Audi Top down touring

There are two petrol engine options – a 2-litre four-cylinder and a 3.2-litre V6 – and a V6 3-litre turbo-diesel.All are mated to a 7-speed dual-clutch S-tronic transmission with renowned Quattro all-wheel-drive, a slick combination for all occasions.

We put the diesel variant to the test over a week of varied driving, and were impressed with its flexibility and drivability.

First up, the soft top (which bucks the current trend of retractable hard tops) is easy and quick to put up and down, taking just 15 seconds to lower. Even when down, there’s still a highly usable 320 litres of usable boot space.

Significantly, it can be raised and lowered at a speed of up to 50 km/h, a handy feature when a rain shower suddenly threatens around town. Commendably, there is little evidence of scuttle (body) shake. While lighter than a retractable hard top, the soft top A5 all up weighs in at 185 kg more than the A5 coupe.

With 176 kW of power and 500 Nm of torque on tap, the 3.0-litre V6 diesel is an engine for any occasion. Torquey and responsive, its most impressive aspect is its smoothness at any speed. Two up, our test car returned an average of 7.4 seconds from 0-100 km/h and 0-400 m in 15.2 s. This sort of driving blew out the claimed aggregate fuel economy of 6.8-litres/100 km, but the diesel imbibes considerably less than its petrol siblings regardless.

At 1860 kg, the A5 lacks the nimbleness of a lighter, smaller soft top, particularly feeling a little nose heavy when interrogated by tight and twisty going. But then its target market would no doubt readily trade this off for the overall refinement that the A5 provides.

The A5 Cabriolet seats four adults (the front two more comfortably than the rear seat passengers), has powered front seats as standard and optional Milano leather upholstery with a heat-resistant coating. Audi says the latter feature can lower surface temperature by up to 20 degrees Celsius – a nice touch in sun-drenched Queensland.