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Audi A3 Cabriolet India photo gallery
With its compact dimensions and familiar styling, there's no mistaking this for anything other than an Audi A3. Folding the roof away makes the compact A3 Cabriolet seem a lot longer than it actually is. It's a great car for driving around town at night, or going on a weekend blast through the Western Ghats, as we did. Thankfully, very little of the sedan's dynamic prowess has been lost with taking the roof off the A3. From the rear too, it is very clearly an Audi A3. The fabric roof folds away in less than 18 seconds at the touch of a button, at speeds of up to 50kph. From the front especially, the resemblance to the A3 sedan is unmistakable. Minus two doors and a roof, of course. The front half of the cabin is pretty much identical to the sedan. The optional B&O sound system is good, but not as good as what you get in bigger Audi sedans. Equipment includes the MMI system with a touchpad controller, and optional satellite navigation. Quality levels are just as good as most of the bigger Audi cars. Unlike the sedan, you can have paddle shifters as an optional extra in the A3 Cabriolet. Strangely, the seats are manually operated. Not what you want to see in a Rs 45-lakh car. The only available engine is the silky smooth, 177bhp 1.8 TFSI turbo petrol. 320-litre boot volume is not too bad for a compact convertible. Wide and long enough, but not a lot of depth. The A3 Cabriolet gets Audi Drive Select, which alters engine response and steering weight with each setting. Not a lot of space in the back seats, especially if the driver and front passenger are tall. The Audi A3 Cabriolet is one of the most accessible convertibles on the market. Here's what it's like, inside and out.