AUDI says it will never make a car with a folding hard-top. At least, that's what they said at the recent debut of the A3 convertible, which has a traditional fabric pram hood. Audi says this is lighter than using a metal folding roof, which reduces cornering sway with the roof up, and takes up less luggage space when folded. The latter advantage is of more interest.
Unfortunately, its staff could not produce any figures on the weight saved, so I did my own sums. Taking an A3 three-door hatchback and an A3 cabrio with the same engine, we find the drop-top is 115kg heavier (because of all the extra metal needed
in the shell to compensate for the loss of a rigid roof). BMW's 1 also has a fabric roof and similar weight gain. You can have Mazda's MX5 with a folding fabric roof or a folding metal roof. The standard soft-top Roadster is 37kg lighter than the same car with a folding hard-top. Factor in the lack of electric motors in the MX5 soft-top and let's say Audi's soft-top saves about 30kg over metal.
You may prefer the lines and implied security, whether in a spill or from street crime, of the folding hard-top. Audi's stance here is also firmly in favour of cloth, and it is true that there are drivers who want to be seen to have a convertible when the roof is erect. Certainly, this A3 has a gaping boot, long rather than deep so no match for the hatch in its gape.
The A3 is Audi's most successful car in Britain. Sharing some kith and kin and kit with Volkswagen's Golf, it sells around 30,000 a year here. Britain is Audi's best market for cabriolet cars. That's a surprise. It says it should do 5,500 of the A3 cabriolet in a year. Buyers will "probably be no more than 40 years old" (the usual marketing tosh) and 70% of the cars will have a diesel engine.
Another shock: 59% will be bought by fleets.
Good things about this baby four-seater cabriolet: the hood goes down in nine seconds and back up in 12, even when the car is moving slowly. That is about as quick as you can get without endangering passengers (and twice as fast as the BMW). Rear seating with the roof up is available if you have the tenacity to scramble through the gap between the roof, car body and front seat. Being as short as a Yorkshireman's wallet, I can do it. My co-tester, a genuine six-footer, had to go in backwards.
You can have it with the excellent 160ps 1.8 or 200ps 2.0 turbo petrol engines, or turbo diesels in 1.9 105ps and 2.0 140ps tune. Prices are, in order: £22,300, £23,660, £20,750, £22,760. These base models have a semi-automatic power hood. If you want the fully hands-off hood operation you spend an extra £1,850 for the Sport, or go the whole hog and have the S Line (£3,400 over the standard model). Gearboxes are six-speeders, apart from the 1.9 which is five. Automatic twin-clutch six-speed gearboxes are available on all but the 1.9.
OK, let's be a skinflint and look at the entry model: the 1.9 diesel. It has a top speed of 115mph, can get from 0-62mph in 12.3 seconds, has an average of 55.4mpg and CO2 emissions of 134g/km. You get 16-inch alloys, air conditioning, heated back window, split-folding rear seats, radio etc.
The Sport adds the fully automatic roof, climate control, sports suspension on 17s, a sissy wind deflector over the rear seats and some aluminium decor. The S Line adds alloy 18s, bespoke part-leather seats, body additions and a multi-function steering wheel.
Following on from the cabriolet launch, in August the A3 hatchbacks are getting a stack of changes, so don't go and buy one of the old models without a hefty discount. The face falls more into line with that on larger Audis. There is a new shape to the bonnet and front wings. All bar the 1.6 petrol and 1.9 diesel models get six-speed gearboxes. A six-speed S-tronic box is now optional on the 2.0 petrol and diesel engines, whilst on the 1.4, 1.6 and 1.8 engines it is a seven-speeder.
Expect prices from £14,995 to £27,700. The seven-speed will not be offered in the cabriolet.
On the roadVehicle Audi A3 1.4TPrice £19,980
Engine 1.4-litre petrol turbo
Top speed 126mph
0-60mph 10.9 seconds
Fuel 43.5mpg
