By John Simister
Specifications
Model: Audi A3 Cabriolet 2.0 TDI.
Price: From £22 750 (about R328 000).
Available in South Africa from the third quarter of 2008.
Engine: 1968cc, four cylinders, 16 valves, turbodiesel; 104kW at 4200rpm, 320Nm ft at 1750-2500rpm.
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox, front-wheel drive.
Performance: 203km/h, 0-100km/h in 9.7sec, 5.3 litres/100km official average.
Two things struck me immediately about the new Audi A3 Cabriolet. The first, what took Audi so long? The current A3 has been around for nearly five years.
It's a proper soft-top convertible, not a folding-hard-roof coupé-cabriolet.
The second is that it's a proper soft-top convertible, not a folding-hard-roof coupé-cabriolet as is the current vogue.
Well, openable Audis always have soft tops. As for the timing, Audi launched a lengthened five-door A3 three years ago and now, it says, it's time for the next body shape.
All right, then. Does Audi need another cabriolet? It already has an open A4 and an open TT but the first is expensive and the second is almost a sports car and can't carry four adults.
And if you look at this A3 more closely, you'll spot a major innovation of topology. See how long the roof is – how far back it goes? See how short is the top of the bootlid? Here is a stroke of genius.
The long space between rear seat and boot lid lets the roof be folded, Z-fashion, into a shallow stack, topped by its rigid front third which makes a separate hood cover unnecessary.
The Audi doesn't have the bloated, big-bottomed look seen on all coupé-cabriolets.
That means no unsightly bulge but a proper boot whose capacity is the same whether the roof is up or down.
It also means the Audi doesn't have the bloated, big-bottomed look seen on all coupé-cabriolets. And, by placing the hood storage so far back, there's proper rear seat space with sensible legroom and backrests that don't force you to sit bolt upright.
A fabric roof is lighter than a folding metal one and its folding mechanism can be much simpler. So while you can admire the 25 seconds of mechanical ballet that is a coupé-cabriolet's roof deployment, the mere nine seconds needed to raise or lower the Audi's roof is preferable.
All Audi A3 cabriolet roofs are not, however, created equal. Grander versions – Sport and, arriving later, S-line – have a fully automatic roof with an extra layer of acoustic insulation but standard models demand that you clamp/unclamp the front of the hood to/from the windscreen frame yourself.
You can have bright LEDs outlining the headlights, too, acting as Volvo-like daytime running lights, plus various extra pieces of aluminium garnish.
High tail
If your first encounter with this new convertible demands accurate reversing, you will discover the Audi's worst feature. It may not have the bloated bottom of a coupé-cabriolet but the tail is still so high you can see nothing of what lies beneath the parapet.
Parking sensors are vital, even more so when the hood is up.
The key test for a convertible, though, is how secure it feels over bumps and ripples. Will it shudder and wobble like an Alfa Spider? Will it feel as though carved from a solid block of granite like a Mercedes SLR Roadster? Or will it be somewhere in between?
The A3 has many reinforcements to compensate for the lack of a permanent roof. There's extra high-strength steel in the windscreen pillars, the sills and the floor, plus a box-like structure between the rear seat's base and the boot. V-shaped braces and aluminium frames, front and rear, further strengthen the underside.
So does it shudder? It does not. The suspension is set more softly than that of other A3's and that helps to filter out disturbances that would otherwise tax the body's integrity.
Ideal specification
I began my open A3 encounter with a unit carrying the fully automatic, three-layer roof of the upmarket models but the supple suspension of standard versions, plus a new evolution of the VW/Audi two-litre turbodiesel engine.
Why buyers who favour the supple springing should be denied the posh roof is hard to understand but anyway this proved a very enjoyable Audi, its 104kW engine now as civilised as a Peugeot/Ford or Renault unit and its suspension able to soak up bumps.
The steering is easy, fluid and properly proportional in its responses, and this A3 flows sweetly and accurately through bends with poise and economy.
Next up, an A3 with a new petrol turbo engine of 1.8 litres and a smaller version of the direct-injection unit seen, as a two-litre, in several VW cars.
The 1.8 TFSI produces 119kW and gives a very different driving experience to that of the 2.0 TDI turbodiesel. There's still fair pulling power from low speeds but a much broader usable speed range, at the upper end of which the engine stays smooth and sweet.
Languid power delivery
That 100 km/h can arrive 8.3sec compared with 9.7sec for the TDI makes the point but many will prefer the diesel's languid power delivery and far lower CO2 emissions (139g/km against 174).
The most rapid A3 Cabriolet, though, is the 2.0 TFSI, whose 149kW gives it a 7.4sec 0-100km/h time. It feels much more muscular than the 1.8 right through the speed range and its 182g/km average CO2 output is bearable too, given the performance.
There's also a 1.9-litre turbodiesel capable of 77kW and with a five-speed gearbox. It's the cheapest open A3 at £20 740 (R299 000).
These are proper soft-top convertibles that will match the desires of a great many buyers. Why didn't Audi do it years ago? - The Independent, London.
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