Let‘s calm down and relax with the S5 Cabriolet

Life is easier when you drive a convertible, why is it then that the Miata is the most sold sportscar in the world? Maybe there are other reasons.., but it's clear that convertibles are a lot of fun. Sadly though, they are dying. Of course, the Miata and two-seat roadsters are pretty popular. But the convertible that is truly dying is the 4-seat convertible. You just don't see these types of cars that much anymore. They're usually too expensive for most people to buy as a primary car, but we think that they still work. Our perfect example of a 4-seat convertible is the Audi S5 Cabriolet, all new for 2021 and luckily we got to test it in August. We had anticipated this car for a long time but sadly the swiss weather didn't always play by our rules. The S5 is Audi's stylish and dynamic mid-sized sedan that you can get in a Coupé, Sportback, or Cabriolet. We think that the Cabriolet might be the most attractive option. If you want style, you would typically take the Coupé, but the Cabriolet gets all the good looks of the Coupé while giving you an open-top experience. To be honest, all convertibles look kind of ugly with the roof up, even the S5 didn't look the prettiest, but with the top down it looks stunning. Especially with the Nogaro Blue Metallic Paint Scheme and chrome inserts. One other reason to take the S5 Cabriolet is the engine. It's the 3.0l turbocharged V6 producing a modest 350 horsepower. But this car isn't about speed, it's about cruising. And the engine sounds glorious at slow to medium speeds. If you ever have to gun it, you hear that silky smooth V6 scream to the redline and burble when you lift off. Surprisingly 350 horsepower is more than enough for this car, anything over that figure would be overkill. The other reason to get the Cabriolet is that you only get the 3.0l V6 diesel in both the Coupé and Sportback Models in Switzerland. Luckily for our American friends, across the ocean, they get the petrol V6 in all S5 models. It is still unclear if there will ever be an RS5 Cabriolet but it would totally miss the point. A car like this is made for relaxed driving up a mountain road, sticking to the speed limit, and maybe letting that V6 sing in the mid-range. While the roof did take some time to lower, it can lower at up to 50km/h and it's very quiet when the roof is up. It's also good to know that the S5 Cabriolet gets a wind-deflector, but we didn't use that. Our journey with the S5 Cabriolet began at the foot of the Sustenpass where we were stuck in traffic on the highway. As usual, the highway towards the Gotthard Basis tunnel is very crowded on weekends and we could enjoy the start-stop system of the S5, instead of the V6. We finally got off and were immediately stuck behind some dutch caravans and bold germans that thought taking the windy roads towards the Gotthard would be faster. After some slow driving behind our friendly neighbors, we got to the base of the Sustenpass to enjoy the wide-open roads, perfect S5 Cabriolet territory. With Switzerland experiencing some meteorological moods swings, we experienced rain, sunshine, and in the end blue skies by the time we got to the top. Some curious danish tourists complimented us on our choice of car while we were taking mandatory photos, so it also got the approval of others! It looks aggressive but also quite civilized taken you don't let the engine rev up to its 7000 rpm redline. People like it. The drive down was pretty relaxed and we did what the S5 was made for, cruising. All in all the S5 Cabriolet is probably the most logical convertible we've tested yet. It's quite practical, fast, good looking and you can fit 4 people in it if you have to! That's probably the most annoying thing about 2-seat roadsters. The LC500 and F-Type R which we also tested in Cabriolet form were beautiful and fast, but you always think to yourself what would happen if you ever have to take 3 people with you. You're absolutely screwed. Obviously it's not the main reason to buy the S5 Cabriolet but we think that the 4-seat Cabriolet still has a rightful place in the Cabriolet world.