The Audi A3 Cabriolet is a car that's easy to like, and given that its price has fallen since the beginning of the month, it's one that we may be seeing more of on Irish roads, writes Paddy Comyn.
For a brief couple of days, it did in fact seem as if we were about to have a summer. I knew this because, apart from the obvious symptoms of squinting and feeling warm, everywhere I went there were people complaining about how hot it was. "Oh it's roasting," they said, rubbing sweat of their increasingly reddening brows.
Here in Ireland, when we are not giving out about the bad weather, we quickly turn on it when it comes good.
Yet it still doesn't stop us mopping up many of the cabriolet offerings which are coming our way.
We have already seen that the mainstream brands such as Peugeot, Ford, Volkswagen and Opel have all given us multiple convertible offerings and now the prestige brands have got into the act and are offering entry-level models for those who like that open-air feeling.
BMW's 1-Series Cabriolet has already charmed us with its cute looks and rewarding drive, and now Audi has joined the party with their oh-so-cute offering, the A3 Cabriolet. We have driven this car before: briefly at the European launch of it and the mammoth Audi RS6, and back then we noted just how fun this car was to drive.
Reunited back in Ireland, the A3 Cabriolet is, on first impression, certainly something that is going to appeal to the fairer sex just that little bit more than to us gentlemen.
Any cabriolet of this genre does wrestle somewhat with your masculinity, even with a peppy 1.8-litre TFSI engine putting out 160bhp.
But assumptions aside, the styling of the Cabriolet is, thankfully, in keeping with the hatchback.
This is down to Audi choosing not to saddle the small and already quite weighty car with a folding metal roof, which generally ruins the styling, handling and increases the chances of things going wrong.
Rather, they have opted for a cloth roof, which is either semi-automatic (you have to close and open some catches yourself) or fully automatic, where you just press a switch and it all happens for you.
Either way this hood does not need a cover or cover flaps because it is z-shaped and folds back on to itself in a mere 9 seconds at speeds of up to 30km/h. This is particularly handy, as I found, when it suddenly began to rain on the M50. I had already received some rather "unhelpful" remarks from a guy in a white van, so being able to cover up as I approached the toll was something of a relief. For an extra €1,172 our car was fitted with the fully automatic acoustic hood.
This, as the name suggests, needs nothing more than a push of the button to escape the wind, cold and torrents of abuse. This really should be a standard fit when you compare it to BMW's 1-Series Cabriolet and all the other main rivals for the price.
Thankfully there is a wind deflector as standard on the Ambition model and this can be fitted in place of the back seats to give excellent buffering from the elements and keep your hairdo, or toupee in place. This roof gives almost the same sound-proofing as the metal roof on the A3 hatchback.
The styling of the Cabriolet is in line with the A4 and just as cutting edge: Audi has just given the rest of the A3 range the styling cues from this model. This means that the bonnet lid and front wings are more sculpted, and there is an updated, large single frame grille.
It is a good-looking car, roof down or up and our test model, with its red hood, red leather and gunmetal-grey exterior was very cool, although it still looks better in white with an S-line styling kit any day.
Inside, there is the usual feeling of high quality that we now pretty much take for granted with the Audi brand. Everything feels very well built, and the controls are very intuitive thanks to their straightforward layout.
You really can just get into this car and get going without having to learn any new skills or read any manuals. The instrument cluster, with black dials and the needle design from the TT and S3 looks good and the three-spoke steering wheel feels chunky without being too cumbersome.
The seats are quite sporty up front and at the rear there is actually a surprising amount of room for the rear two passengers. Finding a good, comfortable driving position is easy, with multi-adjustable seats and a steering wheel with reach- and rake-adjustment.
Safety is taken care of by ESP with electronic brake force distribution (EBD), ABS, four airbags (driver, passenger and side curtain), Isofix child seat mountings, tyre pressure monitors, adaptive front lights and daytime running lights.
On the road the A3, with this engine, feels very peppy.
