Audi A4 CABRIOLET S LINE RANGE
If You Like Your A4 Cabriolet Looking Its Sharpest, Best To Tick The Box Marked S Line. Andy Enright Reports
There is already a solution if you want your
Audi A4 Cabriolet to look a bit more Hockenheim and a little less Hurlingham Club. Its called the Sport trim level and it adds alloy wheels and a few additional sporting contrivances. Unless you want to go the whole hog and plump for the S4 Cabriolet, thats about as far as the drop-tops dynamic aspirations stretched. Until now, that is.
With the addition of S line cabriolets, Audi now have a trim level that gives the once benign convertible a little bite.
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The S line option extends right across the A4 Cabriolet line up from the 1.8T right up to the 3.0-litre quattro and tacks another £1,950 onto the asking price of the basic car. So what do you get for nearly two grand? The big-ticket items are the 18-inch five-spoke alloy wheels shod with low profile tyres.
These give the S line the look of an S4 and will have most drivers thinking twice before putting a move on you. Its not all cosmetics however, as S line cornering capabilities are aided by unique suspension settings. Get a little enthusiastic with the wheel and youll be thankful for the deeply supportive sports seats trimmed in Speed cloth and leather. Subtle S line exterior badging and a three-spoke S line sports steering wheel with perforated leather detailing are also part of the package, as are brushed aluminium fascia inlays to liven up the dashboard a little.
This is offered on top of the usual generous specification that stretches right across the A4 Cabriolet range. Feature such as a fully automatic soft top roof, electric windows all round, electronic climate control and a CD Concert stereo system make this Cabrio rather easy to live with.
"The S line gives Audis pretty Cabriolet a little more menace"
The range kicks off at £27,340 for the front wheel drive 1.8T S line with the all-wheel drive quattro model pitching in at £28,740. Move up the range to a 3.0-litre quattro and youre looking at £32,280.
Given that its unlikely that youll recoup much of that £1,950 outlay back when the time comes to sell on, is the S line pack merely a recipe for maximising your depreciation? In the cold light of day, the answer has to be yes, but there are some mitigating circumstances that make it tempting. First up is the fact that few
Audi owners buy their cars in base trim, so existing depreciation figures should perhaps be treated with suspicion. If you are set on alloy wheels and a suspension upgrade for your A4 Cabriolet, then the S line pack is undoubtedly the way to go, saving you money when you tot up the individual option costs. Even in S line guise, the A4 weighs in at around £1,000 to £3,000 less than
BMW and Mercedes alternatives depending on which model you choose.
Mind you, dont go expecting this Audi to be a hot rod in the handling stakes: Ingolstadt say that their TT Roadster (which costs similar money) fulfils that role. BMW still leads the class in this respect but owners of the soggy old 91-00 Cabriolet will be surprised how much better this one is. Of course, it darn well should be a lot better, given that the previous model was based on a car with a design dating back to 1986. Sure enough, the latest version is 112% stiffer and, more importantly, tauter than its two main German rivals.
As a result, scuttle shake has been almost banished and general vibrations of all kinds should be virtually impossible to detect. The low profile tyres and stiffer suspension have a detrimental effect on low speed ride, introducing some bump thump into proceedings but this is now a car that can hold its own on the open road, especially if you opt for a model with quattro all-wheel drive. Generating uncanny traction out of tight corners, quattro models are devastating cross-country companions. Instead of providing rear
seat accommodation good only for kids or lifts down the pub, German coachbuilder Karmann (who also build the Mercedes CLK Cabriolet) have worked with Audi to create a true four-seater.
They claimed that about the old car of course, but as anyone who had to endure a back seat perch on long journeys will know, they lied. This time, thanks to a body thats 207mm longer, 50mm wider and 99mm longer in the wheelbase, the designers have at last delivered. According to the figures, theres 52mm more rear shoulder space and 66mm more rear knee-room. So yes, you and your drinking partners really can go touring.
Mind you, dont go carrying too much baggage: though the boot capacity is 26 litres up on the old car, that still only means 246 litres with the roof down (or 315 litres with the top up): enough space for two golf bags in real terms. On to the beautifully lined three-layer roof which hides beneath an aluminium-trimmed solid tonneau cover when not in use. Electrically operated of course, it opens or closes in 24 seconds and there are no fiddly manual latches to break your nails on before you can press the button. The whole thing can also be done from the outside of the car by using the remote control keyfob.
Unfortunately, the wind deflector (essential if you want to comfortably drive with the roof down at speed) costs extra and, to add insult to injury, it effectively reduces your car to a two-seater. The rear window is a proper heated glass affair and there is of course an optional hard top, should you want to drive your car day-in, day-out all winter. Theres a lot to be said for the Audi Cabriolet S line. Even with the additional cost of the features, it still looks good value against rivals from BMW and Mercedes.
Whats more, neither of them offer an all wheel drive version. If you want style and capability, Audi seem to be holding all the aces.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Audi A4 Cabriolet S line range
PRICES: £27,340-£33,680 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 16-18
CO2 EMISSIONS: 194-233g/km
PERFORMANCE: [3.0] 0-60mph 7.8s / Max Speed 151mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [3.0] (urban) 20.3mpg / (extra urban) 38.2mpg / (combined) 29.1mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front and side airbags, ESP, ABS
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Height 4573/1777/1391mm
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