Audi A3 Cabriolet: The good thing about travelling

What’s a perfect day to take a ride with the new Audi A3 Cabriolet 2.0 TDI Sport? Sun, about thirty degrees and no cloud in the sky. With this little convertible Audi we are enjoying a drive trough the Chianti’s hills in Tuscany heading to Tenuta Corbinaia, a beautiful villa of about forty acres near Empoli

Thanks to the open roof we are enjoying the beautiful Tuscany landscapes while driving this Audi A3 Cabriolet. When the first series of A3, called 8L, was released in 1996, the message that wanted to launch the house of the four rings was clear: to build a compact car with premium ambitions. Audi was the first manufacturer that brought the luxury of more expensive and impressive cars to a much smaller one also more appealing from younger customers.

At that time the competitors were very few but over the years the competition has grown and many other manufacturers made their car in this segment. After little more than 20 years the Audi A3 comes to the third series and even with this latest restyling keep intact all the features that made it famous.

The interior of the car is rational and allows you to appreciate the excellent work that has been done on this Audi A3 Cabriolet. The seats from the S-Line package are comfortable, the finishes are of high quality and the sensations that give to the touch all the various buttons are at the highest level. The position of all the buttons is perfect, it’s all within reach, thanks also to the controls on the beautiful leather steering wheel, flattened in the lower part that gives to the interiors a sporty look.

On this Audi A3 Cabriolet we have the pleasure to find the Audi MMI Plus already tested, fast and responsive, equipped with all the latest technologies such as Apple CarPlay and internet connection via Audi Connect. Compared to the already tested Audi Q5, we have no Audi Virtual Cockpit that comes as option but is not present in the car for this review.

The exterior of the Audi A3 Cabriolet is remarkable thanks to the really eye catchy combination of colors: metallic ice-white for the bodywork and gray for the top. To make this car even more appealing, there is also the S-Line Exterior package, which includes more sporty bumpers, aluminium door sills with dedicated lighting and chromed exhaust.

Very nice are 18-inch wheels that offer a good compromise between comfort and sportiness. This latest restyling also bring the A3 Cabriolet to the new Audi designs, we can find the new Single Frame grille, a distinctive symbol of all the latest models. The entire lighting system is LED: the DRLs are made by light that follows the contour of each of the headlamps while at night the powerful dazzling and passing lamps provide excellent visibility in every condition.

On this Audi there we find again the “dynamic” direction indicators on the rear lights.

Speaking of the engine, the Audi A3 Cabriolet is equipped with the 2.0 TDI 150 horsepower, which allows it to cover the 0-100 in about 8.8 seconds. It’s not an engine that gives great performance, due to the weight of the car, but it is very quiet and fuel efficient. The S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission is perfect as always, fluid, fast and equipped with excellent, never disappoints.

The Audi A3 Cabriolet is a great car for long journeys, thanks also to the windshield offered as an option that, when mounted, allows you to chat with the passenger at highway speed even with open tops without raising the voice.

For those looking for a little more performance, Audi also offer a more sporty version: the S3 Cabriolet, equipped with a 2.0 TFSI delivering 310 horsepower. Concluding our roadtrip between the Tuscany hills we can say that the Audi A3 Cabriolet is a great car. It’s capable of fitting every context, from a trip in the weekend to the everyday use, always open top!