Audi S5 Cabriolet (2009) CAR review

The Audi bandwagon moves on and its latest model is the new A5 Cabriolet. At one end of the scale you can have it with a goody-two-shoes 2.0-litre TDI (complete with stop/start technology), and at the other end is the rather rapid S5 tested here.

In the switch from Coupe to Cabriolet, the S5 has ditched the 4.2-litre V8 for a supercharged 3.0-litre V6 – like its S4 saloon sibling. So while the bhp figure might be down (from 349 to 328bhp) and torque figure up by a single digit to 325lb ft, that twisting force is now spread from 2900rpm to 5300rpm, rather than peaking at 3500rpm. The fuel consumption figure is also improved (26.2 to 29.1mpg), and for those of you that care about driving, you’ll be pleased to know that the S5 Cabriolet can be had with an active rear differential to mete out that torque more cleanly.

I quite like the Audi A5 Coupe – how does the A5 Cabriolet look with its chopped top?

Rather good. Yes, to some the front grille will be too fussy, too in-your-face, but overall the A5 is stylish and handsome. The S5’s bigger front and rear bumpers, platinum-effect grille, quad exhausts and aluminium-effect door mirrors manage to remain fairly subtle. And the silver windscreen surround works well, taking your eye off the big black section of fabric at the back.

In the switch from coupe to cab none of the sleekness of the A5 has been lost. But to these eyes it looks best with the roof stowed away, with the same clean, crisp and uncluttered lines that helped make the A4 Cabriolet look so smart to a certain strata of society.

A fabric roof, you say?

We did indeed. Like the next-generation E-class convertible (but unlike BMW’s 3-series drop-top) Audi has stuck with a cloth hood. It features a heated glass rear window, folds away in 15 seconds, and rises up again in just 17 seconds. Audi claims those figures are respectively seven and six seconds faster than BMW’s metal roof on the Three. And the A5 will do this while travelling at speeds up to 31mph – we’ve tested it at speed and can report it’s impressive for such a big roof.

On the road with the lid down, and with the wind deflector in place, your mullet won’t get ruffled, the S5 only allowing the merest hint of a breeze into the cabin. But drop the deflector, so this four-seater can actually seat four, and everyone will be buffeted by the wind – and with a button to raise and lower all four windows you can suddenly wake your slumbering passengers with a sudden blast of improntu air-conditioning.

But while the S5’s cabin composure with the roof down is impressive, what’s even more remarkable is how it behaves with the fabric in place. As standard the S5 gets an Acoustic Hood, with an extra 14mm of foam to suppress the noise. It works, making the Cabriolet almost as refined as the A5 Coupe, but it’s a cheek to charge other A5 Cabriolet drivers £210 for this must-have option.

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