Audi A3 Cabriolet (2014 – 2020) Review

The second generation Audi A3 Cabriolet is an elegant and sophisticated-looking car. Its long, flowing lines work much better than the dumpy original, looking more like a premium convertible rather than a drop-top Volkswagen Golf with a posh badge. The likeness to the pricier Audi A5 Cabriolet is obvious. A good quality interior is another bonus, while engines are largely on the punchy yet economical side – with the exception of the rorty, high-performance S3 Cabriolet. 

Compact and relatively affordable convertibles have a small but loyal following here in the UK. You’d think, with our weather, we’d be the last people to favour open-top four-seaters, but perhaps it’s because the sunshine feels so special that British buyers like cabrios.

Audi was an early mover in this sector, and gained plenty of publicity in the early 1990s when arguably the world’s most famous woman, Diana, Princess of Wales, drove an Audi 80 Cabriolet. The A3 Cabriolet is a modern-day equivalent to that car, offering greater affordability and accessibility than the more expensive A5 Cabriolet – and, as a result, easily outselling its larger sibling.

Elegant styling is an undoubted draw. This second generation A3 Cabriolet is longer and leaner than its predecessor, giving a more upmarket and sophisticated look. The fast-fold soft-top hood is smoothly integrated and its reasonably swift operation – up or down in 18 seconds – is handy, as is the fact it can be operated at speeds up to 31mph.

Inside, the Cabriolet carries over the same sophisticated interior as the regular A3. This includes an option of a fully digital instrument cluster with widescreen sat-nav mapping, giving a futuristic feel behind the wheel. Quality is excellent, as is the premium attention to detail. It’s reasonably spacious in there as well – certainly in the front, and not bad in the rear.

Despite its upscale vibes, engines are on the sensible side, proving efficient and economical to run. They’re not slow – every motor, be it diesel or petrol, has a turbocharger for good pulling power – but the most efficient turn in extremely impressive fuel economy figures.

We particularly like the 1.4-litre TFSI (later enlarged to 1.5 litres) as a great all-rounder, especially when paired with one of the slick-shifting S tronic automatic transmissions.

The A3 Cabriolet is smooth to drive, in that familiar Audi way. It’s not exciting – you’ll want the BMW 2 Series Convertible for that – but is calm and unruffled in almost all situations. Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride: it’s great for fuss-free cruising with the roof down. The only time the ride gets a bit firm is on higher-grade S line models fitted with the largest optional alloy wheels.

S line is, admittedly, our favourite trim, because it looks good from the outside and has nice sports-style seats and interior finishes within. Even entry-level SE is well equipped, though, and doesn’t feel particularly basic. Sport spec is a good all-rounder, as it has crisper styling details without the price tag of S line models.

Speaking of prices, early cars can now be found for less than £15,000. As the A3 Cabriolet has only recently been phased out, this is a bargain way of getting into something that still has a very contemporary feel. S line versions are generally found from just under £20,000.

Sitting at the top of the range is the high performance S3 Cabriolet, with plentiful power, spluttering exhausts and a suitably hunkered down feel behind the wheel.

It’s exciting, but we think the more easygoing nature of the regular A3 Cabriolet is preferable. It’s easy to see why buyers are so loyal: it’s just the thing for today’s Lady Di devotees.

The Audi A3 Cabriolet is based on the longer saloon model rather than the regular A3 hatchback, so it measures over 4.4 metres in length. This benefits interior practicality, particularly for those in the front – it feels anything but compact.

The driving position can be set nice and low, so drivers can get their heads (or hairdos) out of the wind rush when motoring roof-down.

The rear seats aren’t bad either, a welcome step on from the cramped original open-top Audi A3.They’re shaped to fit just two, but you wouldn’t think about putting three back there anyway, and comfort is okay for this type of car, despite the rather upright seat backrests. It’s preferable with the roof down, however: keep it raised and it’s rather claustrophobic due to the thick canvas structure and small windows.

The boot opening is a bit letterbox-like, because the Audi engineers had to accommodate the folding soft-top roof mechanism on top.

However, even with the roof down, there’s 287 litres of space there, which isn’t bad given how compromised soft-tops can be. If you’re happy to keep the roof up, you can fold away the divider, opening up 320 litres of space – further extended to 678 litres when you fold the rear seats.

All the plastics feel suitably upscale and attention to detail is a cut above the mainstream norm. Again, you’d swear you were in the more expensive Audi A5 Cabriolet.

It looks like a quality car from the outside as well, with perfect panel fit and paint quality, plus a well-made soft-top roof that drops cleanly into the body structure when lowered – there are no ugly lumps and bumps here, just clean and neat sophistication.

Audi’s MMI system is standard on all A3 Cabriolets. This comprises a 7.0-inch colour screen, which whirrs up and down from the dashboard. It’s not freestanding, and is hidden when the car is turned off. There are three grades: MMI Radio Plus, MMI Navigation and MMI Navigation Plus.

The basic system has an SD slot, aux-in, Bluetooth and voice control. Mid-grade, as its name suggests, adds sat-nav, and also brings dual SD card readers and 4G wi-fi hotspot. The top-spec Plus system has more onboard storage and faster mapping, so it works with swift efficiency. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available on later A3 Cabriolets as well.

