new details on the Audi A3 Cabriolet including price and specifications have been announced, with the drop-top starting from £25,790. first deliveries for the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet rival will begin in April next year.
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The party piece of the new Audi A3 Cabriolet is the folding fabric roof. The fully automatic system retracts in 18 seconds at speeds up to 31mph but the storage tray used for the roofing system eats into boot capacity – decreasing space from the hatchback’s 365 litres to 275 litres in the Cabriolet.
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Engines include two petrols and one diesel motor, all coming from the conventional A3. The entry-level 139bhp 1.4-litre TFSI petrol engine is linked to a six-speed manual transmission and returns 56.5mpg, while emitting only 114g/km of CO2. Those figures are achieved using a cylinder-on-demand system, which shuts down two of the four cylinders when they’re not needed.
More powerful 178bhp 1.8-litre petrol and 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engines are also availble, returning 48.7mpg and 67.3mpg respectively. However, from February an extended range of engines will become available, which includes a 1.6-litre diesel with emissions of only 99g/km along with a more powerful 182bhp 2.0-litre diesel variant, available with quattro all-wheel drive.
Like the hatchback model, trim levels options on the Cabriolet include SE, sport and S Line. conventional equipment across the range includes 16-inch alloy wheels, air-con, DAB radio, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity.
Sport and S line versions sit 15mm lower on their respective 17-inch and 18-inch alloy wheels thanks to sports suspension but both can be fitted with a more comfort-orientated conventional suspension setup at no extra cost. If customers require something more driver focused, S line models can be lowered by up to 25mm with the no-cost option S line sports suspension.
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Shared sport and S line features also include sports seats, dual-zone climate control, a high-res colour infotainment screen and the Audi adaptive dynamics system. another shared feature is an additional sound absorbent three-layered soft top, which is also available as an option on SE models.
Audi has also announced that a range-topping S3 Cabriolet will join the ranks, with a power output of 296bhp – but expect prices to be in excess of £37,000 when it arrives later next year.