eight-speed automatic. 0-to-60 mph time is now 6.4 seconds with the manual transmission and 6.7 seconds with the automatic.

In 2012, the engine remained the same, but a retuned eight-speed Tiptronic transmission dropped the 0-to-60 time on the automatic to 6.2 seconds and the manual transmission remained at 6.4 seconds.

Pricing

model Year

Base MSRP

2008

$39,900

2009

$40,700

2010

$36,000

2011

$36,500

2012

$37,100


Competition

You can't have peanut butter without jelly and you certainly can't have an Audi without a BMW->ke178 rival. Tussling for glory against the 2012 A5 is the 2011 BMW 3-Series Coupe, which has all the tools to give the A5 Coupe a serious run for its money. The BMW 328i comes with a 3.0-liter V6 engine that produces 230 horsepower and 200 lb/ft of torque. On this merit, the Beamer's V6 fits right in with the A5 Coupe's 2.0-liter V6 with 211 horsepower, which should make the 328i an easier option for those that put a premium on ponies.

The higher end BMW 335i figures to tussle with Audi's own turbocharged A5, the 3.0-liter V6 version that carries 272 horsepower. Do the math and it looks like the 3-Series has the leg up on the A5 Coupe once again.