For such a sophisticated-looking car, prices for the Audi A3 Cabriolet are becoming rather enticing. It can now be found on the second-hand market from around £15,000, which is a lot of car for the money indeed – remember, it’s only recently been phased out. There’s a good selection of SE and Sport versions at this level.

The priciest Audi A3 Cabriolets are the desirable S line versions. These generally cost upwards of £20,000, and they’ll always be the most expensive versions year-by-year. It’s easy to see why though, as this is a very desirable grade, almost as appealing as the rare and decadent S3 Cabriolet

If you’re considering spending this much on an A3 Cabriolet, we’d recommend you look at a newer 2018-on 1.5-litre TFSI instead, ideally in desirable Sport trim. It’s the best of all worlds and will give you a car that feels fresh and contemporary, with plenty of life left. It also won’t cost a fortune to run.

As cost options never command the same value as they did when new, it means you could pick up a real bargain – a car fitted with thousands of pounds of extras, for a mere fraction of the price.

We’d be happy picking a 1.4 TFSI (or later 1.5 TFSI), because the engines are punchy and cost-effective to insure – starting from group 22 out of 50 – and average up to 58.9mpg. Those are figures normally associated with diesels; you really don’t need the 1.6-litre TDI, unless the promise of over 72mpg really is irresistible.  

We’d avoid the 1.8-litre TFSI, though. This is very smooth, but not very economical, averaging only 42.8mpg. The 2.0-litre TFSI was actually more fuel-efficient. It’s unusual to find an engine so obviously uncompetitive within a model range: best avoided indeed.

Low CO2 emissions mean cost-effective VED (road tax), with most 1.4-litre and 1.5-litre TFSI petrol versions costing £30 a year: the 1.6-litre TDI is even cheaper, at £20 per year. For a further example of how uncompetitive the 1.8-litre TFSI is, consider this: VED car tax is up to £205 a year. You may as well have the S3 if you’re paying that much…

The fact there’s little difference between the two simply adds to the appeal of the smaller, more affordable option. Handling is safe and fuss-free, steering is light, it’s stable and confident and a generally low-effort drive.

Motoring enthusiasts may wish for more feedback and dynamism, mind. For such people, the BMW 2 Series Convertible might be a better bet.

The Audi’s front-wheel-drive setup doesn’t offer the natural feel of the rear-wheel-drive BMW, although the Quattro all-wheel drive models do seem more tenacious and unruffled, no matter what the weather.

Ride quality is fittingly comfortable, particularly SE and Sport models with relatively sensible wheel options – indeed, on Sport, buyers could actually choose a ‘non-sport’ suspension for added comfort. S line models are the firmest-riding, because of their lowered setup and bigger wheels. They look great, but comfort has to pay the price.

We really rate the entry-level A3 Cabriolet engines. Both the 1.4-litre and later 1.5 TFSI motors are very accomplished, with up to 150PS and a good amount of turbocharged pulling power.

They also have cylinder deactivation technology, so shut down two of the four cylinders when cruising for extra efficiency. Confusingly, Audi later renamed the 1.5-litre TFSI ‘35 TFSI’, but it’s the same motor.

Manual gearboxes are fine, but we think the A3 Cabriolet suits the more relaxed nature of the S tronic automatics. These are dual clutch-style transmissions, with super-fast gearshifts and a fuel-efficient nature.

More powerful engines aren’t really necessary, despite the on-paper acceleration from motors such as the 2.0-litre TFSI (later 40 TFSI). Diesels aren’t the most natural choice either: both the 1.6-litre TDI and 2.0-litre TDI are strong engines, but they’re not as smooth as the smaller petrol engines, and don’t suit this type of car as well.

Although Euro NCAP didn’t assess the A3 Cabriolet, it did crash-test the hatchback version of the A3 back in 2012, awarding it a full five-star rating.

Adult occupant protection was rated 95 percent and child safety was 87 percent. Both autonomous emergency braking and Audi Pre Sense, which automatically pre-tensions the seatbelts if it detects a crash, were available. 

For the A3 Cabriolet, Audi said the windscreen frame had been significantly reinforced, helping rollover protection. What’s more, if the car flips over, extra safety hoops automatically deploy from behind the rear-seat head restraints, protecting those in the back.

Despite its svelte nature, you can still tow things with an Audi A3 Cabriolet. Most models have a 1500kg maximum towing weight, which is pretty respectable and allows you to haul a decent load. The 190PS 2.0-litre TDI takes it up to 1600kg. Quattro models will give you extra traction in muddy fields, too.

The used-only Audi A3 Cabriolet is still a fairly new car – and feels it. Also, we don’t yet know if the latest A3 will be available in convertible guise, so this is currently your best option for buying one.

Despite its headline-grabbing performance, we’d pass on the flagship S3. That engine is better suited to the hatchback version – the A3 Cabriolet isn’t a sports car, after all. With that in mind, our choice would be either the 1.4-litre or later 1.5 TFSI petrol engine, preferably with the S tronic automatic gearbox.

As for spec, go for Sport, or S line if your budget stretches that far. You’ll get a car that will impress the neighbours, and impress you from behind the wheel. All you need now is some sunshine.