Those who attended the 3 Irish Open in County Louth got a welcome bonus with their first glimpse of the new Audi A5 cabriolet. The car received its Irish premiere on opening day of the tournament in Baltray.
As an official sponsor and courtesy transport provider for the event, Audi chose the Irish Open as the platform for its introduction, some weeks before the first models appear on Irish roads.
There were a number of models on display, one of which was being offered as the prize for a hole-in-one at the 17th. The Audi A5 cabriolet was won on the Friday afternoon by delighted Scottish professional Paul Lawrie.
The new A5 cabriolet and S5 cabriolet models are expected to go on sale soon. Prices start from €55,450 for the A5 Cabriolet with the S5 version kicking off at €88,000. The striking four-seat A5 soft-top range capitalises on the space maximising extended wheelbase length and state-of-the art engines, transmissions and chassis configuration that have secured success for the A5 coupé.
The lightweight soft-top on the new A5 and S5 cabriolets opens in 15 seconds and closes in 17 seconds at speeds of up to 50 km/h – standard acoustic roof brings cabin noise close to fixed head levels.
Another impressive feature is the new neck-level heating option for open-top driving on cooler days, solar heat reflecting upholstery keeps seats cool during sun exposure.
Initially available in Ireland will be two FSI direct injection petrol engines (the 2.0 TFSI, 211bhp and the 3.2 FSI 265bhp units ) and one TDI diesel - the 3.0 TDI 240bhp version.
The slick sports S5 adopts the much praised new 3.0-litre supercharged V6 TFSI unit with a whopping 333 bhp in place of the familiar naturally aspirated V8.
All 3.0 litre TDI and S5 models feature quattro four-wheel-drive as standard, while all other models are front-wheel-driven. You can however choose quattro as an option with the 2.0 TFSI 211bhp and 3.2 FSI engines.
Buyers get a choice of manual, S tronic twin-clutch, and multitronic CVT transmissions, while the Audi drive select adaptive dynamics system includes the option of new quattro sport differential for selected models.
