ROAD TEST:GIVEN OUR ever-changing climate, driving a convertible here may be tempting fate.
While we basked in glorious sunshine the previous weekend, on the evening of the A5’s collection the heavens opened in a biblical downpour that signified the gods were not best pleased with the sight of all that milky white and freckled flesh.
At such times you might consider it mad to contemplate a soft-top. And yet, this fair green isle is perhaps the ideal spot for putting convertibles to the test.
Where else will your average day’s driving include popping up and down the roof a dozen times to cater for the changing climate? Ireland is the Nürburgring for folding roofs.
Here is Audi’s latest incarnation of its mid-range convertible – the latest model from the brand turning out new models at a phenomenal rate. There is no more aggressive or active firm on the global car market than this German brand, determined to secure a sizeable slice of the action and give BMW a serious run for its money.
Audi has opted – correctly – to feature the convertible in its A5 coupé range. The more aggressive styling of the A5 is well-suited to the soft top, and it looks fantastic with the roof down.
The decision to opt for canvas seems rather luddite for the German brand in the midst of all the folding metal on the market these days. After all, as one avid open-top fan told us, the motors and mechanics behind this latest folding rag-top seem as complex as anything on its counterparts.
The reality is Audi didn’t see the point in adding all that extra weight to the car when you can come up with a high-quality soft-top. That’s what you have here.
Forget about your thin layer of canvas on a couple of metal bars. This is no glorified boy scout’s tent mounted on a motor. Audi refers to it as an acoustic roof but it’s the thickest, most padded rag-top we’ve encountered and comes complete with a proper glass rear window and roof lights all integrated into the cloth. It’s like driving around with a thick duvet over your head.
The end result is a roof that keeps out unnecessary road noise and rattles normally encountered in convertibles, while folding away in 15 seconds, even while driving through town up to speeds of 50km/h. That means you can pull up at a red light and be soaking up the sun’s rays before you pull away.
We’ve driven enough convertibles in our time to be nonplussed by the mechanics of folding roofs, but the slick origami-like moves of the A5 remain something of a crowd pleaser. We didn’t get much of a chance to test it out amid the downpours during the latter part of the week, but when we did it always attracted attention.
When the roof is down, there is the chance to keep it folded up thanks to a new in-seat heating system that blows hot air at neck level around the front seat occupants, remarkably similar to the “air scarf” system developed by Mercedes some time ago, although every Audi engineer and salesperson will swear blind it’s completely unique. It doesn’t really matter: the principle of keeping you warm when the sun is out but the wind is biting means open-topped motoring can now include those crisp autumn evenings when the sky is clear.
One boon this car has over its folding-metal rivals is that it doesn’t need an extra-large boot to store the roof when folded down. Most of its rivals look frumpy from the rear, but the A5 retains its smart lines whether the roof is up or down.
However, boot space is nothing to celebrate and the opening remains quite tight, while the back seats come with the usual coupé constraints of limited legroom.
Three engine options are on offer in the new A5 convertible: a 2-litre TFSI or 3.2-litre FSI petrol and a 3-litre TDI diesel. The latter was the powertrain in our test car and, while some might baulk at such a big block diesel in something as stylish and sporting as a convertible, Audi’s designers had already proved with the previous A4 convertible that they are no prisoners to tradition.
At a time when we were still relating diesel with commercial vehicles, the four-ringed brand was already suggesting diesel was mainstream.
A couple of diesel-powered victories at Le Mans, changes to our tax system to make diesel the only show in town and now we don’t think twice about powering something as stylish as this with a TDI engine.
The only initial qualm is its size, but you come to appreciate the extra torque on offer from this block. And concerns it might make the car nose-heavy proved unfounded, largely down to the fact the diesel comes with Audi’s legendary quattro all-wheel-drive as standard – a system that adds yet more weight to the car but gives it an incredible confidence on the road.
The 3-litre diesel comes with an S-Tronic automatic transmission, Audi’s version of the double-clutch system on sale as DSG from other brands in the VW family.
It’s one of the best automatic transmissions on offer, but we still found ourselves straying over to the semi-manual mode to get the most out of the engine, particularly on the motorways.
It’s a relatively quiet engine block, but we’d still give the nod to BMW’s equivalent diesel over this engine, even with its double-clutch transmission. The BMW just feels a little more eager and responsive than this. Both, however, are several miles ahead of the rest of the pack.
The rest of the car is built to a level that must now be regarded as the benchmark in this class.
Aside from the aforementioned quality of the soft-top, the rest of the car is put together to a standard that must be the envy of all premium brands.
Our only gripe was that the brakes were not as gripping as we would have liked, but that was probably down to the fact the test car was barely into double figures and still very much in the process of bedding down.
The A5 cabriolet starts at a relatively competitive €54,450, but you can quickly find yourself spending €6,000 on extras. The 3-litre diesel S-tronic SE we tested has an ex-works price of €72,990 but by the time several extras were added – like MMI navigation, leather seats and bluetooth phone preparation – the final bill came to €89,592. In fact, you could get yourself a new Fiat 500 for the same price as the extras on our test car.
While 17in alloys are standard, the 19in version on our test car pushed the bill up by €2,544. Nevertheless, we wouldn’t think twice about opting for them as they really set off the A5’s styling.
In terms of its rivals, we’d side with Audi in terms of opting for canvas over folding metal and the A5’s styling is sharper than anything else on offer in this class. Combine this with an increasing reputation as a benchmark for build quality and you can see why there’s such an air of confidence around Audi at the moment.
For those who reckon the weather and their wallet can handle an A5 convertible, this is, for us, the best buy in its class.
Factfile
Engine:2,967cc V6 common rail diesel with exhaust gas turbocharging and four valves per cylinder, putting out 240bhp @ 4,000rpm and 500Nm of torque @ 1,500rpm; S-Tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission
Specification:ESP, driver and front passenger airbags, side airbags, electric front seats, fully automatic acoustic hood (folds in 14 seconds), leather-covered multifunction sports steering wheel, light and rain sensor, 17in alloys, rear parking sensors, 10-speaker radio/CD sound system with MP3/aux connection, seatbelt control and feeder
L/100km (mpg):urban – 8.5 (33.2); extra-urban – 5.8 (48.7); combined – 6.8 (41.5)
CO2/tax:179g/km, VRT– 28 per cent, annual motor tax – €630
Price:€72,990 (starting price – €55,450)