New cars: 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet

Popular Mechanics

The S5 Cabriolet is “a real convertible”—“a soft-top in an era of hardtop-equipped competition.” To keep the noise out when closed, the car comes with a sound-dampening Acoustics Roof. “To keep you toasty” with the top down, an optional heating system will “pipe warm air around your neck.” It even works at high speeds, thanks to a cleverly designed cockpit.

Car and Driver

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The cloth roof doesn’t just look good. It also opens more quickly than a hardtop, and takes up less space when folded, leaving space for two roomy rear seats. “Only Audi and Bentley make all-wheel-drive convertibles with room for four adults.” But an S5 loaded with all the options costs just $75,000—“a fraction of a Bentley’s price.”

Automobile

A 3.0-liter supercharged V6 gives this gorgeous cruiser some “serious performance chops.” Producing 333 hp and 325 pound-foot of torque—“but no supercharger whine”—it reaches 60 mph in about 5.5 seconds. Unfortunately, a sluggish seven-speed automatic is the only transmission, and the steering is choppy at high speeds. So the S5 Cabriolet is actually best suited to rolling along “at a more sedate pace.”