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RPM TV Website | March 28, 2024

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One-day test: Audi A3 Cabriolet

Audi A3 Cabriolet
Adam Schoeman

If car trends were fashion, then small executive sedans would be the ‘it’ item. Between Mercedes-Benz’s CLA, BMW’s 2-Series and Audi’s A3 Sedan, there is an abundance of three-box cars that are simply booted premium hatchbacks, but without the practicality.

A huge amount of loading space is lost without the characteristic hatchback shape, and considering that all of these juniors are more expensive than their raised-back counterparts, it would seem insane to even consider one.

That’s unless you actually get something in return for your sacrifice, and the A3 Cabriolet could be just the car to demonstrate that.

A convertible A3 is not a revelation as far as vehicles go; you could even have purchased one based on the previous A3, long before there even was an A3 Sedan. But the previous ragtop convertible always felt unfinished because, as Audi’s design engineers found out, it’s quite difficult to design a folding roof for a hatchback.

One of the key principles to a folding roof is that it needs to be stored somewhere when it is folded down: a function that is traditionally performed by a part of the rear luggage area. But because of hatchback’s extended roofline, that’s simply not possible, unless you tamper with the basic silhouette.

In the case of the previous-generation A3 Cabriolet, the result was a car that looked awkward, and never really found traction in the market.

Audi A3 Cabriolet Interior

Audi A3 Cabriolet Interior

That’s where the A3 Sedan comes in: it has the rear space and body shape to support infinite headroom. And it looks great in the metal.

Compared to the A5 Cabriolet, the A3’s more modest dimensions mean that the whole package looks more compact and nimble, but the relatively aggressive front bumper and lighting cluster of the A3 Sedan prevents the Cabriolet from ending up looking comically small, or cute.

Our test unit came equipped with the entry-level 1,4-litre TFSI engine, which produces 92 kW and 200 Nm of torque. On paper these specs might seem a little anaemic, but the engine is capable and never feels strained. Linked to Audi’s S-tronic dual-clutch gearbox did mean that the software was a little rev-hungry at times, so the manual would probably be a better choice.

The 1,8-litre TSFI with 132 kW and 250 Nm of torque might be the better option, considering it costs only R30 000 extra (the base price of the S-tronic 1.4 TFSI is R436 500), and if an automatic gearbox is a high priority then I would consider forking out the extra money.

The A3 Cabriolet takes the joy of drop-top motoring and marries it to a platform that is compact but which has the ability to cater for a huge amount of premium options. The car’s size counts in its favour, giving it an almost sports car feeling, rather than a family sedan that has been converted.

Better still, because you’ve already burnt all practical requirements by opting for a convertible, the reduced luggage space (and the narrow loading aperture) when compared to the hatchback is so much more palatable.

With all this in mind, the A3 Cabriolet is probably the best convertible that Audi makes right now.

Audi A3 Cabriolet

Audi A3 Cabriolet

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