Car Reviews

The Audi A5 Cabriolet is aimed at 'self-confident extroverts that are status and design-oriented' - so, if you want one you'd better leave your insecurities and lack of taste at home, thank you very much.

The A5 Cabriolet does feel like a throwback to more decadent times. It's all about getting the top down and shouting 'look at me, I'm awfully successful', while at the same time boasting about how 'understated' your motor is. With prices ranging from £29k to £38k the A5 'Cab' is definitely for well-heeled city types who go to trendy wine bars and grouse-shooting weekends.

Three trim levels are available - Standard, SE and S line - and three directly injected engines will be offered at launch: a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol, a 3.2-litre V6 petrol and a 3.0-litre diesel. The 2.0-litre and 3.2-litre units will be initially offered with front-wheel-drive, but the 3.0-litre diesel is will be linked to the Quattro four-wheel-drive with a 40/60 front-to-rear torque distribution.

The Cabriolet looks slicker than the A5 coupe (launched in 2007) - the lines on the A5 droptop just seem to make more sense. This is partly because it's a soft-top; Audi has resisted the trend of fitting solid retractable roofs that result in wide, obvious body joints and restrict boot space.

But has the absence of a solid roof compromised the A5's driving experience? Read on to find out.