Review of the new Audi A4 Cabriolet - Family View

Fast forward back to the Summer of 2002 and Audi's A4 Cabriolet was the car to have. In the growing market for prestigiously-badged convertible models, it still is. For the money, what other car offers the same build quality and engineering with four-seater capacity and rock-solid residuals? Exactly.

To be honest, I've always wanted to own one - so has my wife Katie. So when the opportunity arose to take a 3.0TDI version on board for a long term test, we both decided that this might be as close as we were ever going to get. We did have a few reservations though - less about the car and more about our family needs.

We'd originally fallen in love with the car when we were child-less. Now, with three small girls in tow, we wondered whether the Audi really could make it as family day-to-day transport. Three months on and we've a few answers.

Yes, of course, there are a few practical restrictions to running such a car: there always will be. Let's take the bootspace, after all. There's just 246 litres with the roof down or 315 litres with the top up: enough space for two golf bags in real terms, Audi tell me. Well I don't play golf but I do know that you can fit a medium weekly shop in there as long as it doesn't happen to take place at the local cash and carry. I also know that the child seat fits snugly in the back (though baby Amy's dirty shoes make a fearful mess of the seatback in front) and that a full complement of school bags and PE kit sacks sit comfortably in the boot.

Let's be honest though, if you've enough money to own one of these, then it won't be your only car. Which means that, like us, you'll probably have something more practical for those times when space must necessarily be a priority over style. When it isn't and you can just enjoy driving the thing, then like me, you might be surprised that the handling is a good deal sharper than you might be expecting for a car of this ilk.

"Even now, this is still where many drop top buyers would choose to put their money..."

That's largely down to the modifications made in 2006 to the front and rear suspension in pursuit of sharper handling and the option of the sharper Servotronic speed-sensitive steering set-up fitted to our particular long term test car.

Ours, as I said, is the top 233PS 3.0TDI quattro model but apart from that, there's a wide engine range from which to choose, at prices beginning from around the £26,500 mark. My personal favourite from the petrol line-up is the brilliant 200PS award-winning 2.0TFSI engine that slots in above the 163PS 1.8T and just below the 256PS 3.2-litre quattro. The 344PS V8 S4 variant is also under-rated and I've an enduring soft spot for the 420bhp RS4 version that's now sadly out of production.

It's always been the case with this car that unless you opt for either of the V8 models, the performance feels pretty relaxed, a legacy perhaps of the car's not insubstantial 1560kg of total weight. That's one reason why the extra torque and fuel economy of the diesel variants makes them so attractive and the main reason I chose the 3.0TDI. Another option would have been the 140PS 2.0TDI variant.

On to the beautifully-lined three-layer roof which hides beneath an aluminium-trimmed solid tonneau cover when not in use. Electrically operated of course, it opens or closes in 24 seconds and there are no fiddly manual latches to break your nails on before you can press the button. The whole thing can also be done from the outside of the car by using the remote control keyfob, something the kids never tire of getting me to do in the school carpark as we approach.

A nice option that we insisted on was Audi's beautifully engineered wind deflector (essential if you want to comfortably drive with the roof down at speed), though in use, it effectively reduces your car to a two-seater. The rear window is a proper heated glass affair, which clears quickly when I jump into the car early in the morning on the school run.

As with all A4s of this generation, the build quality is brilliant, with every control you touch clicking beautifully into place. You can enjoy it all on the move too, thanks to a supple ride and impressive refinement aided by a slippery 0.30Cd drag factor: this car makes less of a hole in the air with the roof open than the equivalent BMW 3 Series Convertible does with it closed.

Safety-wise, there's the usual complement of front and side airbags and there twin roll bars that automatically pop up in a blink of an eye behind the rear head restraints should the car be in danger of rolling over.

When it first appeared on the market, Audi's A4 Cabriolet managed to make everything else look a little old hat. Even now, it's still where many drop top buyers would choose to put their money. Class and quality don't come cheap, however, and you'll need some serious disposable income to get behind the wheel. Once there, you won't need too much convincing that you've made a good choice.