German carmaker Audi, part of the VW Group, has broken ranks with its latest luxury model by charging less for the diesel versions than the equivalent petrol models.
In the past Audi has usually charged around £1,000 more for diesel powered versions of its models, claiming that the diesel engine costs more to produce and has more metal in it.
But when its latest model, the new Audi A3 Cabriolet, arrives in the showrooms on May 10 - just in time for the summer - the diesel versions will be around £900 cheaper than the equivalent petrol models.
Jo Elliott, the A3 Cabriolet product manager, explained they expected around 70 per cent of sales for the new model to be for either the 1.9 (105PS) or the 2.0 (140PS) turbo diesel engines.
She said: “We are finding that motorists now want performance and more economy from their cars and this we provide with the diesel engines. We have priced the models accordingly.”
Both diesel engines will average more than 50mpg. The current petrol engines for the new model, the 1.8 TFSI (160PS) and the 2.0 TFSI 200PS will each average around 37mpg.
She added that there were no plans to re-align the prices of the A3 hatchback saloons, where the diesel versions still cost more than the equivalent petrol models.
On road prices for the new model start from £20,750 (1.9 diesel) rising to £27,060 for the S- line version of the 2.0 FSI petrol version.
Unfortunately at the model’s recent press launch only the petrol models were available for driving such is the demand for diesel units.
All models apart from the 1.9 diesels come with a standard six-speed manual gearbox. The smaller diesel version has a five speed manual box.
An S tronic twin-clutch transmission is available for an extra £1,400 for all versions apart from the 1.9 diesels.
There are three specification levels, Standard, Sport (extra £1,850) and S Line (a further £1,550).
But of course the most important two features of any cabriolet models are: 1: The hood - is it easy to use, and is it wind and waterproof? and 2: Is the car rattle and shake free, a common fault on many cabriolet models of yesteryear.
Well I can report that both these features on the A3 are fine. The fabric hood features a large heated glass rear window and in Sport and S Line versions with a fully automatic operation it can be lowered in nine seconds and raised in 11 seconds at speeds of up to 19 mph.
Indeed at 85 mph in France my test car with the extra acoustic insulation fitted to the two top specification models seemed just as quiet as the A3 hatchback models. Rival models take up to 35 seconds to raise or lower their hoods - a long time if it is raining.
The folded hood goes into its own compartment that is separate from the boot and therefore does not impair luggage capacity.
Because the luggage space is unaffected by the hood, the rear bench seat has not been moved, and this leaves good legroom in the rear - I found it was possible for four well proportioned adults to sit in the car, an unusual feature of other so called four seater cabriolet models.
The well-proportioned boot will take 260 litres of luggage - enough room for a set of golf clubs, or, if the rear seats are folded, this increases to 674 litres.
On the road both the 1.8 petrol and 2.0 petrol were a delight to drive - the 2.0 litre having a particularly attractive sporty sounding exhaust note. But for my money the 1.8 litre version had plenty of power and I think had a better ride.
The power steering gives excellent response and the ride was excellent and the car’s build quality was first class. The car’s high shoulder line gives a great sport enclosed feel.
The car comes well equipped, but of course there is the usual Audi list of ‘extras’, which can very quickly increase the price of the car!
Audi says there is only one direct competitor - the BMW 1 Series Convertible, and Audi points out its models are cheaper, will cost nearly 5p a mile less to run and will be worth considerably more as a three year old second hand - retaining 51 per cent of original cost compared with 45 per cent for the BMW 120d SE Convertible - figures provided by CAP Monitor.
By Peter Carroll
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