Item: Audi A5 Cabriolet
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The 201bhp 40 TFSI is the Goldilocks version (not too hot, not too cold). It has enough power to best a similarly priced 420i BMW 4 Series, plus it costs considerably less than the equivalently specced diesel and 45 TFSI petrol.

40 TFSI 204

Sports

Audi is a brand that sets the standard for interior quality, and this, combined with its vast and ever-growing model line-up, has helped it become one of the ‘big three’ German prestige car makers, along with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

The A3 hatchback, A4 executive saloon and Q7 SUV have all won their classes at the What Car? Car of the Year Awards in recent years, while the TT coupé is the most decorated car in the history of the ceremony.

At least some of Audi's success over the past 30 years can be attributed to the growth in sales of vehicles with four-wheel drive; the company arguably led the way in bringing 4x4 technology into the mainstream, with its Quattro coupé in the early 1980s.

Today, most Audis are available with at least the option of four-wheel drive, while the list of SUVs from the brand includes the Q2, Q3, Q5 and Q7.

AUDI

Even entry-level Sport trim comes with LED headlights, a 10.1in infotainment screen with a DAB radio and sat-nav, three-zone climate control and front and rear parking sensors with a reversing camera.

Even entry-level Sport trim comes with xenon headlights, a 7.0in colour infotainment screen with a DAB radio and sat-nav, three-zone climate control and front and rear parking sensors.

Sport

40 TFSI 204 Sport 2dr S Tronic

40-tfsi-204-sport-2dr-s-tronic

Aston Martin DB11 Volante

Audi A5 Cabriolet

BMW 2 Series Convertible

BMW 4 Series Convertible

BMW 8 Series Convertible

BMW M8

DS3 Cabrio

Ferrari California T

Ferrari Portofino

Fiat 124 Spider

Fiat 500C Hybrid

Ford Mustang Convertible

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Convertible

Mazda MX-5

Mazda MX-5 RF

Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet

Mercedes E-Class Cabriolet

Mercedes S Class Cabriolet

Mercedes SL

Mercedes SLC

Mini Convertible

Volkswagen T-Roc Cabriolet

Introduction

Performance & drive

Interior

Passenger & boot space

Costs & verdict

The Audi A5 Cabriolet costs a bit more than the&nbsp;equivalent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a5/coupe/review/n17191">A5 coupé</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;may look a little pricey compared with some rivals, but some of that premium is offset by the automatic gearbox you get as standard across the range. Residual values are on a par with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/c-class/sports/review/n166">Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet</a>, but can’t quite match those of the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/4-series/sports/review/n173">BMW 4 Series Convertible</a>.

If you're looking to run an A5 Cabriolet as a<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/company-car-or-car-allowance/n1115"> company car</a>, CO2 emissions will be just as important. The news here is&nbsp;slightly disappointing&nbsp;because the least polluting engine – the 40 TDI diesel – comes with four-wheel drive, which hurts efficiency. It emits 152g/km, placing it in a higher benefit-in-kind (<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/company-car-tax-calculator">BIK</a>) tax bracket than the cleanest 4 Series and C-Class.

Fuel economy also comes up short compared with rivals – the 40 TDI only managing a combined 48.7mpg against the 57.6mpg of the 420d 4 Series and 52.3mpg of the C220d C-Class.

All models come with LED headlights, the 10.1in infotainment screen with a DAB radio and sat-nav, three-zone climate control, and front and rear parking sensors. S line is largely an appearance package aside from fancier matrix&nbsp;LED headlights, so unless you fall in love with the racier looks it gives you, we’d stick to entry-level Sport trim.

Range-topping Vorsprung trim adds almost everything you can find on the Audi options list. Because of that, though, it’s considerably more expensive and not recommendable.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a> as a brand didn’t perform particularly well in the 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey-brands/n20069">What Car? Reliability Survey</a>, finishing in joint 22nd place out of 31 manufacturers. Still, that’s a better showing than Mercedes could manage in 26th, but far behind BMW in ninth place.

There isn’t a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/the-safest-cars-on-sale-today/n19724">Euro NCAP safety rating</a> for the A5 Cabriolet at the time of writing. You get automatic emergency braking <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/what-is-aeb-and-how-does-it-work/n3283">(AEB)</a> as standard, but it does without lane keep assistance that the 4 Series has as standard. You’ll need the range-topping Vorsprung to get that, along with traffic sign recognition and blind-spot monitoring. &nbsp;

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, <a href="https://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">sign up to the What Car? newsletter</a>

You don’t have to drive the Audi A5 Cabriolet very far to realise that it’s much happier cruising than charging along a winding road. That’s not to say it handles poorly, though:&nbsp;body roll is well contained, the steering is nicely weighted and there’s lots of grip.&nbsp;

As is the case with most <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/convertible">convertibles</a>, it falls behind its fixed-roof sibling, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a5/coupe/review/n17191">A5 coupé</a>, when it comes to&nbsp;providing&nbsp;genuine driving enjoyment on a twisting roads. You won’t find lots of information filtering up from the front tyres to the steering wheel or a real sense of excitement.

