Audi A5 cabriolet and S5 cabriolet – new cars open to intense driving pleasure

Some key points of the new duo of Audi cabriolet models, namely A5 cabriolet and S5 cabriolet, include making the car sporty, giving it an elegant design, enlarging the interior, and adding comfort and convenience.

This – the 2nd generation A5/S5 cabriolet – is premiering to complete the full line-up of the new A5/S5 family, with coupé, Sportback and now cabriolet.

Exterior with shoulder line and classic soft-top

Up to 4 people can enjoy “intense driving pleasure” on board the mid-size open-top model, according to Audi.

The designers went with the sleek lines of the coupé for the styling of the new Audi A5 cabriolet, making the rear window flatter, while and emphasising sporty looks with short overhangs and long wraparound bonnet with power dome. 

The classic soft top fits perfectly and delivers outstanding aero-acoustics thanks to effective insulation.  The new one-touch opening function makes operating the standard acoustic hood much easier: just a quick pull of the switch is all it takes to open the soft-top fully automatically, while at road speed up to 50km/h.

The front is dominated by the grille which is flatter and wider than before, giving the new car a wider, lower, sportier appearance than the previous A5. 

The previous car introduced a wave-shaped shoulder line to Audi, and this has been retained and refined as hallmark styling feature of the entire A5 family.  Pronounced bulges over the wheel arches accentuate the quattro DNA.  Horizontal lines at the rear emphasize the width of the new Audi A5 cabriolet, where it is actually slightly narrower than the predecessor.

The 3rd brake light is elegantly integrated into the surrounding trim strip of the roof compartment cover.  LED rear lights and optional LED or Matrix LED headlights with dynamic turn signals at the front and rear make high-end technology visible.

Strong package: the chassis

Suspension is updated to a new layout, while adaptive dampers are available as an option, incorporated into the standard Audi drive select dynamic handling system, allowing the driver to choose between a highly dynamic or comfortable driving experience. 

The newly-developed electro-mechanical power steering offers good feedback from the road, and greater steering precision.  Optionally available is dynamic steering, which varies its gear ratio depending on the speed and steering angle.

Lighter and torsionally stiffer body

The body of the new Audi A5 cabriolet is claimed to be the stiffest in its class, and yet is among the lightest in the segment.  Thanks to a smart mix of materials and geometric lightweight design, the engineers have increased the good torsional stiffness of the predecessor model by another 40 percent.  All of which makes the cabriolet’s handling even more agile. 

Additional struts in the body compared with the coupé, plus reinforced sills, make up for the absence of a fixed roof. 

In the event of a crash and rollover, head-thorax side airbags and automatically-extending aluminum profiles (roll-over protection hoops) ensure the occupants’ safety.

Wide line-up

Although Audi SA had the only new cabriolet cars with diesel engines in this country (the previous generation Audi A5 cabriolet 2.0TDI and cabriolet 3.0TDI quattro) these new-gen A5s will possibly not be sold here in TDI this time.  Expect a choice of 2.0 TFSI engine with 185kW, following the market introduction with a 2.0 TFSI of 140 kW.  The European market also offers a 3.0 TDI with 210kW, making for an unusual combination of a sporty cabriolet diesel.

Tailor-made drivetrain technology is available for every engine version:  gearboxes are 6-speed manual transmission, 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission or 8-speed tiptronic, depending on engine.  Audi has stopped use of the multitronic CVT transmission; drive is provided as standard via the front wheels, and quattro permanent all-wheel drive with ultra technology is available.

Audi S5 Cabriolet

Moving the S5 cabriolet performance up with a newly-developed 3.0 TFSI 2995cc V6 turbo-boosted engine, 15kW is added compared to the previous S5, for a new total of 260kW.  It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds, and on up to a top speed of 250 km/h.  It features quattro permanent all-wheel drive and the 8-speed tiptronic as standard.
 
Spacious and functional interior
 
The increased dimensions and more compact seats increase the space for the driver and passengers, with shoulder room in the front row of seats and kneeroom in the rear increased.
 
The horizontal architecture of the instrument panel and the continuous air vent strip (as seen in the new Audi A4 and Q7) create a generous sense of space.  High-grade materials, different colours and excellent workmanship ensure a very special feel-good atmosphere, and underscore the premium character. 

With the roof closed the luggage compartment has a capacity of 380 litres.  The soft-top compartment in the luggage compartment automatically moves down when opening the soft-top, and up again when the soft-top is closed, thus providing the largest possible luggage space at all times. 

The rear seat has a 50:50 split and can be easily folded forward using levers in the luggage compartment.  As standard the tailgate on the A5 cabriolet now opens automatically, using the remote control key or the button in the driver’s door.

Audi can also install gesture control for the tailgate as an option (a proximity sensor in the bumper responds to a kicking movement with the foot to open the tailgate).

Seat belt microphones

Seat belt microphones?  The practical problem in an open-top car with the roof down is that an in-car microphone for voice control and hands-free phone calls picks up wind noise.  Audi has the vorsprung dur technik to solve this problem, by installing microphones on the seat belts, as standard. 

Thanks to the all-new operating and display concept including natural language voice control and free-text search, the driver can control all functions effortlessly and intuitively.

As an alternative to the analog instrument dials, there is the Audi virtual cockpit with various display options in a digital screen.  The large high-resolution TFT monitor measuring 12.3 inches presents richly detailed graphics.
 
Abundant support with driver assistance systems for piloted driving

The new Audi A5 cabriolet offers an intelligent combination of different technologies which enhances safety, comfort and efficiency.

Abundant support with driver assistance systems for piloted driving which includes adaptive cruise control (ACC) Stop&Go system including traffic jam assist and temporarily takes charge of steering on “better roads”.  The predictive efficiency assistant evaluates GPS information from the car’s immediate surroundings and helps to save fuel by giving specific driving advice – a unique feature in this segment.
 
Collision avoidance assist intervenes if the car needs to drive around an obstacle to avoid an accident.  Based on data from the front camera, ACC and radar sensors, it computes a recommended driving line within a fraction of a second.

When will it be in South Africa, and how much?

The Audi A5 cabriolet and Audi S5 cabriolet are sure to arrive in South Africa by mid 2017, though the models and prices will be made known when the new cars are launched here, after the A5/S5 coupé and Sportback.