No surprises here: the A5 Cabriolet is a straight convertible version of the existing A5 coupé, sharing both its design and mechanical components with its tin-top sister – and also the A4 saloon and Avant.
That means Audi’s new ‘five-link’ suspension system and more dynamic drivetrain settings. Buyers can also choose from a rationalised range of the same engines that power the coupé, with three petrol and three diesel motors available from launch.
Visually, from the front bumper as far back as the windscreen pillar, coupé and cabriolet are effectively identical. The S-Line version we tested added some visual bling in the form of a reasonably discreet bodykit and Audi’s trademark ultra-bright LED running lights, integrated below the xenon headlamps.
The cabriolet keeps the muscular contours of the coupé’s rear flanks, and Audi’s decision to stick with a folding fabric roof rather than a bulkier collapsible hard-top means that the design team has been able to keep the height of the rear deck low; with roof up or down, this is a handsome car.
But it’s also a heavy car. The combined weight of the roof, the mechanism that operates and hides it and the structural reinforcement that underpins the decapitation means the A5 Cabriolet weighs around 180kg more than the equivalent coupé, spec for spec.
And that’s according to the official kerb weights, which in our experience may be unduly optimistic. Audi claims our 3.0 TDI S-Line weighs 1860kg, but it tipped the scales at MIRA at a seriously porky 2035kg.
The 3.0-litre V6 TDI is a familiar unit from elsewhere in the Audi family and it’s currently the only model in the A5 Cabriolet range that combines diesel power with the reassurance of four-wheel drive.
Power is delivered via a seven-speed version of Audi’s recently developed ‘longitudinal’ twin-clutch DSG system; there’s no other transmission option.
