Audi A5 Cabrio 3.0 TDI

By Ross Pinnock

May 2009

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £26,651 to £41,306

When it comes to cabrios, Audi has a bit of a reputation for being ‘soft’! While the BMW 3-Series and Volvo C70 both feature clever folding hard-tops, the new A5 has a classy fabric hood.

It arrives here this month, and the top-of-the-range diesel is the 3.0-litre TDI, driven here for the first time in S line trim.

The top is a masterstroke, because the classy A5 looks the part whether you have it up or down. Its compact design has  allowed the firm’s designers to retain the handsome proportions of the coupé version.

And while we didn’t have a tin-top A5 for comparison, from the inside our S line model felt every bit as refined – even at high cruising speeds – thanks to its so-called ‘acoustic hood’.

On the move, the 3.0-litre diesel engine provides effortless performance. It is perfectly suited to the laid-back character of the A5 Cabriolet and comes mated to Audi’s S tronic transmission.

Push hard in corners and there’s plenty of bite from the front tyres, and the company’s quattro transmission delivers excellent traction. But this isn’t a car for going fast in. The A5 cabrio is more at home as a boulevard cruiser, where you can enjoy its low-down torque. Unfortunately, the sports suspension and big alloys that come with S line compromise ride comfort, as it struggles to iron out small bumps, which thump through the cabin.

A bigger complaint is the new car’s cost, as the punchy engine, S line trimand double-clutch gearbox push the price up to £40,385. Bosses predict class-leading resale values, but lower trim levels of the flagship diesel make more sense.

Tell us about your car in our Driver Power survey.