Audi A3 Cabriolet

2:40pm Monday 8th December 2008

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UNTIL recently, you couldn’t buy a compact, up-market cabriolet then, almost simultaneously, BMW and Audi unveiled premium rag-tops.

With prices of the bigger 3-Series and A4 soft-tops starting at more than £26,000 (more than £30,000 in the Beemer’s case), the Germans needed something a bit more affordable to fend off competition from the likes of Peugeot, VW and Ford.

Now, fresh-air motoring Audistyle starts at a much more affordable £20,745 – no wonder Audi bosses have high hopes for their new baby.

To keep costs down the new cabriolet uses the tried and tested architecture from the A3 hatchback, albeit modified to accept the fabric roof and its various motors.

Audi claims the A3’s soft-top is the fastest folding roof in the world, capable of transforming from cramped fourseater to a light and airy cabrio in a mere nine seconds.

Opening and closing is a one-button affair – there are no clamps to remove first – and the fabric stores neatly behind the back seats when it is down – impressive, especially given that it’s actually longer than the A4 cabrio’s roof, and that car sits in the next class up.

It is also claimed to be only one decibel louder than the hard-top version on the motorway, although I detected more road noise than I’d have expected in the standard A3, especially driving on coarse surfaces.

Top down, the Audi’s paintwork really accentuated the car’s good looks and even with the black hood in place the A3 was a fine sight on the road.

Although the body is largely unchanged over the standard hatchback, Audi has tarted things up a bit with new lamps and, on S Line models, LED running lights.

The cabin lives up to Audi’s standards for excellence. Only the teeny sun visors, which made it impossible to screen my eyes from the strong winter sunshine, gave any cause for concern. Even with the lid down there are no squeaks or creaks; build quality is exemplary.

To achieve this Audi has been forced to add reinforcement to the bulkhead.

This makes the cabrio around 100 kg heavier, but it would have been lardier still with a folding metal roof, The extra pork doesn’t seem to have blunted any of the performance from the turbocharged 2.0-litre four.

A power output of 197 bhp – and 206 lb/ft of torque – gives the A3 real punch to go with those good looks.

It feels confidence-inspiring on the go, with crisp steering and secure handling.

Bumps do sometimes send the odd tremor through the chassis but the A3 never feels unsettled, even at the high speeds it is capable of.

The 2.0-litre turbo is something of a VW classic these days (it is found in the Golf Gti, Seat Leon and various vRS Skodas) and it is easy to see why.

As well as being fast and flexible, it’s also very smooth and surprisingly economical.

Of course, the biggest trade off with a cabriolet is the amount of space you have to give up.

The A3 is a four-seater – just – but I wouldn’t inflict the back seats on two adults for a long journey unless the roof was folded. It feels like sitting in a coal bunker.

The boot space is a good size but the narrow opening reminded me of a post box. I managed to wrestle our three-year-old’s pushchair into it but anyone with a big parcel or flat-pack furniture may not be so lucky.

But this is hardly a drawback, as no one would buy one of these as a main family car. In fact, it’s amazing just how few compromises have to be made to live with the A3 Cabrio, thanks to the fast-moving and well-insulated roof.

Of course, many hardnosed motorists would laugh at the idea of paying more for a car with less space, less pace and more weight.

But logic so often gives way to emotion during the car-buying process and the A3 Cabrio certainly tugs at the heart-strings if the number of admiring glances that came the test car’s way is any indication.

Specification

Engine: 1,984cc turbo fourcylinder
Max power: 197 bhp @ 5,100 rpm
Max torque: 280 Nm @ 1,800 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Exhaust emissions: 181 g/km
Fuel consumption: 37.2 mpg overall
Equipment: Electric folding hood, climate control, heated seats (£250 optional extra) and mirrors, electric windows, wind deflector.