Audi unveils the A5 and S5 Cabriolet | Convertibles

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Audi unveils the A5 and S5 Cabriolet

Written by Ralph Hanson

Thursday, 04 December 2008

Audi is planning to unveil its new A5/S5 cabriolet variant at the Detroit Motor Show in January, however full details for the upcoming roofless edition of the handsome A5/S5 has been released, with the new convertible forgoing the heavy folding hardtops found in many convertibles for a lighter soft cloth option.

The most exciting variant, the S5 Cabriolet, will be getting a new supercharged 3.0-litre TFSI V6 engine with direct injection, good for 245kW and 440Nm of torque.

Brisk acceleration despite top-down design
The car vaults from a standstill to 100km/h in just 5.6 seconds, carries on to an electronically limited top speed of 250km/h and still manages fuel efficiency of 9.6L/100km. Quattro all-wheel drive, a sport suspension and 18in wheels plus a range of special equipment features peg the S5 Cabrio as the clear head of the new range.

Pricing for the S5 variant hasn't yet been released, however base A5 Cabrios with a 1.8-litre TFSI engine rated at 118kW and a manual transmission will start at €37,500 (AUD$74,000) in Europe, so expect the range-topping S5 to be well above that.

A range of engines
In total, four petrol engines will be offered in the A5, along with two diesel variants, although which of these engines will make it to Australian shores is still uncertain.

Performance figures for the mid-range 195kW 3.2-litre FSI V6 rate at 6.9 seconds for the 0-100km/h sprint, with a top speed of 246km/h. The standard 2.0-litre TFSI takes 8.9 seconds to hit 100km/h with its 132kW engine and a top speed of 219km/h, while the uprated 2.0-litre TFSI unit, rated at 155kW cuts this time by 1.4 seconds and raises top speed to 241km/h.

Fuel efficiency of the petrol range is respectable, starting at 8.6L/100km for the standard 3.2-litre V6 FSI, rising to 7.4L/100km for the standard 2.0-litre TFSI and - somewhat counter-intuitively - 6.8L/100km for the more powerful variant.

A pair of V6 TDIs are also available, featuring 176kW in 3.0-litre guise and 140kW in 2.7-litre form, and both are suitably efficient, rating 6.8L/100km for the larger of the two, and 6.3L/100km for the smaller.

A range of three transmissions are available: the six-speed manual, which can be had with the 2.0 TFSI; the multitronic continuously variable automatic available as an option on 2.0-litre and 3.2-litre FSI variants; and the seven-speed S tronic which is standard on the 3.0L TDI model, and optional on the 2.0-litre TFSI and 3.2-litre V6 FSI.

Soft top keeps weight down
Audi's soft top mechanism will keep the weight down on the car, and requires just 15 seconds to open and 17 seconds to close. An acoustic top, which reduces wind noise to near-hardtop levels is available as an option. The automatic raising or lowering functions can be triggered whether moving or stopped as long as speeds are below 50km/h.

When the top is down, it folds into an area at the top of the rear luggage area, taking up 60L of its 380L of available space. Other standard features of the A5 cabrio include 17in alloy wheels, automatic climate control, and CD stereo system with the third-generation MMI operating system, offering a range of navigation and entertainment functions.

In terms of exterior design, the new A5 Cabriolet gets most of the familiar cues of the hardtop sister car, plus a slightly redesigned rear deck to accommodate the folding top. The overall length of the car is 4.6m and width is 1.85m while it sits satisfyingly low at 1.4m tall. A bootlid spoiler lip is standard.

The car will begin production early next year, with first sales scheduled for the first half of 2009 in Europe and Australia to follow after this.

Audi S5 Cabriolet gallery