Audi A3 1.4 TFSI Cabriolet

 

Audi's model lineup continues to grow at  a bewildering pace, covering all market segments .Smart, fresh, desirable cars, with seemingly infinite combinations of vehicles and engines on offer.
On test here is the latest A3 Cabriolet. It's a sleek looking well crafted four seater.
Judging by the admiring looks during my week with it, Audi is onto yet another winner.
Going against the recent trend of folding metal roofed convertibles, Audi has opted to continue with a traditional cloth top on the A3 and that's a good idea.
Less weight means better performance without sacrificing the interior ambience, comfort and weatherproofing.
The A3 Cabrio is an elegant looking car, top up or down.

The brushed aluminium windscreen surround, complements its overall smart look perfectly.
The roof retracts and closes in seconds at speeds of up to 50 kilometres an hour.
At highway speeds roof up, it's extremely well insulated from road and wind noise. It's almost as good as a hard top in this respect. You are cocooned in a quiet world of luxury.
When the weather suited, a few 100 kilometre an hour blasts through the hills with all windows down, produced very little wind buffeting.
Space in the boot is quite good. even with the roof down.

Roof up, the folding compartment that holds it can be pushed up out of the way to provide even more luggage capacity.
Rearward visibility is not too bad, thanks to the large heated glass back window, and relatively slim C pillars.
The interior is typical Audi quality.. plenty of soft touch surfaces, and easy to use controls make settling in a breeze. The central information screen raises and lowers silently from a slot in the upper dashboard. The same screen also displays images from a reversing camera.
The A3 Cabrio like many others these days has a self parking feature should you feel the need for it. 

 

The heated seats are comfy and for those adventurous chilly winter drives with the roof down, you can select warm air to blow on the back of your neck from a vent below the front seat head restraints. 
The front seats are manually adjusted for height and fore and aft movement, but with my seat set to a good driving position, there's no leg room behind.
The trailing edges of the wide opening doors each have a red light for better night time safety.  
At night, with the roof up, LED down lights bathe the interior in a classy pale blue glow.
Ride comfort is outstanding; smooth and refined, the suspension deftly absorbs most bumps with exceptional, supple compliance.
There's also an absence of scuttle shake on rougher roads..testament to the Cabrio's rigidity.
The A3's handling is spot on through corners, sticking limpet-like to your chosen line with little fuss. Steering effort is light, but still has good feel, allowing you to know what the front wheels are doing.. 
The turbocharged engine is a mechanical masterpiece.

The A3 Cabrio's performance is incredible. It flies down the road under acceleration, belying its small capacity.
Just 1.4 litres and 103 kw and 250 nm. In Sport mode it goes even harder.
The silence from the engine bay across the  entire rev range is astonishing. A credit to Audi's engineering skills.
Gear changes in the seven speed automatic box can be performed by steering wheel paddles or the central shifter.
Fuel consumption is a commendable, combined city/highway cycle of 4.9 litres per 100 kilometres. The headlights are bright on both low and high beam.
The sound system has eight speakers and excellent quality. (Some of the features on this car including the acoustic roof, heated seats and interior lighting package are options.)

Priced from 47K, the Audi A3 Cabriolet 1.4 TFSI  is a refined, desirable piece of kit, destined to be very popular.
There's also a 1.8 litre version, and a quiet and powerful 2 litre turbo diesel,(which would be my choice,) but for others the 1.4 petrol version could be the pick of the litter.
If open air motoring is your thing, and you like to be noticed, the A3 Cabriolet should definitely be on your shopping list.
Peter Sellen