The&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/4-series/sports/review/n173">BMW 4 Series Convertible</a>&nbsp;feels far more agile, and has more precise steering that responds better to your input. The A5 Cabriolet at least does have a more comfortable ride and suffers less body lean in corners than the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/c-class/sports/review/n166">Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet</a>.

When you drive more sedately with&nbsp;the optional adaptive suspension in the Comfort or Balanced setting, the A5 Cabriolet is a comfortable companion. If you don’t plan to splash&nbsp;out on that option, we’d recommend avoiding S line suspension because it makes the ride firmer than necessary. For the same reason, we'd stick to the 18in wheels that are standard on Sport.

We’d also be inclined to avoid the more powerful 261bhp 45 TFSI four-cylinder petrol engine. Even though it does 0-62mph in a mere 6.0sec, it doesn’t feel an awful lot quicker in the real world than the 201bhp 40 TDi diesel. The mid-range 201bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol in the 40 TFSI is&nbsp;the pick of the bunch. It offers a solid compromise between performance (0-62mph is in a swift 7.5esc) and running costs, and betters the pricier entry-level 420i found in the 4 Series for pace.

Whichever engine you go for, it’s hard not to be impressed by the A5 Cabriolet’s quietness. Even the diesel is remarkably hushed for this type of engine, with only a little bit of grittiness when accelerating and some vibration at low engine speeds slightly spoiling the experience. The petrol engines are even smoother, with a sporty edge when you rev them.&nbsp;

Buffeting is kept to a minimum with the roof down, and you can still chat with your passenger at 70mph (the BMW 4 Series Convertible shelters its four passengers even better). An optional wind deflector is available. It obstructs the rear seats but keeps those in the front exceptionally well protected.

Where noise is concerned, some versions we’ve tried generate&nbsp;an awful lot of road roar, but if you stick with the smaller wheels and tyres, things should be more than bearable.

Fuel 

Gearbox

0-62 MPH

We're yet to try the 148bhp version (35 TFSI) in the A5 Cabriolet, but in the A5 Sportback that engine needs to be worked quite hard to build speed in a hurry. We suspect it’ll be much worse in the heavier cabriolet because 0-62mph takes a ponderous 9.8sec.

http://example.com

35 TFSI

35-tfsi

OUR PICK

40-tfsi-204

Offers similar real-world performance to the more potent 45 TFSI petrol, but not enough of an improvement in fuel economy to justify its expense over a 40 TFSI. Its emissions aren’t that great for company car drivers, either.

40 TDI 204 Quattro

40-tdi-204-quattro

We’d be tempted to avoid the more powerful 45 TFSI four-cylinder petrol engine because it doesn’t feel an awful lot quicker than the lower-powered diesel in the real world.

45 TFSI 265 Quattro

45-tfsi-265-quattro

The Audi A5 Cabriolet belongs to a long line of plush drop-top cars designed to&nbsp;provide discreetly luxurious transport for those who like to feel wind in their hair.

Like its A5 coupé&nbsp;counterpart, the A5 Cabriolet is based on the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a4/saloon/review/n105">Audi A4</a>, which won our&nbsp;What Car? Car of the Year award a few years ago, so you get four seats plus the interior quality Audi is renowned for.

The A5 cars place&nbsp;less emphasis on keeping costs down, though, so the Cabriolet isn't available with the lower-powered engines you can get in the A4. Instead, there are three petrol options, delivering from 148bhp to 261bhp, plus a 201bhp diesel.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi">Audi</a> has also given the engines mild-hybrid technology to improve emissions and add a performance boost, while the most powerful petrol engine plus the diesel get four-wheel drive (the rest of the range is front-wheel drive).

In terms of competition, the A5 Cabriolet’s open-top four-seater rivals include the excellent-to-drive&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/4-series/sports/review/n173">BMW 4 Series Convertible</a> and the classy <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/c-class/sports/review/n166">Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet</a>. To compete, it will need to&nbsp;match or trump them on quality, technology and desirability, but there’s more to it than that.

So, will adults be comfortable in the back seats, can it lead the way in open-air thrills and&nbsp;has cutting the roof off the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a5/coupe/review/n17191">A5 coupé</a> compromised its handling? This Audi A5 Cabriolet review will answer all those questions and more, and we'll also tell&nbsp;you how much it will cost to run and which engine and trim options we recommend.

When you've decide which <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/category/convertible">convertible</a> is the right one for you, we can help you save thousands of pounds off the list price if you go to the free&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/new-car-deals">What Car? New Car Buying service</a>. It has lots of great savings on most makes and models, including some tempting <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/audi/a5/sports/deals">Audi A5 Cabriolet deals</a>.

