A Certain Style
by Mike Grundon (05 May 08)

I leaned against the wing of the little cabriolet and looked back down the sunlit valley towards the Parc de St Pons. Sometimes it's worth just going exploring to see what you might find, and that road snaking down the steep flank of the mountain was a real gem. Coming up between the limestone cliff and the unfenced drop had given me some of the most enjoyable driving I'd yet done this year, but it wasn't in a powerful sportscar, nor an elegant cruiser; it was in a 1.8-litre Audi A3 with a ragtop.

The hairpins had come one after the other all the way up from just outside Gemenos as I rose through the clear morning air into the Massif de la Sainte Baume. Snicking the gearstick between second and third and back again, I'd accelerate along the short straights, and brake hard for the switchbacks before dashing on to the next. The 157bhp engine was barking its way up the echoing hillside with a distinctly sporty tone and I was grinning widely, exhilarated in the clean mountain air.

This was the launch of Audi's first ever compact cabriolet. Initially available with a choice of two petrol and two diesel engines, it's a two-door four-seater that will give you the joy of open topped motoring but without an unbearable sacrifice on practicality.

Priced between £20,750 and £27,060, it comes with a choice of three levels of equipment known as Standard, Sport and S line. Even the Standard spec car has alloy wheels, air-conditioning, four electric windows and a semi-automatic roof retraction that only needs you to unhook it at the front then hold a button while it folds backwards.

The two models above Standard have a fully automatic hood that opens in just nine seconds. All you have to do is hold the button till the job's done. Since it's a fabric roof, it folds fairly flat into a tray on top of the boot. It means the access to, and internal dimensions of, the cargo area are compromised but it's still a fairly sensible luggage lugger.

More . . .

Back to Audi Launch index
Back to main Launch index