Audi A5 Cabriolet: German Coupe Flips Lid

Motoring Channel Staff - 3/December/2008

Ingolstadt, Germany – As carmakers across the world move towards building convertibles with metal folding roofs, Audi is sticking with the soft top.

Whether it wants to be different or whether it's market research suggests buyers want the more obvious visual cue of a cloth fold-away roof, Audi's new uber-coupe has flipped its lid.

The A5 is one of Audi's more innovative vehicles and has scored a very positive 4 out of 5 on a Motoring Channel road test, but will buyers be put off by the cloth roof?

The Web Wombat offices are located in Melbourne city so we took some images of the new model to the street and ask what people thought:

• Frank, 56, Concreter: "Yeah, Audi makes a good car. I don't think people give a stuff if it's a metal roof or not."

• Peter, 36, Analyst: "Not for me. I would buy a BMW convertible. I like the security of a metal folding roof."

• Jemma, 28, Accountant: "I'm not really into convertibles, but this one looks good. I didn't even know there were convertibles with metal roofs."

Our snap survey was inconclusive, but we do know that from feedback on our mailbox section that some buyers actually want cloth roofs because their car is then more recognisable as a convertible and says something about their personality.

Models like the BMW 3 Series convertible and Mercedes-Benz SLK look like coupe's with the roof up, and some traditional convertible buyers don't like this.

Unveiled yesterday, the new A5 Cabriolet is a "real Audi, and an especially exciting one at that" according to the media statement.

The design isn't hugely different from the A5 Coupe range, and except for the cloth roof the cars look very similar. 

The white model with the red leather seats shows one of the colour schemes that can be ordered.

Powered by a range of different engines suiting a wide array of price points, the Audi A5 Cabriolet's power outputs range from 132kW to 195kW.

Five engines will be offered to European buyers of the new A5 drop top, which will be on sale in the Northern hemisphere in the second quarter of 2009, including three petrol and two diesel motors.

Australia is likely to get three engines to begin with.

European models will be offered with 6-speed manual, continuously variable multitronic, and new 7-speed S tronic automatic gearboxes.

Entry-level versions of the A5 will be front-wheel drive and Audi also offers quattro permanent all-wheel drive for the higher-power engines. 

The German marque will offer a new 'sport differential' which "variably distributes the propulsive power between the rear wheels" and is an option on quattro models.

Audi has also developed the range-topping S5 Cabriolet which will be powered by a 245kW (333hp) supercharged V6 engine.

It will feature larger wheels, tighter suspension, and a range of other sporty addons.

Weather protection and security may not be quite as robust as cars with metal folding roofs, but the use of a cloth roof and various aluminium body parts means that the Audi A5 Cabriolet's overall weight not much more than the A5 coupe.

By using a cloth roof, Audi has kept the interior room from shrinking and the boot remains very competitive in its class with 320 litres of cargo space.

Bootspace expands to 750 litres thanks to the fold-down rear seat backrests.

According to Audi, lightweight soft-top opens in 15 seconds and closes in 17 seconds, which is very quick. It's a push-button system and is totally automated.

Audi will also offer an 'acoustic' top as an option that "reduces wind noise almost to the hardtop level".

Some of the comfort features of the A5 and S5 Cabriolet will include automatic seat belt extenders and a new neck-level heating system for the front seats. 

An interesting option is leather seats coated with a special layer to reduce solar heating to avoid the dreaded hot-bot. 

The 4-seater vehicles will also be equipped with a full safety suite consisting of stability control and braking aid systems, plus numerous airbags and rollover protection.

Related Links:
- Audi A7, A8, R8 Roadster (2010)
- Audi A1 Sportback Concept (2008)
- Audi A5 (Road Test)
- Audi S4 (2009)
- Audi TT Clubsport quattro (2008)
- Audi S3 (Road Test)
- Audi RS 4 (Road Test)
- Audi S8 (Road Test)
- Audi R8 GT3 (2009)
- Audi RS6 Sedan (2009)
- Audi A6 (2009)
- Audi Vehicle Schedule Leak (2010)
- Audi A4 (2008)
- Audi TT Coupe (Road Test)
- Audi Q5 (2009)