Soft top cruiser

What we like:

Excellent sound insulation with the roof up. Decent performance and handling.

What we dislike:

Rear seats are cramped for full sized adults.

Audi has tossed out the previous version’s 1.8-litre engine in favour of a smaller 1.4-litre. Not only is the new car more efficient, the 125bhp unit comfortably slips under the COE Cat A 130bhp cap which would do wonders for its sales here.

Despite being equipped with a smaller capacity engine, the A3 Cabrio maintains a sprightly performance. Claiming the century sprint in a respectable 9.4 seconds.

Audi has taken time to tweak the Cabriolet for long cruises and it shows with the effortless way the car handles bumps and undulations. Calmly diverting these shocks away from the cabin and minimizing the scuttle shake experienced in the previous model.

One thing that’s carried over from the larger A5 Cabriolet is the excellent sound insulation despite being equipped with a fabric roof. Even at expressway speeds, the car maintains a serene atmosphere in the cabin.

Unlike most other manufacturers, Audi has stuck to its soft top formula for good reason. There’s no heavy weight penalty to be paid with this option that’s evidenced by the roof’s weight of just 50kgs.

This in turn makes the cabriolet much more efficient paired with vast improvements in its ride and handling.

Summed up, the A3 Cabriolet is decently equipped, reasonably comfortable and provides enough fun to make a local open top experience an enjoyable one.

Credits: Story and Photos by Benjamin G. Kline