  2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet (top); S5 Cabriolet (bottom). Click image to enlarge |
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2010 Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet
Monte Carlo, Monaco – Spring is just around the corner. It’s the south of France. This must be a convertible launch…
In its bid to become the world’s largest maker of premium automobiles, Audi has shown the motoring press the latest arrows in its burgeoning quiver: the four-seat 2010 A5 and hotter S5 Cabriolet.
Arriving in Canada in the late summer of 2009, both with Quattro all-wheel drive, these models will fill the void created by the departing, previous-generation A4 drop-top. No Canadian pricing has been set, but rest assured, Audi wants to lure buyers away from the BMW 328i Cabriolet ($55,600) and the 335i Cabriolet ($65,600).
The A5 Coupe, on which this convertible is based, was a breakout car for Audi in 2008. It wasn’t just its lovely proportions, but also because it was the first mainstream Audi to feature the now-signature LED headlight “mascara,” and a revised platform with the front wheels pushed forward and a repositioned differential for better weight distribution.
Audi is using a three-layer fabric top for this cabrio, unlike BMW and Mercedes, which embrace folding tin-top hardware, save for the 1 Series’ soft roof. While retractable hardtops generally provide better isolation when fixed, soft tops offer the benefits of reduced complexity, weight and volume, allowing for more trunk space and avoiding the sometimes awkward rear proportioning necessary to pack away all that metal — Ferrari California and VW Eos, please stand up.
  Convertible top down (top); top up (bottom). Click image to enlarge |
Awkward proportioning is something of which you could never accuse the A5 Coupe, so it’s a relief to see this cabrio version suffers little in that regard. With the top up, it still carries much of the coupe’s chiseled good looks. With the roof tucked under the tonneau cover (15 seconds down, 17 seconds up, operates at speeds up to 50 km/h) this cabriolet cuts quite a graceful profile. The brushed aluminum trim ringing the cabin is a lovely detail.
The folded top takes up only 60 litres of the generous 380-litre trunk, and the rear seat splits and folds, offering up to 750 litres of storage volume.
As pretty as the A5 Cabriolet is, it went largely unnoticed in this Mediterranean principality, where Rolls’, Astons, Ferraris and Lambos roam the streets in surprising numbers. And these exotics are mere rolling trinkets compared to the yachts in the harbour.
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at 8:17 am
What a great review to start my day at work, now all i can think of is the a5/s5
Personally I’m not a fan of cabs, specially the soft top.
I’m looking at a non-cab preowned a5 in 1-2 years, hopefully they don’t come out with something even more attractive.
at 10:26 am
I have loved the look of this car from day one, gorgeous!!
All the audi’s for ‘09 are beautiful, top notch styling!
at 10:30 am
The red photo of the S5 Cabriolet quite simply makes me drool. Between this and the photos of the Bentley Continental GT Speed, I think I have found my two favourite cars!
at 1:17 pm
That A5 looks absolutely stunning in that lovely bronze colour and the multi spoke wheels look perfect on it.
at 8:45 pm
I’ve been dreaming of an S5 coupe since I first saw the pics back when it was introduced a couple years ago. Simply the finest looking coupe on the market, and the performance is pretty sweet as well. Audi has replaced BMW as my favorite car brand. Keep it up Ingolstadt!!!
at 4:44 am
This car is stunning as is the non cab version and I would be the owner of a S5 if is were not for the lengthy wait time when ordering. As I only buy cars with standard transmissions I sure hope automatics aren’t the only available version as it seems more and more cars are going now a days.
at 4:41 pm
What a beautiful car! German engineering, Italian design, hopefully just as reliable as the Japanese cars then that would be a great combo…NB: The Audi S4 had the 340hp, 302 lbs/ft 4.2L V8, different from the Audi S5 coupe’s 354hp, 325 lbs/ft 4.2L V8.
at 9:47 am
WHY THE HELL ISN’T AUDI MAKING A HARDTOP CONVERTIBLE…even Volkswagen has it..and there the same friggin company
at 3:32 am
Actually, I was very happy to see that Audi decided not to add weight or reduce trunk space by jumping on the hardtop bandwagon. Sure VW has one, but man, the Eos looks awkward at best, and the trunk capacity is crap.
As an owner of a current A4 Cabrio who almost always has the top down, having more trunk space – and much better trunk access – than is available on the hardtop Beemer is a no-brainer for me. Seriously, a 3-series has about 2/3 the space when the top is down, but the bigger problem is you CAN’T GET TO ANYTHING because there’s only about a foot of clearance; my wife and I can load up mine for the weekend and still get everything out. The weight savings doesn’t hurt either, and while lower complexity hasn’t been an issue, I figure it’s better in the long run. Would a hardtop be quieter? Sure, but not so much that I’d trade the other pluses of a softtop.
at 7:28 pm
Dilan, Do you play golf? I do a lot. Around 50 games each summer. The clubs must be in the trunk all the time for me. I have a 2004 BMW 325 Convertible. I didn’t change for a new model because of the hardtop. No space left in the trunk. I don’t want to leave the golf clubs on the rear seat either. I’m waiting for the 2010 A5 convertible because it’s the only one that still has a trunk!
Different point of view about the kind of convertible roof. A BMW representative told me that BMW could come back to softtop in the next design!!! They have many complain about the trunk space! But I’m not gonna wait for that. The A5 should be my next car… because of it softtop!
at 11:47 am
okay first of all let me tell alll of you that you are crazy there cars not life partners… you guys are like freakin out about shit that dosent even matter by the way there is not interest rate or any addional costs… RETARTDS.. sooo yah thatnks for nothing and ps……WHAT GREAT REVIEW TO START MY DAY…. by the way your review talks about a whole lotta NOTHING… byebye
at 4:14 pm
Ok, first of all, WOW!!! This is one gorgeous car! My dad will be buying a convertible hopefully sometime toward next year, and the A5 is on our list. He wants a retractable hardtop, but I keep telling him that softops of today have been improved. I’m trying to convince him to test the coupe model this saturday, but my chances are unclear. From our other testing experiences, including testing coupe versions of convertibles, the salesman has always told us that there is no ride difference between the coupe and the convertible (e.g. the BMW 328i or the Mini Cooper). I wish Audi would say exactly when in late summer the convertible will be released. That’s another reason why my dad’s sceptical ’cause he doesn’t like testing coupe versions. I can only hope that if we end up waiting to test the convertible instead that the recession will prevent the A5 from selling out before we can test it.
at 6:45 pm
Great looking car the A5/S5 but people lets get serious here…they dont drive like a bimmer…never will…I have owned both BMWs and Audis in the past….it was always interesting to me how badly my wife’s All-Road drove compared to my 1998 540i and then my 2007 550i…different worlds…I recently picked up a 2008 535xi wagon for my wife and she is astounded as to the driving characteristics of that car vs her previous 2004 All-Road…no comparison…BMW rules the driving experience…from a looks comparison, OK…the Audis I will admit are great looking cars…BUT!, dont be fooled by the good looking girl who is a complete nightmare though…go for the slightly less cosmetically inclined (not that BMWs are ugly cars..they are beautiful) and you will be happier (way happier) for years, miles and driving vacations…8 hours to the east coast….did it twice…just now in the 535xi (great experience) and a few years ago in the All-Road…I was in pain for 2 days after that ride…this year I didnt want the ride to end…that says it all!