MSRP Range: 1.8T - $35,000. 3.0 - $41,500

Invoice Range: 1.8T - $31,500. 3.0 - $37,500
Price Quote

MSRP As Tested: $41,500

Versions: A4 1.8T, A4 3.0

Vehicle Category: Compact Convertible

Engine Location: Front Engine

Drive Wheels: Front-Wheel Drive or optional All Wheel Drive.

Engine As Tested: 1.8-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, turbocharged and intercooled, Inline 4-cylinder, 170-horsepower at 5,900 rpm and 166 lb-ft torque at 1,950 rpm. Optional 3.0-liter, Dual Overhead Cam, turbocharged and intercooled V6, 220-horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 221-lb.-ft. of torque at 3,200 rpm.

Transmission As Tested: 5-Speed Automatic with-manual shift option and Multitronic Constant Velocity Transmission (CVT.) Optional 5- or 6-speed manual.

Fuel Economy (city/hwy): I4 - 23/30, V6 - 20/27

Standard Safety Features: Driver and front passenger, front and side airbags, power 4-wheel disc brakes, "> Antilock Braking System, Traction Control, Hydraulic Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Audi's Electronic Stabilization Program (ESP), Antiskid System, Automatic Rollover Protection System (ARPS) with automatic rollbar deployment.

Competition: BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz CLK, Volvo C70

DANA POINT, California -- On California's Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) sunshine rules the sky and invites motoring al fresco with the pop-top stowed and bright light plus cool sea breezes swirling through a convertible cabin. And it's a push-button "snap" to drop the top of a luxurious new convertible edition of a compact-class A4 car from the German automaker Audi.

Rising from a rigid open-roof body style, the A4 Cabriolet provides a power-motivated retractable cloth top set with a heated rear window on a sleek and smooth body shell coated in one of four sparkling colors. An electro-hydraulic mechanism motivates the fully automatic top to fold up or down in less than 25 seconds.

Styling for the A4 Cabriolet differs from A4 sedans and A4 avant estate wagons because all exterior lines are unique to the convertibles. The smooth prow -- with fascia and bumpers in monochrome contrasted against a bead of chrome outlining the broad trapezoidal grille -- seems more fluid and round. Two long doors on the flanks are exclusive to the convertible and wheelwell arches flare to the extreme. An abbreviated tail sports contoured lines with twin exhaust pipes evident in chrome.

Also, stances vary, as the Cabriolet drops almost an inch lower than the sedan and wagon to hug pavement. Different wheels and tires add an aggressive flair to the convertible's street stature, with five-spoke cast alloy 16-inch wheels standard and six-spoke and 17-inch alloys optional.

A tape measure confirms the package size differs too.

Wheelbase for the Cabriolet reaches to 104.5 inches, or one-fifth an inch longer than the sedan, while the overall length at 180 inches adds an extra inch. Despite these variances in physical dimensions, A4 Cabriolet carries the key mechanical components that go into A4 sedans and wagons.

For Audi, now with a vast array of sleek and sophisticated sedans and wagons sized from small and medium to large, plus curvaceous sports coupes and convertibles, A4's series amounts to core cars in this line.

The original A4 reached North America in 1996 as improvement for Audi's 90 sedan in a streamlined package with all of the right ingredients aboard for hands-on driving. It came to America after a year on the market in Europe, where A4 captured all automotive awards for its class.

That initial A4 became a benchmark product for Audi and initiated the alphanumeric nomenclature used for all subsequent cars in the line. Variations followed with different powertrains, front-wheel-drive FrontTrak and four-wheel-drive quattro modes, the avant wagons and some serious sports models such as powerful S4 quattro.

In 2002 the process began again with the arrival of a new generation of designs for A4 in two sedan variations plus the avant wagon. For the 2003 line, Audi expands the series to include two new convertible A4 Cabriolet versions.

A4 convertibles are laced with premium equipment and pack either a zippy four-cylinder turbo engine or a powerful V6 plus extensive safety systems that extend to an automatic rollover protection system (ARPS).

All A4 convertibles employ Audi's engineering masterpiece, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) labeled as a multitronic shifter. The multitronic CVT driving the front wheels approaches a manual transmission's fuel economy and quickness but delivers undetectable shift transitions through an electric clutch.

You can leave the transmission to do its own thing and never detect a shift transition. However, for a driver who enjoys playing the stick and exerting personal control over the car, the multitronic also has built-in shift-it-yourself gear selections.

The entry level for the convertible series is the A4 1.8T with a 1.8-liter in-line-four turbo-charged engine in front-wheel-drive FrontTrak format linked to the multitronic CVT.

It feels vigorous and quick, drawing on the full force of the plant's production of 170-hp at 5,900 rpm and 166 lb-ft of torque spread over a broad band from 1,950 to 5,000 rpm.

Audi also casts the convertible in a powerful luxury model, the A4 3.0. It's fired by an aluminum-block 3.0-liter V6 that generates 220-hp at 6,300 rpm and torque numbers of 221 lb-ft at 3,200 rpm.

The Cabriolet platform supports a four-wheel independent suspension system composed of lightweight aluminum elements.

In front, the four-link design with upper and lower control arms promotes agility but also manages to isolate road harshness and noise. In back is a sophisticated self-tracking trapezoidal-link arrangement that keeps back wheels planted squarely on pavement while striking the balance in ride quality between sporty agility and comfort.

Steering, through a rack and pinion mechanism with monoblock steering shafts, is quick and predictable.

Brakes, with a disc at each corner, rely on electronic and computerized links to tame the tires. Anti-lock brake (ABS) controls are standard, along with hydraulic brake assist (BA) and electronic brake distribution (EBD) plus Audi's electronic stabilization program (ESP) that stems lateral slippage and skidding.

Passive safety elements include the ARPS and dual frontal air bags and side-impact air bags for front riders.

The base 1.8T comes with deluxe standard features that range from automatic dual-zone climate controls to power windows providing pinch protection plus one-touch up and down controls for all four posts, heated exterior mirrors and a four-spoke leather steering wheel. Leather upholstery for seats, optional on 1.8 T, applies standard on the 3.0.

In addition, there are foglamps, heated windshield washer nozzles and high-pressure headlight washers, with the standard sound kit encompassing a 180-watt system with nine speakers and a dashboard CD changer for six discs.

Options include xenon high intensity discharge (HID) headlamps, mirrors with automatically dimmers, sport suspension tuning, a wind deflector and Bose 225-watt premium sound system.

Cabriolet price points begin with the MSRP for A4 1.8T pegged at $34,950 and $41,500 for the A4 3.0.

MORE DATA

Where Built: Germany

Seating: 4

Number of Rows: 2

Crash Test Ratings:

• NHTSA Frontal Impact/Driver Crash Test Rating: Not Tested
• NHTSA Frontal Impact/Passenger Crash Test Rating: Not Tested
• NHTSA Side Impact/Front Seat Crash Test Rating: Not Tested
• NHTSA Side Impact/Rear Seat Crash Test Rating: Not Tested
• NHTSA Rollover Resistance Rating: Not Tested
• IIHS Frontal Offset Crash Test: Not Tested

Length in Inches: 180.0

Warranties: 4 years/50,000 miles bumper-to-bumper, 12 years/unlimited miles corrosion, 4 years/50,000 miles free Roadside Assistance, 4 years/50,000 miles free scheduled maintenance.

Weight in Pounds: 3,814

Towing Capacity in Pounds: Not Applicable

Gas Tank Capacity in Gallons: 18.5

Destination Charge: $660