Audi A4 2.4 V6 Convertible

The team that developed the roof and its mechanism deserves a special award. The joints are fantastically accurate, the whole system looks (quite) simple, the body worked flawlessly all the time, not a drop got into the linen inside, the windows were always closed in the right position (many convertible owners know what I'm talking about), but at high speeds (with the roof connected) it feels like I'm driving a pile.

Coupe? Clearly this is (so far) the only A4 with only a pair of side doors. When you sit in it, the ceiling is low and well insulated, like a coupe, and the seat belt is far behind and, of course, without the possibility of adjusting the height of the upper handrail. The interior is unmistakable Audi: impeccably precise, ergonomic, high quality. And the color is consistent.

However, it is worth falling in love with the A4 Cabriolet at first sight - from the outside. Yes, even with a shed roof it is beautiful, but, of course, charm is without it. Last fall, a golden orange was brought to the Frankfurt Motor Show. Great color. It's a pity it was a dark blue Audi, but a number of chrome accessories, including the entire windshield frame, stood out much more against the dark body. Chromium? No, no, it's brushed aluminum.

They could hardly be wrong with the exterior, as the A4 already looks like a sedan with an elegant exterior, and converting to a convertible is still so good that even the stainless steel attendant couldn't find a job they could have done differently. ... Better, of course. Thus, such an A4 convertible could be safely driven into a garage that was otherwise accustomed to more South Bavarian merchandise.

This A4 manages to maintain its elegance all the way to the open sky. God forbid the lady to roughly tighten the scarf around her neck, God forbid to rip off the sports cap from the gentleman, and God forbid that she could not communicate at least by force when driving on the highway. This Audi allows you to drive without a roof at the top speed that this convertible develops. There are only two conditions: that the side windows are raised, and that an extremely efficient windscreen was installed behind the seats that stretched towards the curls at the back of the head. This one deserves special praise. Visibility through it (rearview mirror) is one of the best. In addition, it is designed so that it can be quickly removed (or put down), just as quickly folded in half and stored in a dedicated thin pouch. Uh, the German is flawlessly accurate.

With the opening of the side windows and the complete removal of the mesh, the A4 becomes different: wild, crushing, with a wind that will raise the pressure on the young lady's hairdresser to the maximum. When the A4 Convertible has a retractable roof and everything else is in the maximum wind protection position, it is understandable that you can travel in a convertible in very low outside temperatures. A cap so that there is no wind in your hair, a scarf and warm air in your legs. The fully automatic and split air conditioner, which works great with the roof closed, for some reason does not work this time. Namely, when the outside temperature drops below 18 degrees, the air conditioner blows hot air to the penultimate stage and cools strongly at the last; there is no intermediate stage. This is best at much lower outside temperatures, where warmth is already welcome, and at higher temperatures, when the air conditioner chooses (more or less moderate) cooling.

Every convertible, including this A4, has a few less pleasant sides, the most uncomfortable of which is the increased blind spots to the sides while driving. But the already mentioned quality of the design and materials of the roof is such that the thermal and especially the acoustic protection of the interior is almost as good as that of a car with a hard roof. Up to maximum speed, gusts of wind do not increase more noticeably than on the A4 sedan. The Audi tarpaulin roof also has a heated rear window, only there is no wiper on it (yet?).

Audi's excellent interior retains a typical Audi grudge: the pedals. The one behind the clutch has too long a stroke, and the space in front of (under) the accelerator pedal is shaped so that after a few hours of driving on the highway, it causes fatigue and laziness of the right leg. Starting with the clutch pedal, the following less pleasant aspects of the A4 test follow. The clutch is (too) soft, and its relaxation characteristic is uncomfortable when combined with the engine's performance, which is felt most at startup.

In the mountain of excellence, this A4 engine is the worst. It spins beautifully and loves to spin up to the red box all the way up to fourth gear, and it has a nice sound: a low oooooooo that turns into an increasingly harsh high-pitched voice as it revs. But engine performance is poor at very low to medium revs where there is a significant lack of torque. Therefore, the engine seems too weak when the accelerator pedal is depressed, it runs anemically. Therefore, even before overtaking, especially uphill, it is important to make sure with a short press on the gas what to expect from this. In any case, it will offer a maximum above 4000 and there before the start of the red field at 6500 rpm.

In our test, the A4 Cabriolet with this engine didn't perform well in terms of consumption, as it needed up to 17 liters per 100 kilometers with slightly more agility, and below 10 liters per 100 kilometers we couldn't use it - even with moderate driving. However, its range is from 500, when the speed can already be high, to 700 kilometers, when you need to be careful with the gas all the time. But all the problems with the engine are largely due to the heavy weight of the car and the cleanliness of the exhaust, which is officially called Euro 4.

The rest of the mechanics are very good to excellent. We blame the steering for some inaccuracy for all those who see sportiness in corners when driving without a roof. This A4 is definitely suited for dynamic driving.

The chassis is comfortable when it comes to damping potholes, but also sporty when judging your position on the road. Lateral tilt in corners is small, it impresses with the behavior of the car when braking, when even when the brake pedal is strongly pressed, it only leans forward slightly, and there are no surprises in the movement of the rear when braking in a corner; namely, in such cases, it always obediently follows the front pair of wheels and does not slip out.

So with this A4 convertible, you can interpret freedom under the sky in different ways – or just experience everything for yourself. The only embarrassing thing is that such a toy will have to be cut deep into the pocket.

