Audi A4 Cabriolet (2002-) Review

On the road

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All is predictable, accurate and responsive, if a little soulless. Audi has engineered in a bit more steering feedback, however, especially in the S4, and the brake pedal action is now less snatchy. The V6s do seem a bit nose-heavy, though and the S4 just isn't as inspiring as a car this powerful should be - it's still nowhere near as exciting as an M3.

The pick of the engines so far appears to be the 2.0T FSI (200bhp), as featured in the Golf GTI: it's plenty powerful enough, and provides more than strong enough performance in real-life driving conditions, while making for a better weight balance and thus more agile feel, especially with the (lighter) front-wheel drive transmission.

Anyway, this isn't really a car for out-and-out lunacy, or taking to the limit: best view it as extremely effective for comfortable motorway mileage, straight-line speed and, let's face it, posing. As such, it's very easy to drive, with an excellent driving position and all-round visibility, slick and precise manual gearboxes and smooth Tiptronic autos.

This is a heavy car, especially with the larger engines and four-wheel drive transmission and, despite the sheer power of most of the engines, it feels every pound of its weight.

The S4 feels impressive - and 0-60mph acceleration in 5.9 seconds can't be argued with - but it's just not as agile as the M3 and, to reiterate the above, it's really best in a straight line.

The 1.8T is a bit underpowered and, while the new 3.0 V6 is more flexible than the 2.5 it replaces, it's laid-back rather than lightning-quick.

The 3.2 FSI, too, doesn't feel the full 255bhp it promises, tuned more for relaxed long-distance cruising.

The 2.0T FSI's fun, though, and we reckon this is by far the best solution for those who want a sporting drive but can't stretch to an S4.