The Audi A5 Cabriolet’s interior is impressive, even when you compare&nbsp;with much more expensive cars. It looks great, and&nbsp;there&nbsp;are lots of plush-feeling materials that are a cut above those used in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/4-series/sports/review/n173">BMW 4 Series Convertible</a>, plus a wide range of trims available to personalise your car. Switches are placed logically and feel as though they’re built to last.

Our tallest and shortest testers could both get comfortable easily in the driver’s seat, which has plenty of adjustment,&nbsp;including&nbsp;electrically adjustable lumbar support on every model – a real boon on long journeys. The steering wheel can be moved up, down, forwards and backwards.

Visibility is fine out of the front and to the sides, but the rear three-quarter view is restricted when the canvas roof is up. Front and rear parking sensors plus a reversing camera are provided to help you, but you’ll need the most expensive Vorsprung version to get a 360-degree camera system.&nbsp;

The revised 10.1in infotainment screen is a lot bigger than the previous version, and is controlled by voice and touch instead of with a rotary controller and shortcut keys.

The voice function is a bit hit and miss with the roof down, and we find touchscreens more distracting to use on the move because you have to look away while driving. The iDrive system in a 4 Series, and even the rotary controller in a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/c-class/sports/review/n166">Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet</a> are far easier to get on with when the car is in motion.

Fortunately, Audi’s 12.3in digital Virtual Cockpit that takes the place of analogue instrument dials comes as standard, and you can control phone, music and basic sat-nav (standard across the range) functions through it using buttons on the steering wheel.

A great choice if you want a quiet, comfy convertible that's beautifully built.

Clearly, you wouldn't be considering a convertible if space was your priority, but the Audi A5 Cabriolet is more practical than you might imagine.

A couple of average-height adults will just about fit in the back, although they’ll have to slouch to keep their heads from brushing against the roof lining if the roof is up. With that in mind, the rear seats are best kept for children or small adults, and for short journeys only. If you want a more accommodating convertible, you’ll need the longer <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/4-series/sports/review/n173">BMW 4 Series Convertible</a>.

Officially, the A5 Cabriolet has more boot space than the&nbsp;4 Series Convertible and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/c-class/sports/review/n166">Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet</a>&nbsp;but the differences are small. The load bay is a useful square shape, but having the roof down does reduce load space, although there’s still more than you’d get in most superminis. Rear seats that split and fold 50/50 are fitted as standard and, when down, they leave only a gentle slope in the floor of the extended load bay.

Front space is good, and&nbsp;even if you’re extremely tall, you’re unlikely to have any complaints about how far your seat slides back or how much room there is above your head.

sport

Bigger 19in alloy wheels, sport suspension, more aggressive S line styling, matrix LED headlights and a sports steering wheel are among the additions when paying extra for S line trim. Unless you love the look, we wouldn’t bother – it pushes up the price considerably.

S line

s-line

Plump for Edition 1 to get 20in alloys, fine grain nappa leather and electric adjustments for the front seats.

Edition 1

edition-1

Vorsprung adds almost everything you can find in the Audi options list. Because of that, though, it’s considerably more expensive and not recommendable.

Vorsprung

vorsprung

The Audi A5 Cabriolet is refined, comfortable and has tidy, if not thrilling, handling. It’s one of the classiest drop-tops in this price range, with certainly the finest finished interior. That interior isn’t as spacious as a BMW 4 Series, though, nor is the A5 Cabriolet’s latest infotainment system as easy to use. But, the Audi is a better drive than an equivalent Mercedes C-Class Cabriolet, plus it has a great range of refined engines that are more than a match for the competition.

What we're looking for:<ul><li>Wind-in-the-hair excitement</li> <li>Roof that’s quick and easy to raise and lower</li> <li>Comfortable seating for four adults</li> <li>Sufficient practicality for everyday use</li> <li>Little wind buffeting</li> <li>Quietness, whether the roof is up or down</li> <li>Minimal shaking and shimmying over bumps</li></ul>

Despite the British weather, UK car buyers are among the biggest enthusiasts for wind-in-your-hair motoring, so convertibles have always been surprisingly popular here. It’s best to be able to react to the fickle climate, though, so we’re after a roof that opens (and closes) slickly and quickly and good top-down cruising refinement.

There are precious few bespoke drop-tops these days, so your choice of models is generally limited to soft-top&nbsp;versions of existing models. Mini will sell you a drop-top version of its style-focused hatchback, if you’re after a bit of flair. The Audi A5&nbsp;Cabriolet, meanwhile, brings all of the benefits of the regular A5&nbsp;– refined engines and a beautifully finished interior. Alternatively, the much more expensive Mercedes-Benz S-Class Cabriolet is one of the most luxurious convertibles on sale.

Introduction

What Car? says...