Vinko Kernc

Photo: Aleš Pavletič, Vinko Kernc

Audi A4 2.4 V6 Convertible

Basic data

Sales:	Porsche Slovenia
Base model price:	35.640,52 €
Test model cost:	43.715,92 €
Power:	125kW (170 KM)
Acceleration (0-100 km / h):	9,7 with
Maximum speed:	224 km / h
Mixed flow ECE:	9,7l / 100km
Guarantee:	2-year general warranty without mileage limitation, 12-year rust-proof warranty, 3-year varnish warranty

Cost (up to 100.000 km or five years)

Technical information

engine:	6-cylinder - 4-stroke - V-90° - petrol - longitudinally front mounted - bore and stroke 81,0×77,4 ​​mm - displacement 2393 cm3 - compression ratio 10,5:1 - maximum power 125 kW ( 170 hp) at 6000 rpm – average piston speed at maximum power 15,5 m/s – power density 52,2 kW/l (71,0 hp/l) – maximum torque 230 Nm at 3200 rpm - crankshaft in 4 bearings - 2 x 2 camshafts in head (belt/timing chain) - 5 valves per cylinder - light metal head - electronic multipoint injection and electronic ignition - 8,5 l liquid cooling - engine oil 6,0 l - battery 12 V, 70 Ah - alternator 120 A - variable catalyst
Energy transfer:	front wheel motor drives - single dry clutch - 5-speed manual transmission - gear ratio I. 3,500; II. 1,944 hours; III. 1,300 hours; IV. 1,029 hours; V. 0,816; back 3,444 – differential 3,875 – rims 7,5J × 17 – tires 235/45 R 17 Y, rolling range 1,94 m – speed in 1000th gear at 37,7 rpm XNUMX km / h – instead of spare tire filler for correction
Capacity:	top speed 224 km / h - acceleration 0-100 km / h 9,7 s - fuel consumption (ECE) 13,8 / 7,4 / 9,7 l / 100 km (unleaded gasoline, elementary school 95)
Transportation and suspension:	convertible - 2 doors, 4 seats - self-supporting body - Cx = 0,30 - front single suspension, spring legs, double wishbones, stabilizer - rear single suspension, trapezoidal cross members, longitudinal rails, coil springs, telescopic shock absorbers, stabilizer - two-way brakes, front disc (forced cooling), rear disc, power steering, ABS, EBD, rear mechanical parking brake (lever between seats) - rack and pinion steering wheel, power steering, 2,9 turns between extreme points
Mass:	empty vehicle 1600 kg - permissible total weight 2080 kg - permissible trailer weight with brake 1700 kg, without brake 750 kg
External dimensions:	length 4573 mm - width 1777 mm - height 1391 mm - wheelbase 2654 mm - front track 1523 mm - rear 1523 mm - minimum ground clearance 140 mm - driving radius 11,1 m
Inner dimensions:	length (dashboard to rear seatback) 1550 mm - width (knees) front 1460 mm, rear 1220 mm - headroom front 900-960 mm, rear 900 mm - longitudinal front seat 920-1120 mm, rear seat 810 -560 mm - front seat length 480-520 mm, rear seat 480 mm - handlebar diameter 375 mm - fuel tank 70 l
Box:	(normal) 315 l

Our measurements

T = 23 ° C, p = 1020 mbar, rel. vl. = 56%, mileage: 3208 km, tires: Michelin Pilot Primacy XSE
Flexibility 50-90km / h:	13,5 (IV.) S
Flexibility 80-120km / h:	16,7 (W) p
Maximum speed:	221km / h (V.)
Minimum consumption:	10,7l / 100km
Maximum consumption:	32,0l / 100km
test consumption:	169 l / 100km
Braking distance at 130 km / h:	66,7m
Braking distance at 100 km / h:	38,0m
Noise at 50 km / h in 3rd gear	66dB
Noise at 50 km / h in 4rd gear	6dB
Noise at 50 km / h in 5rd gear	65dB
Noise at 90 km / h in 3rd gear	62dB
Noise at 90 km / h in 4rd gear	62dB
Noise at 90 km / h in 5rd gear	62dB
Noise at 130 km / h in 4rd gear	66dB
Noise at 130 km / h in 5rd gear	65dB
Test errors:	unmistakable

Overall rating (327/420)

• The Audi A4 2.4 Cabriolet is technically a very good car, with a slightly weak engine, on the one hand, excellent materials, on the other, excellent design and workmanship, very good mechanics and now a traditional image. On top of that, he looks like he is being courted even by those who are not in the four circles.

• Exterior (14/15)

  This is not a Corvette or Z8, but a beautiful and elaborate car.

• Interior (108/140)

  The capacity and size of the trunk suffers a little - due to the low folding awning. The air conditioner fails with the roof open, some of the equipment is missing, the other is at the highest level.

• Engine, transmission (31
  
  
  / 40)

  A significantly less flexible engine that, like a gearbox, is technically superior. The gearbox may have (depending on the engine) a slightly oversized gear ratio.

• Driving performance (88
  
  
  / 95)

  Here he lost only seven points, three of them on his feet. Ride quality, position on the road, handling, gear lever - everything is fine with a few complaints.

• Performance (17/35)

  The A4 2.4 Cabriolet is only average in this category. Top speed is beyond question, acceleration and agility are below expectations in terms of engine size and performance.

• Security (30/45)

  The test convertible did not have xenon headlights, rain sensor and window airbags (otherwise the latter is logical, given the shape of the body), otherwise it is perfect.

• Economy

  It consumes a lot and is quite expensive in absolute terms. He has a very good guarantee and a very good loss forecast; because it is an Audi and because it is a convertible.

We praise and reproach

elegant exterior (especially without a roof)

good wind protection without a roof

roof soundproofing with tarpaulin

roofing mechanism, materials

wind network

position on the road

production, materials

bad legs

clutch release characteristic

engine performance at low and medium rpm

price