Unlike so many of its rivals, laden down with extra weight the A3 Cabriolet feels really lively. It would be wrong to say that it's very sporting however. While Audi has done a great job of improving the steering of its newer models, especially the A4, the A3 in this guise could do with a little more feedback, but that is not to say that the steering is not accurate, which it certainly is and the gearchange is smooth and precise.
This engine is really very good, if not quite as fun as the 2.0-litre TFSI with 200bhp, but from this month, the real stars are set to be the two diesels, the 105bhp 1.9-litre TDi and the 140bhp 2.0-litre TDi.
The 1.9-litre diesel Attraction at €34,645 is the cheapest model in the range, and the powerful 2.0-litre TDi Attraction at €39,145 means it can be had for less than the 1.8 TFSI.
Whether diesel floats your boat in a convertible is one thing, but the prospect of €150 road tax per year on these diesel models will make them pretty difficult to ignore. Our test model, the 1.8 TFSI Ambition, actually fell by €2,200 as of yesterday, to €42,315.
Which leads us on to posing the question, should you buy an A3 Cabriolet? Well, in this new era of emissions-based tax, then yes.
When we compare it to its main rivals over at BMW, the cheapest of which is the 118i ES for €37,835, then €34,645 for the 1.9 TDi A3 Cabriolet appears to be something of a bargain, especially when another potential rival, the Mini Cooper and Cooper S Convertible increased in price by €1,073 and €3,375 respectively as of this month.
Should you need more space in the back then you could look to cars such as the Ford Focus CC and Opel Astra TwinTop, which are worthy rivals but certainly won't have the badge prestige of the Audi.
If you don't have kids, and have little room for luggage then this car will certainly appeal - be warned - the boot is pretty small and has tiny boot aperture. The 260-litres is adequate, but if you fold the back seats it goes up to 674-litres. The boot space of the 1-Series by comparison is identical.
If you need more space and luggage space, then you will probably need to look to the Focus or Astra for your sunshine thrills.
All things considered, this is a much better car to live with than we expected.
The roof mechanism works really well - being able to operate it on the move is a particularly neat trick and the build quality, interior layout and overall driving competence are first class.
Thanks to its fuel-efficient diesel engines, the price, from July is going to become very competitive too. And after a week in the car it's easy to like the A3 Cabriolet. It doesn't even feel that girly, despite what the van drivers may shout to the contrary. I tell myself they were just jealous anyway.
Factfile
Audi A3 Cabriolet 1.8T AmbitionCC: 1,798cc 4-cylinder turbo 0-100km/h 8.3 seconds Max Speed: 218km/h BHP: 160 Consumption 7.3 l/100km (38.6mpg) Price: €42,315
ENGINE:1,798cc 4-cylinder turbo petrol engine putting out 160bhp @ 5,000rpm and 250Nm of torque @ 1,500. Six-speed manual transmission.
SPECIFICATION:Standard features include 17" 5-arm Crescent alloy wheels with 225/45 R17 tyres, electric windows front and rear, electric door mirrors, heated door mirrors, remote central locking, climatic air conditioning, Aux-in connection, leather steering wheel, start/stop button, ABS brakes, front and side airbags, electronic stability programme, electronic differential lock (EDL) - traction control, semi-automatic hood, wind blocker.
Options on test car: Pear effect paint €961, Fine Nappa red leather €2,482, 3-spoke mufu sports steering wheel €328, fully automatic acoustic hood €1,172, anti-dazzle interior mirror with light and rain sensor €382, inlays in aluminium radial €141, Audi parking system €547, Climate Control €679, Bluetooth phone prep €780, Interior lighting package €288, heated exterior mirrors including heated washer jets €780. Options Total: €7,978
L/100KM (MPG)Urban: 10.0 (28.4) Extra-urban: 5.7 (49.5) Combined: 7.3 (38.6)
CO2 EMISSIONS:174/km (Band E - 28 per cent VRT) and €600 annual road tax
PRICE:€42,315 basic price