First Look: 2010 Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet

The Cabriolet is Dead, Long Live the Cabriolet

By Kirill Ougarov

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The revised 2009 Audi A4 sedan and wagon have been around for several months now, but there has been no word on the convertible receiving the same treatment. There's a reason for that: After 2009, the A4 Cabriolet is dead. In its place will be the new 2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet, a logical move given that it's easier to convert a coupe into a drop-top than a sedan.

Unlike the folks down the autobahn in Munich, Ingolstadt's designers stuck with a tried-and-true softtop design, which opens in 15 sec and closes in 17 sec at speeds of up to 31 mph. The top takes up a mere 2.12 cu ft of cargo space when closed out of a total of 13.42 cu ft, which can be expanded to 26.49 cu ft by folding the 50/50 split rear seats. To help extend the top-down driving season for those not fortunate enough to live in climates without a real winter, Audi is throwing in a head-level heating system along with conventional cooled/heated front seats. Other luxury features include keyless entry and push-button start, 505-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system, rearview camera, Bluetooth, Xenon headlights, and Audi Side Assist lane change assistance.

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Under the hood, A5 Cabriolet buyers will have the same choice as current A4 Cabriolet shoppers save for one difference: Both the 211-hp, 258 lb-ft 2.0L turbo I-4 (mated to a CVT for FWD models and a six-speed auto on quattro models) and 265-hp, 243 lb-ft 3.2L V-6 (mated to a six-speed automatic) receive direct injection technology, which accounts for the modest increase in power. According to Audi, the former hustles from 0 to 62 mph in 7.5 sec. and the latter in 6.9 sec. On the fuel economy front, although the engines are similar to those of the current model, Audi claims the A5 Cabriolet's fuel economy will be significantly improved. According to Audi, the European-spec front-drive 2.0T with a six-speed manual achieves an average of 34.6 mpg and the six-speed front-drive 3.2 model an average of 27.4 mpg.

As for the S5 Cabriolet (the blue car pictured), it receives the 2010 S4's 333-hp 325 lb-ft 3.0L supercharged V-6 and seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox a year before the S5 Coupe. In the S5 Cabriolet, this powertrain combination is good for a 0-62 time of 5.6 seconds and a claimed average fuel economy of 24.5 mpg. Available on the S5 will be a new quattroSport rear differential that, similar to BMW's Dynamic Performance Control, can vary torque between the two rear wheels. Also available will be the Audi Drive Select system, which varies engine, transmission, steering, and suspension settings based on the driver's preferences. Bad news for three-pedal fans, however: A traditional manual will not be offered on either the A5 or S5 Cabriolet for the U.S.

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The A5 and S5 Cabriolet won't be seen stateside until the New York auto show at the earliest, with the world premiere scheduled for early March at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The cars are scheduled to arrive in dealer showrooms in the fall 2009 with pricing to come later, though the A5 Cab at least should not be substantially higher than the $40,750 entry price for an A4 Cabriolet.