2018 Audi A5 Cabriolet First Drive REVIEW – Timeless Appeal With A Degree Of Liveability
As the third member of the A5 family, you could be forgiven for thinking that the cabriolet range is somehow an afterthought, or lesser than its two- and five-door fixed roof siblings.
That’s not the case though - the reason for the soft top’s later introduction stems more as a result of predicted sales rather than being any kind of late addition.
Roughly one in ten A5 and S5 sales will be a cabriolet variant, granting it a level of exclusivity in a field with relatively few competitors: Mercedes-Benz and BMW build comparable rivals, Lexus and Infiniti used to but no longer do, and Jaguar has no answer nor has it ever.
As the latest Audi to hit Aussie roads, TMR drove the new A5 Cabriolet From Adelaide to McLaren Vale and along the Fleurieu peninsula to put it through the type of weekend escapism that continues to attract lifestyle-focussed buyers to convertibles instead of making the switch to more fashionable SUVs.
Vehicle Style: Midsized Cabriolet
Price: $83,400 - $95,000 plus on-road costs
Engine/trans: 140kW/320Nm or 185kW/370Nm 2.0 litre 4cyl turbo-petrol | 7sp automatic
Fuel Economoy Claimed: 5.9 or 6.7 l/100km
OVERVIEW
Audi will offer just two A5 Cabriolet models in Australia, starting with a front-wheel-drive entry model, or a more powerful and better equipped all-wheel-drive model. There’s also a sporty version - the S5 - but it stands on its own as a part of Audi’s performance range.
Buyers of the entry level 2.0 TFSI aren’t left wanting for much - with 140kW and 320Nm from its 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, the base model accelerates with vigour and standard features like a five-layer acoustic roof, neck-level heating, satellite navigation and Apple CarPlay compatibility mean there’s no feeling of missing out.