The first Audi ragtop of the modern era debuted in 1991. Based on the Audi Coupe, it arrived with a wimpy 133-horsepower engine. While some suggest the new S5 Cabriolet is the spiritual successor of that first convertible, there is very little to connect the two other than the fact the roof can be lowered when the sun decides to shine.
With the $72,000 S5’s tight, multi-layer soft-top up, the ride is eerily quiet — there’s none of the usual billowing, no annoying wind noise and the quad exhaust’s siren is barely detectable. Holding a button for 15 seconds sees the soft-top drop gracefully into its well, and there’s no need to install one of those cumbersome tonneaus to finish off the look.
Luggage space? Plenty. With the roof folded, there’s still 11.3 cubic feet and up to 26.5 cu. ft. with the 50/50 rear seats folded forward.
Finally, when the clouds begin to gather and there is no place to pull over, simply slowing to 50 kilometres an hour allows the top to be raised (in 17 seconds), which gets the riders out of the rain without the usual fuss. In many other cases, the car must be brought to a standstill and the parking brake applied to get the roof up. By this time, Murphy’s Law dictates the driver’s loafers are sitting in a puddle of water.
The rest of the cabin exceeds expectations. It’s well finished, with a lot of soft-touch materials and finely textured surfaces, and there’s plenty of space — enough, in fact, that the S5 qualifies as a legitimate four-seater as long as the front seats are not fully rearward. Then there’s the equipment list. Everything from air conditioning to xenon headlights is in place. The highlight, however, is the optional Bang & Olufsen sound system. With 505 watts, 10 channels and 12 speakers, it rocks.
Where the S5 coupe is powered by Audi’s silky 354-hp 4.2-litre V8 (until 2011), the Cabrio takes a different road — it employs a 3.0L V6. To make sure the droptop is worthy of the S designation, the direct-injected engine is force fed fresh air by an intercooled supercharger. The result is 328 hp and 325 pound-feet of torque that clocks in at 2,900 rpm. Needless to say, this is enough to get the heart pumping. The usual zero-to-100 km/h run takes just 5.6 seconds and the S5 turns the 80-to-120-km/h trick in an equally speedy 4.3 seconds.
The twin-clutch gearbox is a delight, as it puts seven speeds at the driver’s disposal. As such, there is a ratio for every eventuality. When out for a gentle sunset cruise, the automatic mode is the right choice — the shifts are smooth and refined. Turn up the heat a little and it’s tantamount to criminal to ignore the paddle shifters — with every downshift, the box rev matches as the exhaust system crackles and pops. A snappy downshift followed by a full boot’s worth of gas sees the exhaust note change from purposeful to mellifluous. Oh, the joys of open-air motoring!
The S5’s quattro all-wheel-drive system sends 60% of the drive to the rear wheels, 40% to the front. It also arrives with a welcome twist — the optional sport differential. Layering the quattro system’s innate ability with this device raises an already high bar. The sport differential automatically sends more power to the outside rear wheel when cornering — usually around 10% more, although it can effectively direct all the drive torque to one wheel. This seemingly simple action accomplishes two very good things.
First, over-speeding the outside wheel turns the car into the corner. This reduces the amount of steering input required and all but eliminates understeer. Second, the sport differential is used as the first level of stability control. The unspoken advantage is that rather than braking a given wheel to right a minor wrong, the sport differential counters it proactively by speeding up the appropriate wheel. All of this means the regular electronic nanny is far less likely to intervene — thank you.
Of course, this technology would be worth squat were it not for the suspension and its ability to control body roll — the P255/35R19 tires supply a ton of lateral grip. Hammer into a corner, hit the big binders and the S5 remains as flat as gravy on a plate — no roll, no dive. The steering’s feel and feedback is, likewise, razor sharp. The combination instills a sense of oneness with the car that’s rare, especially in a convertible. The fact there is virtually no cowl shake adds to the S5’s sense of solidity.
