Audi's second generation of A3 Cabriolet is on sale in Ireland, with prices starting at €36,710 on the road.
Based on the A3 Saloon, but with the wheelbase of the A3 hatch, the new A3 Cabriolet is a great looking car and the leader in its segment for now. There will be a choice of three equipment levels and three engines for customers who are eager to be the first in Ireland to own the new Ingolstadt drop-top, with more engines following in February.
The trim levels are a carry-over from other A3s, badged as they are Entry, SE and S Line. Entry gives you a fully automatic hood (which can be raised or lowered in under 18 seconds at speeds of up to 50km/h), 16-inch alloys, air conditioning, an MMI radio with power folding screen, a connection for your iPod, Bluetooth and a driver's information display. SE costs an extra €1,350 and adds in parking sensors, cruise control, 3D-look inlays, a colour driver information system and the intriguing 'leather-like' upholstery. S Line is top spec and gives buyers part-leather seats, a sports steering wheel, 18-inch alloys, S Line body styling and Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lamps, plus S Line branding inside and out.
Of the launch engines, there's a 140hp 1.4 TFSI petrol unit that can return 4.9 litres/100km (57.6mpg) and emit just 114g/km, meaning it'll qualify for annual road tax of €200. It achieves these numbers in part thanks to Audi's Cylinder-on-Demand (CoD) technology, which shuts off two of the engine's cylinders under part load. You can have it with a six-speed manual gearbox or seven-speed S Tronic auto, and an Entry version of the former will cost you €38,560.
There's also a 1.8 TFSI petrol option, with 180hp, but the one to go for at launch is the 2.0 TDI with 150hp, 4.2 litres/100km (67.2mpg) consumption and CO2 of 110g/km. Following in February will be the 1.6 TDI, with 99g/km CO2 and consumption of just 3.8 litres/100km (74.3mpg), a 184hp version of the 2.0 TDI engine that can be specified with front-wheel drive or Audi's quattro all-wheel drive, and the option of quattro four-wheel drive with the 1.8 TFSI unit.
Anything else?
Despite their parsimony, the launch models are pretty quick - with 0-100km/h times of 9.1 seconds, 8.9 seconds and 7.8 seconds for 1.4, TDI and 1.8 respectively. But if you want a properly quick Cabriolet, you might want to wait for the 300hp S3 version out later this year.
Read our first drive of the new Audi A3 Cabriolet from the international launch here.