Audi A5 Cabriolet

Our verdict

Probably quite niche, but a very well presented and executed four-seat coupe-cabriolet. Neat.

Comfort

Possibly a little firm given the pretention to basking along - especially on the lowered sports suspension option - and there's a bit of a draught when you don't have the wind deflector in place. Problem with that is that you either have breezy motoring with the kids or cover up the back seats with the deflector and go solo or parents-only. The ‘acoustic' hood works well at all but eliminating wind noise as well. Other than that you'll be better with the larger engines simply because they work less hard and generally pleased because this is one sorted soft-top. 

Performance

There's the usual lovely base of Audi's brilliant 2.0-litre TFSi petrol four, a 3.2-litre FSI V6, a 3.0-litre TDI or the supercharged, 325bhp V6 in from the S5. The fastest option is overkill, the smallest a little slice of underkill in a car that pitches a wafty lifestyle choice. So, it's the V6s, of which we'd probably plump for the TDI. And don't worry - it's no longer a problem in a cabrio. The sprint takes an entirely respectable 6.4 seconds, it'll do 154mph (more than enough) and over 40mpg, even with an 1860kg kerbweight and Quattro 4x4. 

Cool

In the right spec, with the right driver, this could be one of the coolest ‘normal' cars of the year. Still manages to be understated yet quite flash - a hard trick to pull off.  

Quality

It's quite dull to keep re-iterating the point, but Audi really does pay attention to the quality and build of its cars. The A5 Cabriolet is no exception - even the ‘acoustic' fabric hood really does work and there's a measure of tactility that is missing even on other ‘premium' marques.  

Handling

Steering is light and a little bit incommunicative, the suspension tight and a touch aggressive for cruising. The trade off is that the A5 can hustle even I it is a Cabriolet, especially in the wet if you've got a Quattro car. Not necessarily faster, but more confidence-inspiring. It's no R8, but not a bad performance. There's precious little scuttle shake and with one of the decent engines you can go fast enough to keep the wind in your hair at gale force.  

Practicality

Even if it starts to rain when you're on the move, you can raise or lower the fabric hood at speeds up to 30mph. That makes the A5 Cab more practical for the UK at least, where extended periods of ‘shine are hen's teeth. There's also genuine space for four and their luggage, even if getting in through the two-door only aperture can be a bit of a faff with the roof up. 

Running costs

The big diesel will get over 40mpg, the smaller petrol a touch more, with either larger petrol dipping into the 30s or below. Insurance isn't bad on the lower cars (but beware the S5). Residuals are predicted to be strong, and servicing average. Pretty much as you expected, then.