Summary of the Audi A3 Cabriolet (200
Price Range: No data available
Assets: Quality interior, fast-acting roof, stylish-looking, practical.
Drawbacks: Slightly uninvolving drive, not cheap, diesel still lacks refinement.
Verdict: An ideal open-top cruiser for the style-conscious metropolitan car buyer.
We Brits love a drop-top. Second in Europe only to the Germans in sales of convertibles, the UK has seen a surge of car buyers opting for roof-down motoring in recent years. With new convertible versions of popular cars such as the Ford Focus and Vauxhall Astra, plus standalone cabrios like the Volkswagen Eos, sales in the C-sector have nearly quadrupled in just four years.
Hot on the heels of the BMW 1-Series Cabrio comes Audi with the four-seat A3 Cabriolet, the third open-top car in its range. Audi hopes to open up sales of its soft-tops to people who can't quite stretch to a TT Roadster or A4 Cabriolet (soon to be replaced by a drop-top A5) - although with an entry-level price of 20,740, the A3 Cabriolet is not going to extend Audi's demographic that much.
Audi has increased its UK sales from just under 20,000 cars a year to over 100,000 in the last decade and a half, and this A3 Cabriolet represents everything buyers like in their Audis: it's stylish, well-engineered, practical and, while it's not the most exciting car on the road, it is a solid machine that most owners will be more than happy with.
The range at launch comes with four engines - two petrol and two diesel - and two trim levels (another engine, probably a 1.4 petrol, and the S line trim will be added later this year). The petrol engines are 1.8 and 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder TFSI units generating 157bhp and 197bhp respectively: the diesels are 1.9 and 2.0-litre TDIs (103bhp and 138bhp).
Audi anticipates that the bigger diesel will be the best-seller, taking nearly half of all sales. From the point of view of running costs, this is certainly the sensible option: it's difficult to argue with a fuel consumption of 53.3mpg (50.4mpg with the S-Tronic auto 'box) and CO2 emissions of 139g/km (148g/km auto).
The A3 Cabriolet is available for order from mid-February 2008, with deliveries starting in April. Prices range from 20,740 to 25,500.
The A3 has been built to a pretty high standard and uses quality materials. However, there have been problems in the A3 range with leaking radiators that can lead to head gasket failure, and problems with the dual mass flywheels, clutches and timing belts on the 2.0 TDI diesels.
The build quality feels good, though. Audi is generally recognised for its high-standards of interior finish, and in the A3 Cabrio everything fits together well and comes in soft-touch plastics with accents in materials such as aluminium.
The exterior displays the same level of quality, with consistent panel gaps across the car and doors that give a satisfying 'thunk' on closing. The two- or three-layer fabric roof (depending on trim level) allows only one 1dB more of extra sound in the cabin at 87mph than the hard roof of the A3 hatch.
As we've come to expect from Audis, finding a good, comfortable driving position is easy, with multi-adjustable seats and a steering wheel with reach- and rake-adjustment.
The A3 Cabrio will no doubt find a large and appreciative audience, but it's not exactly what you'd call a keen driver's car. In common with many recent Audis, it does the job on the road - it grips and holds the road well, the steering is accurate and the gear changes are precise (and, with the excellent S-Tronic automatic transmission, instantaneous) - but it's all a bit removed, a bit uninvolving. There's certainly no hint of the sporting pedigree Audi is working hard on with cars such as the R8 and the RS models.
However, that won't matter to prospective owners. The A3 Cabrio's solid on-road nature will please most, as will the range of engines, where there's something for almost everyone.
If you're looking for economy, the two diesels should suit you fine. They're still not as refined as some others on the market, a fact made apparent on start-up with the roof down by the tell-tale clatter. However, both the 1.9 TDI (103bhp and 184lb-ft) and the 2.0 TDI (138bhp and 236lb-ft) pull well and offer plenty of torque once you get over the lag, reaching 62mph from a standing start in 12.3 secs and 9.7 secs (9.4 with the S-Tronic auto 'box) respectively.
If, on the other hand, you're looking for something a little more refined, opt for the two TFSI petrol engines. The more powerful 2.0 TFSI generates 197bhp and 206lb-ft of torque, which propels the car to 62mph in 7.4 secs (7.3 with S-Tronic).
However, as the car isn't meant to be a sporty little number, we feel the 1.8 TFSI offers the best compromise of fun and good sense: 157bhp, 184lb-ft and 0-62mph in 8.2secs (8 dead with the S-Tronic auto 'box) makes for an enjoyable open-top cruise.
The A3 hatch has a four-star NCAP crash safety rating with three stars for child protection and a single star for pedestrian protection, suggesting that the Cabriolet should be reasonably solid too, though this isn't up there with class best - the Renault Megane CC and Volkswagen Eos both have the full five-star results.
It does come with a good level of active and passive safety equipment, including ESP with electronic brakeforce distribution (EBD), ABS, four airbags (driver, passenger and side curtain), Isofix child seat mountings, tyre pressure monitors, adaptive front lights and daytime running lights.
The A3 range has also been awarded the Association of British Insurers (ABI) 'Best in Class' Security rating and the Cabrio should do nothing to undermine that, thanks to its Thatcham Category 1 alarm.
Service intervals are pretty good, with oil changes at 9,000-19,000 miles and 19,000-mile service increments. However, we predict that many owners will be urbanites, so the wear and tear of stop-start traffic might bring these figures down. And servicing won't be cheap, as Audi dealers tend to charge a premium.
The two petrol engines are fairly efficient, with the 1.8 TFSI returning a combined cycle fuel consumption of 38.6mpg (37.1 for the S-Tronic) and the 2.0 TFSI giving 37.1mpg, irrespective of the transmission type. CO2 emissions for the petrol models are 174g/km (180) and 182g/km (181), putting them both in Band E.
The diesels are considerably more frugal, with the 1.9 TDI running at 55.4mpg and the 2.0 TDI at 53.3mpg (50.4mpg S-Tronic). CO2 figures of 134g/km for the 1.9 and 139g/km (148) put both in Band C.
Comfort is something that Audi is renowned for, with the A3 Cabrio maintaining that reputation. The ride was compliant on the smooth French roads we tested the car on and we don't think that even the UK's roads will change that too much. Perfect for an open-topped cruiser.
One of the other main things that we looked for, especially after testing the BMW 125i, was space in the back. With an average-sized (5' 10") driver, there was enough room in the back for adults and plenty for kids. This is in spite of a shorter wheelbase than the Beemer and is made possible, in part, to the Z-shaped folding fabric roof, which takes up very little boot space and allows more room in the cabin.
Talking of boot space, at 260 litres it's adequate if not generous (and identical to the BMW), unless you drop the two rear seats to expand it to 674 litres, big enough for larger cases and even sports equipment such as golf bags or skis.
At launch there are two trim levels, Standard and Sport, with S line due to be introduced at the end of 2008. The Standard level comes with 16" wheels, a semi-automatic hood, electric windows, a single-CD/radio unit, remote central locking, manually operated air con and fabric seats.
The Sport trim adds 17" wheels, sports suspension, MP3-compatible CD/radio with uprated speakers, sports seats, electronic climate control, wind deflector, trip computer and a fully automatic acoustic roof that opens in just nine seconds and lowers in 11 at up to 18mph.
There's also a full range of options, including leather seats, two types of sat nav, mobile phone connections, iPod connector and various hi-fi options (including an eight-speaker Bose set-up).
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