Audi A4 Cabriolet 2003 Review

It's got to be a tricky job launching a convertible to sit alongside the drop dead gorgeous Audi TT roadster. Harder still if you don't want to hurt the sales potential of either. That's the dilemma facing Audi Australia as it releases the A4 Cabriolet in the middle of a very wet December in Melbourne.

Facts first. Audi will offer two versions of the Cabriolet to Australian buyers; a 1.8-litre turbocharged four-cylinder variant for around $87,000, and a 3.0-litre V6 model for about $105,000. BMW's six cylinder 330Ci costs $108,100, while Mercedes-Benz won't get the new CLK convertible until 2003. For the record, the Audi TT roadster is priced at $92,500 at the time of writing.

Both models are front wheel drive, the 3.0-litre version gets Audi's continuously variable transmission (CVT) - effectively a stepless automatic.

As you know, the Cabriolet is based on Audi's A4 platform, minus a couple of doors and a roof, and sitting alongside the sedan and wagon. Despite other luxury carmakers going to folding hardtops, Audi has stuck with the electronically folding soft-top roof - available in three different colours to match to one of 13 exterior colours. The roof goes from open to closed or vice versa in 24 seconds - no physical latching or effort required, apart from holding a button. And even with the roof open Audi claims the boot will hold two sets of golf clubs. Is that important? To the potential buyer, perhaps.

Audi says the Cabriolet's safety should be comparable to the sedan, based on body structure and passive safety equipment, which achieved a 4 star crash rating in Euro-NCAP testing. The Cabriolet's standard safety package includes front and side airbags, seat belt pretensioners, and an active rollover protection system - IE a bar that pops up behind the rear seats to protect the occupants during rolls.

Anti lock brakes (ABS) are standard, as is hydraulic brake assist (HBA) and electronic stability program (ESP).

Value for money is a hard sell in a car costing in excess of $100,000, but here's the facts for you to decide. Metallic paint, alloy wheels and an electric folding soft top roof make up the external quotient, along with parking sensors. 

Internal frills include air conditioning, heated front seats, electric windows and mirrors, remote central locking, cruise control, multi-stack CD player and trip computer. The steering wheel is adjustable for reach and tilt, the driver's seat electronically tilts, raises, slides and reclines. Nothing that raises the bar at this level of the game, but certainly on par with its more expensive competition.

Audi claims significant cabin space improvements over the old model - 66mm more rear knee room, 33mm more front shoulder room, 52mm more rear shoulder room. Fact is, it's still a tight option in the rear. Legroom is not in any way spacious, though plenty of front seat travel allows a front / rear compromise to be made that should keep both occupants fairly happy.

Roof down, windows up and rear wind deflector deployed, the Cabrio's cabin is still enough to build a house of cards in. And the Cabrio's ride won't upset your budding construction, either. Sublimely soft on Australia's smoother roads, it isolates occupants while keeping the chassis poised and ready for action. Rougher stuff can challenge the suspension at times, though it's more than likely a result of the low profile 17inch tyres on each corner.

Driving down Victoria's magnificent Great Ocean Road on the Cabrio launch put the Cabriolet in perspective. It's a brilliant cruiser, doesn't mind the bends thanks to a 20mm lower ride height and 100mm longer wheelbase, but isn't designed to break land speed records. Pushed hard, the chassis loses cohesion, the front end runs wide, and the suspension runs out of travel on deeper ruts.

In the interest of fairness the chassis' limits are way beyond what the vast majority of future owners will do to their Cabrios. Keep a relaxed frame of mind and the Cabriolet is the epitome of open top luxury. We test drove the 3.0-litre V6 with multitronic at the launch, a combination that only enhances the vehicle's unflustered and rewarding nature.

The CVT responds willingly to throttle adjustments, raising the ratio and taking full advantage of the V6's 160kW of power and 290 Newton-metres of torque. At a sprint the 1620kg Cabriolet will accelerate from rest to 100km/h in 7.8 seconds, while AS2877 fuel economy is rated at a combined cycle of 8.5l/100km.

Potential buyers really shouldn't have too much trouble identifying the reasons to buy an A4-based Cabriolet over an Audi TT roadster. One has two seats and bugger-all boot, the other has four seats and a respectable boot. But when was a convertible a truly practical decision?

