On a recent trip to Canada I had the opportunity to drive a 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet for a few days. Prior to hopping into the car in Toronto, I had gotten myself all pumped up about the fact that I’d soon be luxuriating in the power and beautiful noises courtesy of Audi’s 354-bhp 4.2-liter V-8, just like the one found in the S5 coupe we had at the R&T offices for our Road Test in the November 2007 issue. Imagine my surprise when I sat in the S5 cabrio’s superbly supportive driver’s seat, popped the canvas top, fired up the engine…and didn’t hear a rumbly V-8 exhaust note, but rather a V-6. Somewhere along the line this intrepid journalist missed the memo from Audi that the S5 cabrio would use the same supercharged 3.0 TFSI V-6 as our long-term S4 sedan, while the S5 coupe continues (oddly) to be powered by a normally aspirated V-8 (also of interest, the S5 coupe continues with the choice of either a 6-speed manual or 6-speed Tiptronic automatic, while the S5 cabrio comes only with a 7-speed dual-clutch S tronic gearbox).
No matter, the 3.0 TFSI is one of the best supercharged engines in the world, delivering 333 ultra-smooth horsepower and 325 lb.-ft. of torque, which meant there was always plenty of passing power on hand while traversing Canada’s woodsy two-lane roads.
Personally I prefer the 6-speed manual in our S4 sedan, as that setup allows for you to become much more “one with the car” than the S tronic, which can be a little bit jerky in manual mode in stop-and-go traffic. I also don’t like that the S tronic automatically upshifts for you at redline, but it’s a decent gearbox regardless, with small paddle shifters on the steering wheel and great exhaust reverberations with each upshift.
The handling of the S5 cabrio, aided by standard Quattro all-wheel drive, is excellent. Aim the S5 through a corner and it goes exactly where you point it, with minimal body roll and lots of grip, while returning a more than reasonable ride for those times when you’re not pushing the pace. As to be expected, there is a bit of cowl shake.
The interior is first rate, capable of transporting four adults in comfort, although the rear-seat passengers suffer the usual top-down toussled hair syndrome, which afflicts pretty much all convertibles other than the 2011 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. I found the S5 cabrio’s single button to raise or lower all four windows quite handy. Trunk space is semi-reasonable.
In the end, while I had a great time driving the S5 cabrio and very much enjoyed the 3.0 TFSI V-6, I must admit I still prefer the S5 coupe’s thundering V-8. But probably not that car’s thirstier nature—14/22 city/highway mpg for the manual and 16/24 for the automatic, versus the S5 cabrio’s V-6/S tronic combo which returns 17/26 mpg.
