There's something
really attractive about a proper soft-top in the era of folding metal. It harks
back to a time when convertibles, roadsters and cabriolets were more of a
rarity and an indulgence; a vastly more emotional purchase, and one that
commanded attention and envy.

The A5 Cabriolet is
cloth. Might seem a little odd in the light of BMW's success with its very metal
3-Series Convertible, but if an outfit as accomplished as Audi is confident
about sticking with fabric roofs - even on comparatively high-end models like
the A5 - then there must be good reason. And reason beyond simple economics.

There is. A fabric
roof is vastly simpler, making it lighter and less bulky. This in turn means it's
quicker to operate, hampers performance less by avoiding excess lard and stows
away with less ingress into the boot space.

The A5 Cabriolet does
its morphing business in about 15 seconds, and the vital bit of that in
considerably less if the heavens open. That's weirdly quick when you see it. The
hood is genuinely well insulated too, so when in place you can get close - albeit not quite close enough - to fixed-head levels of refinement.

There isn't a great case for folding metal
when the job's done this well in cloth. It looks better and works better. It is
better.

Matt Master