(Thu 04 Dec 08)

A new Cabriolet version of the Audi A5 will go on sale in the UK next spring, at prices starting from just under £30,000.

In Cabriolet form, the A5 has a three-layer fabric roof (complete with heated rear screen) which can be folded in 15 seconds and raised again in 17 seconds while the car is travelling at speeds of up to 31mph. The roof takes up 60 litres of boot space when it's down, leaving 320 litres, though since the rear seats can be folded down there's a maximum of 750 litres available if required.

From launch, there will be a choice of 208bhp two-litre and 261bhp 3.2-litre petrol engines and a 237bhp three-litre TDI turbo diesel. The diesel has four-wheel drive as standard, while this is an option on the other cars, which are normally available with front-wheel drive. Six-speed manual transmission is standard on all three, but the 3.2 is also being offered with a Multitronic CVT, and the diesel can be ordered with a seven-speed semi-automatic twin-clutch S tronic gearbox.

UK Audi dealers will begin to take orders in January, and deliveries are expected to start in the spring. The choice of engines and gearboxes will expand later in the year, the ultimate model being the 328bhp supercharged V6-engined S5 (pictured), which comes with the S tronic gearbox and four-wheel drive, and has a 0-62mph time of 5.6 seconds. Pricing has not yet been confirmed for the S5, but is expected to be in the region of £42,000.

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