FIRSTDRIVE AUDI A5/S5 CONVERTIBLE:Audi's convertible models are well-built and competitively priced, writes MICHAEL McALEER, Motoring editor
AFTER A rather balmy Easter weekend, we can mark the start of summer with the introduction of new soft-tops. Audi’s new A4 has been performing remarkably well on the Irish market, one of the shining lights in an otherwise dark and depressing new car market.
The brand clearly has its sights set on taking number one spot in the premium segment. During a recent interview with The Irish Times, Audi’s global head of marketing and sales, Peter Schwarzenbauer, reaffirmed the brand determination to continue an ambitious product offensive over the coming years.
For now, the Irish operation has been content to reap the rewards of a well-acclaimed A4. It has won over reviewers for its build quality and handling, with some commentators – including ourselves – rating it as one of the top new models of last year.
Now, with the sun starting to peak out from behind the clouds, comes the soft-top version of its coupé variant, the A5. Audi clearly has its focus on BMW sales and the 3-Series coupé is the obvious target for this three-door variant. Here, however, it has opted once again opted to retain the soft folding roof rather than the heavier folding metal version chosen by arch-rivals BMW for its 3-Series convertible.
The benefits of the soft-top format are numerous. For a start, the cloth roof and its electric motors add less weight – 187kg – over the regular A5 coupé, while the latest layered material in the roof offers perfectly acceptable soundproofing and protection from the elements. It also folds down in just 15 seconds and back up again in about 17, making it significantly quicker than any hard metal versions. Aside from all this, we are always a little wary – perhaps wrongly so – of the multitude of motors required to flip, fold and pack away the metal roofs on modern convertibles. It’s fine if it’s something small and nimble like a BMW Z4, but on a large coupé with several complex manoeuvres required, we prefer folding cloth.
Finally, and probably most important of all, when folded down it takes up just 60 litres of bootspace, leaving ample room for golf clubs and the like. So for all the benefits of hard-top convertibles, we’re still rag top fans for open-top motoring.
Powertrain options are the same as on the regular A5, with petrol engines ranging from 2-litre 180bhp TFSI petrol versions for €56,990 to the flagship S5 version with its new supercharged 3-litre V6 329bhp engine. That differs from the current 4.2-litre 349bhp V8 in the coupé S5. It doesn’t lack any of the punch and has great, growling acoustics – all the more appreciated in an open-top.
From the diesel range, the 2-litre TDI version is clearly going to be the big seller, with this fuel fast becoming the accepted favourite for Irish buyers, even in more trendy convertibles.
We tested both the high-performance S5 and the 2-litre diesel over the twisting roads of southern France and the hills above Monaco.
The former offers all the punch you’d expect from an Audi S variant. Its four-wheel-drive system keeps the rubber on the tarmac even when the corner catches you out, although there remains a slight tendency to understeer and the front nose still feels quite heavy, even with the smaller engine up front.
A new rear sports differential keeps any excess torque directed towards the outer rear wheels, but in reality the only time the S5 seems to be caught out is on badly surfaced back roads where the stiffer suspension finds the going tough.
Even then, if you turn the settings from sports to normal for transmission and the like, the ride becomes really well behaved and the car settles down to a regular commuter. The three settings are matched to distinct engine mapping and suspension traits that offer choices between a respectable comfort level or a more hardcore sporting drive, for example.
The 2-litre diesel version on the other hand packs plenty of torque and ample feel, while having a front end that feels a little more nimble because of the reduced weight. With prices coming in at €55,450 for the entry version, it’s nearly €4,000 cheaper than its BMW equivalent – and that could be substantial enough to tempt more people away from the Bavarian.
Overall pricing is competitive for its class. In particular, while the S5 isn’t quite as passionate or brutally cutting edge as the M3 convertible, it starts at €88,000 – that’s nearly €40,000 less than the BMW.
At times like these, even the most profligate Lotto winner would find it hard to justify that sort of excess spending. With 329bhp on tap and plenty of fun in sports mode, the S5 seems the surefire sales winner of the two, even with the limited number of sales that will be recorded in Ireland.
The big news is the continued successful adaptation of diesel into the traditionally petrol territory of convertibles.
The 2-litre diesel engine seems the perfect companion for this car and makes economic sense. Similarly, the decision to stay true to soft-top motoring rather than dabble in the Meccano art of folding metal versions is to their credit as well.
The interior build quality is as impressive here as it is on the A4, and there are some nice touches – like the heating system behind the shoulders that blows hot air forward towards the driver and passenger when the roof is down, mimicking the Mercedes heat scarf system. It makes open-top motoring even more amenable to Irish motorists on autumnal evenings when the sun may shine but the wind also bites.
It’s a good looking car that’s well-built and competitively priced for its segment. It should continue the Audi assault on the premium market, even with the relatively low volumes of convertibles sold here.
Factfile Audi A5/S5 Convertible
PETROL VERSIONS
- 2.0 TFSI 180 BHP Multitronic SE:1984cc; 180 bhp; 174g/km; Motor tax - €630: Price - €56,990
- 2.0 TFSI 211 BHP SE:1984cc; 211bhp; 159g/km; motor tax – €447; price - €59,350
- 2.0 TFSI 211 BHP Multitronic SE:1984cc; 211bhp; 174g/km; motor tax – €630; price – €62,300
- 2.0 TFSI 211 BHP Quattro S-Tronic SE:1984cc; 211bhp; 177g/km; motor tax – €630; price – €65,600
- 3.2 FSI V6 265 BHP Multitronic SE:3197cc; 265bhp; 199g/km; motor tax – €1,050; price – €70,550
- S5 3.0 TFSI V6 Quattro S-Tronic:2993cc; price – €88,000
DIESEL VERSIONS
- 2.0 TDI SE:1968cc; 170bhp; price – €55,450
- 2.7 TDI V6 SE:2698cc; 190bhp; 164g/km; motor tax – €447; price – €62,750
- 3.0 TDI V6 Quattro S-Tronic SE:2967cc; 238bhp; 179g/km; motor tax – €630; price - €72,990