Audi S3 Cabriolet 2015 Review

Summer and convertibles go hand in hand and, if you're anything like us, a little extra horsepower never goes astray either. Enter the Audi S3 Cabriolet, which combines open-top motoring with more performance than anything in its class.

Building on the sporting character of the S3 Sportback, Audi's first ever drop-top S3 offers an identical driveline to its tin-top sedan and hatchback siblings wrapped in an arguably more seductive outfit.

The S3 Cabriolet's sharp, athletic sheetmetal contrasts neatly against an electric-folding soft-top, pairing the old-school charm of a cloth lid with the menacing performance and precise dynamics we've come to expect from Audi's turbocharged, all-wheel drive workings.

Up front a 2.0-litre TFSI (turbo fuel stratified injection) engine, common with the likes of Volkswagen's hard-charging Golf R and Skoda's brilliant Octavia RS, delivers 210kW between 5300 and 6200rpm [Ed: 'cold climate' European-spec models offer 221kW] and 380Nm from 1800 to 5200rpm.

Married to a six-speed S tronic (dual-clutch) automatic transmission, the rorty four-cylinder provides cracking acceleration, sprinting to 100km/h in just 5.5 seconds (claimed).

OK, so the combination of a little turbo lag and a fleeting lull in transmission take-up do conspire to create a moment's hesitation off the mark. But it's a quick crescendo after 2000 revs; and on the hop the eager performance acts in seamless unanimity with the quick-shifting transmission to deliver playful performance.

This enthusiasm doesn't come at the detriment of your fuel bill. Audi quotes an ADR combined cycle figure of 7.1L/100km and on test – over a mix of city and freeway driving – the trip computer showed an average of 9.0. It's a reasonable figure considering the performance on offer, and provides a cruising range of just over 600km per fill.

Riding on lower suspension (-25mm) than regular A3 Cabriolets, the S3 is focussed, yet still reasonably compliant. There's a little scuttle shake over harsh impacts and, while the adaptive dampers provide settings capable of eliminating most of the coarseness felt beneath, the low-profile rubber does erode a small degree of comfort.

But as a sports model that is to be expected; and in conjunction with quattro permanent all-wheel drive, the road holding and punch from slow-speed corners is both tenacious and exhilarating.

Yet the S3 Cabriolet still feels a little podgy. At 1620kg (kerb) – as a result of the additional bracing required to support the structure usually reinforced by the roof – the convertible does load the outside wheels rather heavily during hard cornering, shifting the weight to the outside front tyre and compelling the all-wheel drive system (and in extreme scenarios the stability control) to arbitrate proceedings.

In these situations the steering is also effected, the resistance of high-speed cornering fighting driver input – especially in long or compound radius turns. A good thing, then, the braking performance is both strong and repeatable, always able to wash off as much speed as required, time and again, to settle the nose and improve turn-in.

But away from the S3 Cabriolet's mechanicals, it's the deluxe interior and high-end equipment list that makes the four-seat soft-top so liveable in day-to-day running. In Drive (as opposed to Sport), the evenness of the drivetrain complements the ambience of the cabin which is quieter than expected with the roof down, and with far less wind rustle than expected – even with the windows down.

The magnesium/aluminium-framed electric-folding roof can be operated at speeds of up to 50km/h and takes just under 19 seconds (as tested) to open or close. It's a little slow compared to some we've sampled, but on the upside is well insulated for both heat and noise, and stores neatly in its own compartment behind the rear seats, leaving boot space at a usable 285 litres but reducing rear-seat legroom considerably.

On the downside, again, the S3 Cabriolet doesn't come with a spare wheel and, once the 19-inch Continentals suffered a puncture in the sidewall (conveniently telegraphed to me via the in-built tyre pressure monitoring system), I was unable to proceed. The supplied repair and inflator kit was useless in this scenario, and if you're likely to be travelling beyond the city limits regularly it's a thought you may wish to keep in mind. Thankfully in this instance the tyre shop was only a few kilometres away.

The accepted standard of equipment is offered and includes leather trim, cruise control, sat-nav and dual-zone climate-control that recalls your previous setting in either roof on or off mode. Interestingly, however, the seats are mechanically adjustable – a good thing then they're perfectly set to obtain an ideal driving position and are superbly supportive, at least for us.

Of course a prestige car wouldn't be a prestige car without the availability of an extensive personalisation and options list, and our test car was no exception. Fitted in this instance were metallic paint ($1150), Audi's Assistance package ($1800; adding adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, pre-sense, side assist and high-beam assist) and Audi's S performance package ($4990; adding diamond-pattern sports seats, magnetic dampers, LED headlights, red brake callipers, 19-inch wheels and a 705-Watt Bang & Olufsen audio system), taking the 'as tested' price to $77,240 (plus on-road costs).

With so few rivals currently on offer [Ed: at least until BMW's 2 Series M arrives in February], the S3 Cabriolet sits alone in a niche perfectly suited to go-fast summer fun; and at $69,300 (plus ORCs) we can't think of too many topless rivals offering comparable performance bang for your prestige buck.

Also consider:
>> Audi A3 Cabriolet 1.8TFSI quattro (from $54,900 plus ORCs)
>> BMW 2 Series Convertible (on sale February 2015)
>> Mercedes-Benz SLK 200 (from $87,200 plus ORCs)