First Look: 2010 Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet at AutoFans www Auto Com

First Look: 2010 Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet

The revised 2009 Audi A4 sedan and wagon have been around for several months now, but there has been no word on the convertible receiving the same treatment. There’s a reason for that: After 2009, the Audi A4 Cabriolet is dead. In its place will be the new 2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet, a logical move given that it’s easier to convert a coupe into a drop-top than a sedan.

Unlike the folks down the autobahn in Munich, Ingolstadt’s designers stuck with a tried-and-true softtop design, which opens in 15 sec and closes in 17 sec at speeds of up to 31 mph. The top takes up a mere 2.12 cu ft of cargo space when closed out of a total of 13.42 cu ft, which can be expanded to 26.49 cu ft by folding the 50/50 split rear seats. To help extend the top-down driving season for those not fortunate enough to live in climates without a real winter, Audi is throwing in a head-level heating system along with conventional cooled/heated front seats. Other luxury features include keyless entry and push-button start, 505-watt Bang & Olufsen sound system, rearview camera, Bluetooth, Xenon headlights, and Audi Side Assist lane change assistance.

Under the hood, A5 Cabriolet buyers will have the same choice as current A4 Cabriolet shoppers save for one difference: Both the 211-hp, 258 lb-ft 2.0L turbo I-4 (mated to a CVT for FWD models and a six-speed auto on quattro models) and 265-hp, 243 lb-ft 3.2L V-6 (mated to a six-speed automatic) receive direct injection technology, which accounts for the modest increase in power. According to Audi, the former hustles from 0 to 62 mph in 7.5 sec. and the latter in 6.9 sec. On the fuel economy front, although the engines are similar to those of the current model, Audi claims the A5 Cabriolet’s fuel economy will be significantly improved. According to Audi, the European-spec front-drive 2.0T with a six-speed manual achieves an average of 34.6 mpg and the six-speed front-drive 3.2 model an average of 27.4 mpg.

As for the S5 Cabriolet (the blue car pictured), it receives the 2010 S4’s 333-hp 325 lb-ft 3.0L supercharged V-6 and seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox a year before the S5 Coupe. In the S5 Cabriolet, this powertrain combination is good for a 0-62 time of 5.6 seconds and a claimed average fuel economy of 24.5 mpg. Available on the S5 will be a new quattroSport rear differential that, similar to BMW’s Dynamic Performance Control, can vary torque between the two rear wheels. Also available will be the Audi Drive Select system, which varies engine, transmission, steering, and suspension settings based on the driver’s preferences. Bad news for thee-pedal fans, however: A traditional manual will not be offered on either the A5 or S5 Cabriolet for the U.S.

The A5 and S5 Cabriolet won’t be seen stateside until the New York auto show at the earliest, with the world premiere scheduled for early March at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. The cars are scheduled to arrive in dealer showrooms in the fall 2009 with pricing to come later, though the A5 Cab at least should not be substantially higher than the $40,750 entry price for an A4 Cabriolet.

[source:MotorTrend]

More Excellent Audi Cars’ Articles In www Auto Com:
+    GT3-spec Audi R8 LMS formally unveiled at Essen
+    LA Auto Show 2008: 2009 Audi Q5 makes its North American debut
+    SEMA 2008: GGI Tuning to carry Abt, including hot Audi AS5
+    Audi 2009 TT-S Coupe and Roadster US Prices Announced
+    Designer Exercise: Audi Calamaro Flying Concept Car
+    Quick Drive: 2009 Audi A5
+    Audi R8 V10 and Spyder versions to be scarce and dear
+    Paris Motor Show 2008: Previous Gen Audi A4 Seat Exeo
+   Audi ships A4 Driving Challenge iPhone game v2.0
+    2008 Paris Motor Show: Audi unveils 59-mpg A4 TDI concept e
+    2008 Paris Motor Show: 2009 Audi S4 armed and ready
+    Forum find: 2010 Audi A8?
+    First Look: 2010 Audi S4
+    Paris Motor Show 2008: Audi S4 sedan and Avant, 333 hp of fun!
+    Audi RS5 Headed for 2009 Detroit Motor Show
+    Paris Motor Show 2008 Preview: 4-door Audi A1 concept expected to debut
+    Audi Q7 V12 TDI in Depth
+    Test Drive:2008 Audi R8 w/six-speed manual transmission
+    2008 Moscow Auto Show: Audi RS6 sedan in the sheetmetal
+    ABT Sportsline tweaks the Audi Q5
+    Spycam: Audi R8 Spyder
+    First Drive: 2009 Audi Q5
+    Audi releases all the details on the North American Q5
+    Audi A1 drop-top bound for Frankfurt in ‘09, aimed at MINI cabrio
+    2008 HPA Audi TT FT565 Twin Turbo: An Exotic Shade of Orange
+    First Drive: 2009 Audi TTS
+    Audi R8 Full-LED Headlamp Pricing Announced
+    Audi R10 TDI Will Use Biofuel at 2008 Le Mans 24 Hours
+    PPI Returns to Roots with Second Gen PS TT
+   Audi TT Clubsport quattro
+    Audi TT Clubsport Quattro Concept Set To Make It To Production
+    Audi A3 TDI Clubsport Quattro concept
+    Audi R8 race car to tackle Nürburgring 24 hrs
+    Audi TT-S to be official car of the Tourist Trophy races
+    Audi Q5 to be built in China
+    Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TFSI S line

First Look: 2010 Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet

Pay Attention to Auto Fans

Recent Auto Articles

This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008 at 8:49 am and is filed under Convertibles, Audi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.