Gordon Torbet heads to Monaco to taste Audi's new A5 Cabriolet, but wants more bite to his tart
Constant drizzle isn't the best weather to be testing a cabriolet in, regardless of whether you're doing so in Monaco or Mumbai. So the international launch of Audi's rather sexy convertible A5 was greatly dampened by the fact that finding a gap in the clouds to get the roof down was proving to be a challenge.
Fortunately, the A5 is a seductive-looking car - with the top up or down. The main exterior difference from the coupé is in profile towards the rear, where the cloth roof meets the bodywork much sooner, thus giving a longer trunk lid and the appearance of more rear overhang. This means you sadly lose some of the sleekness of the coupé.
Having said that, the cloth-top styling is classic-looking and even on the showery city streets of Monaco, it was a real head-turner.
Furthermore, the roof, featuring 15mm of injected polyurethane foam insulation, has extremely good sound-proofing and can be raised or lowered in just 15 seconds, at speeds of up to 50kph.
The advantages of the cloth-top are several: you lose minimal trunk space when it's folded away, unlike hard-tops, which generally occupy at least half the available storage. Plus, it is far lighter and allows for a much lower centre of gravity, and it avoids the cumbersome body joints which can reduce the aerodynamics a metal roof can involve.
As is the case with most four-seat cabrios, there isn't much legroom for rear passengers. As a 170cm tall driver, I wouldn't like to sit behind me for any length of time, regardless of how comfortable the sculpted rear seats are.
That said, access to the rear is made easier thanks to the range of adjustments available on the front seats. The pay-off for lack of rear space is that you get 320 litres of trunk storage.
The A5 cabrio sports Audi's latest face, with the deep, blacked-out front grille, wide lower air intakes and headlight clusters featuring the unmistakeable LED running lights. The rear is less flamboyant, with just a flick of a boot spoiler and twin exhausts.
The interior, on the other hand, immediately feels sporty, thanks to dynamic lines and the angling of surfaces to cosset the driver. On the S-Line version we drove, there was a smattering of brushed aluminium accents.
Everything echoes the levels of engineering that propel this cabriolet serenely but with urgency along the twisting mountain roads surrounding Monaco Bay.
You would expect this quite long drop-top, with its 2.75-metre wheelbase to be unresponsive through tight turns - cabrios have always had notorious body flex and are therefore sloppy when pushed to perform.
However, the A5 cab, especially the 2.0-litre Quattro, is fairly rewarding and, apart from slightly dull steering, handles well.
With front-wheel drive, the 211bhp 2.0T version pushes to 100kph in a respectable 7.5 seconds, and will eventually hit 241kph.
But the joy of driving, particularly on mountain roads, comes from the impressive 350Nm of torque produced by the turbo'ed four-cylinder engine and the capable continuously variable transmission. The Quattro variant features the seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch 'box, with manual paddleshift mode.
Both transmissions offer slick changes, although the dual-clutch is far quicker and downshifts are accompanied by a sweet blip of the throttle, even if the exhaust tone is less than masculine.
Even on hairpins made greasy by the drizzle, the A5 only occasionally understeered on the entry to tight turns, while the traction control pulled it eagerly through the latter half of the turn.
Having said that, the A5 cabrio still falls short in terms of offering a thoroughly exciting drive. But, for a 1,735kg car, it doesn't feel cumbersome and the steering is nicely weighted, if a little dull.
With the S-tronic 'box, there is a distinct change of character between comfort, auto and dynamic drive modes available.
In dynamic, the multi-link front and trapezoid independent rear suspension stiffens up and gears hold for longer before upshifting, In comfort, the suspension is more forgiving and better suited to city cruising, while the steering lightens to make manoeuvring in tight streets easier.
The A5 Cabriolet is no soufflé. It's more creme brulee: crisp and stylish on the outside, remove the top and it's warm and comforting on the inside. The ingredients are simple and classic, but the art is in hiding the effort and expertise behind its chic presentation.
It's a car designed for cruising and driving along mountainous switchback roads so sports car performance comes second to open-top enjoyment. But you just occasionally wish it was a bit more like tarte citron meringue and delivered a bit more bite.
