The replacement for the Audi S4 Cabriolet has gone on sale in the UK. The S5 Cabriolet costs £42,245 and comes with a supercharged V6 in place of the S4's V8, as well as the usual quattro four-wheel drive system.
The six-cylinder engine was first seen in the
new Audi S4 and develops 328bhp and 325lb.ft; this is channelled through a seven-speed S tronic twin-clutch transmission. Audi claims this will take the Cabriolet from 0-62mph in 5.6 seconds and on to a top speed limited to 155mph. On paper at least the performance does not come at the expense of economy, with the combined cycle fuel consumption at 29.1mpg and CO
2 emissions of 224g/km.
Open cars are seldom about ultimate performance figures, more important than 0-60 is the time taken to raise or lower the fabric roof. Audi says the S5 can go from closed to open in 15 seconds although raising the roof takes two seconds longer. The roof can even be operated with the car moving, as long as the speed is below 31mph. The roof itself incorporates insulating layers said to cut down noise intrusion to a level comparable with the
S5 Coupé.
With room for four adults and 320 litres of luggage space with the roof down the S5 should also be practical. With the roof up there is an extra 60-litres of boot space, or the back seats can be folded for a maximum luggage capacity of 750 litres.
The S5 is available to order now at £42,245 with the first cars reaching customers in October.
John Lambert - 3 Aug 2009