Audi opens up for summer

May 18 2009 Malcolm Robertshaw

Audi opens up for summer

DESPITE our somewhat unreliable climate, Britain continues to hold its position as runner up to Germany in the European convertible market.

Surprisingly, the cabrio demand continues to grow and sales are expected to double over the next seven years.

Audi has prepared itself for this anticipated surge by replacing the A4 Convertible with the all new A5 Cabriolet which is now on sale.

In the world of topless motoring, speed is very much of the essence. But this is not necessarily on the tarmac. These days drop tops even win points for the time it takes to open and shut the roof.

In fact, Audi's latest Cabriolet sports a soft top that comes with the ability to open up in 15 seconds and close in 17 seconds, timings which include the operation of the windows and actually put the likes of the BMW 3 Series Convertible decidedly in the shade at seven and six seconds slower respectively.

In addition, the electrical opening and closing sequences on the A5 can even be done on the move at speeds up to 31mph while some rivals must be stationary at all times to effect the operation.

The Audi A5 Cabriolet comes with a trio of engine options, two petrol in 2.0-litre TFSI 209bhp and 3.2-litre FSI 263bhp guise while diesel urge is provided via a 3.0-litre TDI 238bhp. Petrol power comes via front wheel drive and diesel urge gets the benefit of Audi's excellent quattro four wheel drive system.

I tried both the 2.0 TFSI manual and the 3.0 TDI, coming away suitably impressed with both models. Paired with the smooth switching six-speed manual gear change, the sweet spinning 2.0-litre petrol engine delivered a torquy performance which should suit most drivers seeking to pose trawling the great outdoors while there is the promise of over 40mpg over the combined driving cycle.

The overall ride proved a delight, the 2.0-litre petrol model doing its corner work well via some assured and direct steering, despite being only front wheel drive, while performing comfortably over the long haul.

Effortless progress is also provided by the 3.0-litre diesel engine which, paired with Audi's S-tronic seven-speed automatic gearbox, performed with agility when linking together a series of corners, benefiting from the traction developed via Audi's quattro transmission, while providing some agreeable low range torque for embarking on the urban trawl.

Standard, SE and S Line trim levels are good and luggage space is pretty generous at 320 litres with the top down while both models benefited from agreeable interior comfort and refinement provided by the Audi acoustic soft top.

Audi designers have succeeded in ensuring the A5 Cabriolet looks the part with top up or down, looks which will attract an audience as you trawl through the town - try glancing at the amount of head turners it generates as you drive by and you will see what I mean.

Overall, this is another fine soft top effort from the German car giant and, although pricing from an entry level of £29,795 for the 2.0 TFSI toppiing out at £40,385 for the 3.0-litre TDI S Line could perhaps prove a bit too rich for some, there is a big plus for the future with the A5 Cabriolet TDI boasting best in class residual values at 43% while a supremely confident Audi has earmarked 25% of A5 Cabrio production for the UK market.