Yup, right. Emotion. Envy. Lust. All reasons why people buy drop tops. So, with that in mind, perhaps it'll be harder to choose the practical - and more expensive - option over the curvaceously sexy head turner... Either way I'm sure Audi won't mind. You're still buying one of theirs...

BOTTOMLINE: Nice face, shame about the legs

Arriving Down Under in mid-2003 the Audi A4 Cabriolet 1.8T has quickly become a regular on avenues where the beautiful people like to be seen. Drive through Brighton, Double Bay or Main Beach on any Sunday and the chances are you'll likely spy the $84,500 German soft-top mixing it with open Beemers, Porsches, stablemate TT and the like.

Even in such company, the street appeal of the open A4 is strong. During CarPoint's extended test period, the car never failed to attract appreciative looks and comments -- especially, it must be said, from those of the fairer sex. Indeed, my partner in crime's eagerness to grab the keys was more than a little worrying -- especially, given the fact she's just started shopping for a new set of wheels.

Powered by the four-ringed circus' low-blow 1.8-litre four-cylinder powerplant, the A4 1.8T is no rocketship, though performance is adequate. Maximum power output of 120kW is on a par with the entry-level Saab Cabrio, though 45kW shy of the TT's version of this powerplant. Peak torque is a claimed 225Nm, spread liberally between 1950 and 4700rpm and is dished out by Audi's Multitronic continuously-variable automatic transmission.

It's a syrupy smooth tranny and ideally suited to the type of profiling the smart set crave. That said, it's not high on my list of likes. For one thing, there's an unacceptable delay between burying the right foot and getting mobile from standstill... Not unlike the impression one gets when you twist the throttle on a restricted motorscooter -- it all happens eventually, but by that stage the car you're turning right in front of is 20m closer and its driver is wildly gesticulating and questioning your parentage.

Meantime, when used in six-speed 'manual' mode, the tranny's almost totally devoid of engine braking. Not exactly in character given the sporty spin Audi puts on its marketing for the Cabrio.

This behaviour, and the lack of a true manual transmission option, is a bit of a shame given the wieldy nature of the car. Sitting 20mm lower than the A4 saloon and Avant (wagon), the Cabriolet nonetheless offers reasonable levels of both grip and ride comfort. It's no RS6, but the car is markedly better behaved, and a whole lot stiffer, than the last generation of Audi soft top.

It's also a bigger car than its predecessor, with a 100mm longer wheelbase, most of which has been gifted to rear passengers. That said though, Audi claims the Cabriolet is a genuine, full-size four-seater vehicle though heavy side-bolstering means that rear passenger shoulder room is still at a premium. There's enough room for cross-town jaunts but a day-long trip to the country will stretch the friendship.

Oh, and backseaters learn pretty quickly to duck when the electro-hydraulic hood is in operation -- a sharp knock on the noggin will do that. The fully-lined, glass-windowed-hood is, however, a piece of automotive art -- push one button and 24 seconds later it's up or down. No latches, no pushing or pulling -- no fuss. And unlike some cabrios, even with the roof down there's still room in the boot. Not two golf bags' worth but enough for a weekend for two, once you know how to pack the bags just so. FYI: a skibag and port are standard fitment too.

Up front, we were impressed by the detailing and level of equipment. Audi give good dash -- and the Cabrio's no exception. There are more than a few hints of TT up here, with alloy-look bezels on vents and instruments, and leather at most touch points.

Just one hiccup here -- a trap for young players in this day of the speed camera safety focus. At arterial road speeds, the calibration of the speedo changes its minor intervals from 5km/h to 10... But officer, I was only doing... Umm, err...

Our Cabrio was fitted with optional navigation and television but even the standard car features a high level of spec. Leather sports seats (sans TT-style lacing, thankfully) highly polished decorative dash inlay, centre display with ambient temperature, petrol range and radio/CD frequency, Driver Information System, electric lumbar support, 16-inch alloy wheels CD player and remote central locking are all fitted to the 'base' car.

According to Audi, the Cabriolet's safety characteristics equal in every way those of the A4 saloon. That said, the levels of refinement are still a tad short. Bumpy roads still have the Cabrio exhibiting a degree of scuttle shake (Saab's latest soft-top is better for instance) and even in our low kilometre model there were already the beginnings of some very un-Audi rattles.

None of which will likely affect the sales of this car one jot. Make no mistake, this is a sassy, sexy number that is already a success Down Under. Memo to self: be sure to avoid Audi dealerships when wife is in car...