Audi India has launched its long awaited Audi A3 cabriolet on 11th December 2014 at 44.75 lakh; it will come to India via CBU route. Audi showcased this Cabriolet with A3 sedan at the Auto expo early this year, so buyers have to wait long for this baby convertible and this is the third convertible/cabriolet in India after Mini Cooper and Porsche Boxster. A3 Cabriolet is a sportier version of A3 sedan which is assembled locally here whereas A3 cabriolet will be imported as CBU route.
Price:
Audi India has launched its much anticipated A3 Cabriolet at the price of Rs. 44.75 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi); its price is almost double the price of its A3 sedan siblings which starts at 22.95 lakh. Reason behind such a high price than its A3 sibling is that Cabriolet is brought up as CBU (completely build unit) whereas A3 sedan is build locally here.
Engine Details:
In international markets A3 cabriolet is available in 2 small engines (1.4 TFSI and 1.6 TDI) and 2 big capacity engines (1.8L TFSI & 2.0L TFSI) but in India it is available with just one engine option i.e. 1.8L TFSI petrol unit which is responsible to produce 177bhp power@ 5100-6200rpm and peak torque of 250Nm @1250-5000rpm mated to a seven speed S-tronic automatic transmission transferring power to front wheels.
As far as performance is concerned this 2 door Cabriolet sprints 0-100 km in just 7.8 seconds with the top speed of 240 km/hr.
Space and Dimensions:
This baby A3 Cabriolet has a larger wheelbase than A3 sedan with 2595mm and this four seater measures at 4421mm length, 1793mm width and 1409mm height. Fuel tank capacity and boot space of Audi A3 cabriolet are 50 liters and 320 liters.
Exterior & Interiors:
Audi A3 cabriolet is different from its sedan sibling by a soft roof top which company claims is retractable under 18 seconds by a push button at the speeds of 50 km/hr. Cabriolet is quite identical to its A3 sedan sibling in exterior and interior except the soft fabric roof top and two doors instead of four door sedan.
This luminary car carries same design technology and features of A3 sedan like same front grille, Bi- Xenon headlamps with Daytime running lights, beefy body colored front bumper, OVRM’s and door handles are body painted plus newly designed alloy wheels make side profile sporty. While rear profile is quite aggressive and sharp with LED taillights and boot lid have spoiler with third brake lights.
On the Inside, Audi has maintained the sporty and elegant feel of cabin with premium quality material. Interiors are based on all black theme, instrument cluster gets two circle shaped dials and a small screen which displays info clearly. While dashboard has 5.8 inch touchscreen information display with multi function display including information regarding A/C system.
Apart from that A3 Cabriolet has four spoke leather wrapped steering wheel, chrome garnished A/C vents, interior ambient lighting, light and rain package, Audi audio system with MMI radio which supports 2TB memory card readers, height adjustable front seats with driver seat memory function and Milano leather seats are available in two options- standard and Sport with different color scheme options.
Colors:
Audi A3 Cabriolet is available in 14 attractive body paint option – Amalfi White, Brilliant black, Brilliant Red, pearl effect phantom black, metallic Scuba Blue, metallic glacier white, metallic Beluga Brown, metallic Dakota Grey, metallic Shiraz Red, metallic ice silver, metallic Monsoon Grey, Pearl effect Misano Red, metallic lotus grey and Daytona grey.
Safety:
On safety front Audi A3 cabriolet is equipped with electromechanical power brake, secondary collision brake assist, rest recommendation system, electronic stabilization control, Audi pre-sense basic system which includes tensioning of seat belts and closing of windows, wheel bolts, electronic immobilization device, cruise control etc.
Audi A3 Cabriolet also has some standard safety features like ESP, ABS, traction control, 7 air bags, rear parking assistance, adaptive brake lights, anti slip regulation, remote central locking, impact protection beam etc.
Verdict:
With such high price we cannot expect high volume sales but as far as overall package is concerned it is beautifully designed fast and furious car. There is no competition available in the country at the moment so it belongs to niche segment in our country.
