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First drive: Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.

First drive: Audi A3 Cabriolet
Elegant new Audi A3 Cabriolet choice of the segment for now.

   



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| First Drive | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Audi A3 Cabriolet |

Overall rating: 4 4 4 4 4

The second-generation Audi A3 Cabriolet improves on the formula to create a very premium-feeling boulevard cruiser based on the new A3 Saloon.

Key Facts

Model tested: Audi A3 Cabriolet 2.0 TDI
Pricing: A3 Cabriolet range starts at £25,790
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel
Transmission: six-speed manual, front-wheel drive
Body style: two-door convertible
Rivals: BMW 2 Series Convertible, Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet
CO2 emissions: 110g/km
Combined economy: 67.3mpg
Top speed: 139mph
0-62mph: 8.9 seconds
Power: 150hp at 3,500- to 4,000rpm
Torque: 340Nm at 1,750- to 3,000rpm

In the Metal: 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5 4.5

The interior of the new A3 Cabriolet is typical Audi, which is to say exceptional and everything prospective customers will demand of this prestigious marque in terms of fit, finish and feel. There's even room in the back for adults with the front seat in position for a near-six-foot driver, and the boot is capacious enough with the hood up (320 litres) or stowed (275 litres), so it's practical too.

The big news is the exterior, as the A3 Cabriolet is based on the platform of the A3 Saloon, but has the wheelbase of the A3 hatch. The finished result is a car that proportionally looks a lot better than its predecessor, exuding a real air of quality and handsomeness that makes us wonder why you'd bother looking at an A5 soft-top. Furthermore, Audi has removed the ungainly rear roll-over hoops of the first A3 Cabriolet for this edition, a recessed pop-up steel beam safety system meaning this A3 is able to display a flat-shouldered line with the hood folded away.

Driving it: 4 4 4 4 4

If you accept beforehand that the A3 Cabriolet is never going to tear up a winding back-road like a hot hatch, then it's a pleasant thing to drive. Most customers will want to cruise in the Audi and it appears to be top notch at this particular discipline. The ride is excellent, never crashing or jarring, while the engines and transmissions on offer are all smooth operators - with the 1.6- litre diesel perhaps the only one in which you might call its exertions too noisy.

We drove a variety of engines, including the minority interest 1.8 TFSI (a shame, as it's a good unit), but the 2.0 TDI diesel was the pick. The quattro 150hp version is a perfectly capable machine in terms of performance and economy, with minimal diesel clatter intruding into the passenger compartment no matter what position the fabric hood was in. The best news is that the UK's 150hp diesels will all be front-wheel drive, as Audi UK is only taking the quattro drivetrain on the 184hp model, so stripped of the Haldex system's weight and impact on economy, the 2.0 TDI 150 sold in Britain will be the best all-rounder.

Overall refinement is extremely good, both at city speeds and on the motorway, hood up or down, and there's minimal buffeting in open-top mode even if you drop all the windows and the fold-up rear wind deflector. Put the glass and deflector up and your hairstyle will take only the mildest of buffeting.

What you get for your Money: 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.5

There are three trim levels on offer - SE, Sport and S line - and at launch, three four-cylinder engines: two petrol, a 140hp 1.4 TFSI with cylinder-on-demand technology and a 180hp 1.8 TFSI unit, plus one diesel, the 150hp 2.0 TDI. All launch models will be front-wheel drive, with the 1.4 and TDI lumps matched to six-speed manual gearboxes, while the 1.8 is paired with the S tronic seven-speed automatic. Prices start at £25,790 for a 1.4 SE and culminate at £32,420 for a 1.8 S line.

Throughout 2014, more variants will come on stream, including S tronic versions of the 1.4 and TDI, a manual 1.8, the 110hp 1.6 TDI and then quattro versions of the 1.8 TFSI and the 2.0 TDI (albeit, as previously mentioned, in 184hp guise only). There will also be an S3 Cabriolet in late 2014. Predicted sales figures show the 2.0 TDI in 150hp trim taking 25 per cent of UK volume, the two variants of the 1.4 taking 30 per cent and the 1.6 diesel also taking 30 per cent.

A bog standard SE gives you 16-inch alloys, air conditioning, Audi's MMI driver interface with the folding screen in the dash, iPod connectivity, DAB and Bluetooth, light and rain sensing equipment and preparation for SD card-based navigation. However, expect a lengthy options list for all models, even the top S line, which will mean a sub-£30,000 A3 Cabriolet is likely to be a rarity - and something that'll be hard to sell on after a few years' ownership.

If you want some purchase justification, though, the A3 Cabriolet is clearly the most premium car you can buy in this sector at the time of writing, as its nearest rivals are the aged 1 Series Convertible (no longer in production and the 2 Series Convertible is on the way) and the Golf Mk VII Cabriolet... which isn't even available yet. There's nothing from Mercedes-Benz that's remotely comparable so the A3 represents the pinnacle of this size of four-seater soft-top for the moment. As a final incentive, it is also a clean and economical car - CO2 across the UK launch trio ranges from 110g/km (2.0 TDI) to 133g/km (1.8 TFSI) and 48.7mpg combined (1.8) to 67.3mpg for the 2.0 TDI.

Worth Noting

The five-layered hood on the better specified A3s (Sport and S line) is a model of how to perfectly execute a fabric roof and have it insulate passengers from the outside elements; the Cabriolet is very quiet and cosy with it in place. However, for SE customers, you'll have to fork out for this as an option, otherwise making do with a triple-layered item as standard.

Summary

While no dynamic firecracker, the new Audi A3 Cabriolet has a suite of driving controls that are perfectly up to the job in hand - namely, transporting its occupants around in serene style and comfort. Light steering, superb transmissions, an excellent ride, the absence of any scuttle shake and powerful, economical and refined engines couple with great looks inside and out to make a package that's hard to beat in this sector. In fact, if you're after a four-seat open-top, so classy a car does it feel that you might even choose it over convertibles from larger categories - it really is that cultured.


Matt Robinson - 15 Nov 2013



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2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.



2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 

2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet. Image by Audi.
 






 

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