What's all this about?
In that euphemistic vernacular we motoring hacks always use when a soft-top version of a coupe is announced, Audi has 'whipped the top off' the second-generation A5, to give us the A5 Cabriolet. Oh, and the S5 Cabriolet, too.
Ah, S5 Cabriolet; juicy. Can we start with that?
If you like. The hottest petrol model and the only TFSI option with more than four cylinders (for now), it develops a decent 354hp/500Nm from its 3.0-litre V6. With full-time quattro all-wheel drive and an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic gearbox, the S5 Cabriolet can do 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds and a limited 155mph top speed. It's basically the engine from the Audi S4 ported over into the A5 bodywork; there's already an S5 Coupe, so there had to be a performance Cabriolet too. It wears all the usual Audi S-model accoutrements outside and in.
And what price will it be?
Not sure, although the S5 Coupe is the best part of 46 grand. As soft-tops always command a premium over their tin-top brethren (the exceptions to this rule, until they morphed into the 718 twins, were the Porsche Boxster and Cayman... but we digress), we'd expect the S5 Cabriolet to basically relieve you of at least £49-50,000. Without options, natch.
OK, that's a bit meaty. What about the A5, then?
We get three models at launch, with another two following soon after. There's a 252hp 2.0-litre TFSI variant alone on the petrol side at first, although a 190hp tune of the same mill is slated for later in 2017. Over on the diesel front, the launch motors are the excellent 190hp 2.0-litre TDI four-pot and the 218hp iteration of the 3.0-litre V6. However, it's on this last score that the intriguing news comes.
What news is that?
The 'bridging' car between the normal A5 Cabriolet range and the S5 mentioned above will be the fifth engine option, which is the 3.0-litre V6 TDI ramped up to a generous 286hp. Given that there's still a small selection of the buying populace who can't quite square the idea of a premium convertible with a diesel engine, that's a brave move by Audi. No doubt it'll be brilliant, though.
Indeed. So what has changed for A5 Cabriolet MkII?
Like the Coupe, the Cabriolet has lengthened compared to its predecessor, up 47mm to 4,673mm overall. That adds 14mm in the wheelbase, which makes the A5 Cabriolet roomier within (as do slightly more compact seats) than it was before. It has, of course, got a smaller boot than its fixed-roof siblings, the Coupe and the Sportback, standing at a maximum 380 litres with the hood up. Audi has toughened up the body and strengthened the sills to compensate for hacking off the roof, yet the new A5 Cabriolet is up to 40kg lighter model-for-model than its predecessor. For example, the front-wheel drive 2.0-litre TDI weighs in at 1,690kg, which is none too shabby for this size of soft-top.
Front-wheel drive?
Yes, front-wheel drive is standard on some models, while two variants of quattro all-wheel grip (the regular, permanent set-up and the new 'ultra' fuel-saving example, which can decouple the rear axle as required) will be options. Gearboxes are a six-speed manual, a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch unit and an eight-speed Tiptronic auto.
You haven't touched on the economy data - any insights?
The two launch diesels return anything from 57.6- to 62.8mpg, with accompanying CO2 of either 128- or 118g/km; just in case you're wondering, it is of course the 2.0 TDI that returns the better figures here. The 252hp TFSI can do 44.8mpg with 144g/km of CO2, while the S5 dips to 36.7mpg and 175g/km.
And any more detail on the Cabriolet's USP?
The folding roof is acoustic and it can be raised/lowered on the move at speeds of up to 31mph. It takes 15 seconds to open and 18 seconds to close, and Audi says it has configured the control button on the A5's console to be a 'one-shot' item, meaning it is easier to either expose the interior to or protect it from the elements.
How about the cabin?
Largely identical to the A5 Coupe's, with the same sort of toys available in terms of creature comforts, driving aids and safety assist systems - these'll either be offered as standard or as cost(ly) options. We like the sound (figuratively speaking, you understand) of the 755-watt, 19-speaker Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System. Oh, and the seatbelt microphones.
You what?
Well, come on, they're self-explanatory and they're to do with the problem of audibility on hands-free calls when you've got the hood down. Instead of having the microphone on the header rail - fine in a fixed-roof car - here they're mounted on the front-seat occupants' seatbelts, in order to make phone calls viable during open-top motoring.
So when do the A5 and S5 Cabriolets go on sale?
From March 2017, with Audi UK confirming prices and specs near the end of this year.
Matt Robinson - 4 Nov 2016