Review of the new Audi A4 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI Range

Many people will know the Volkswagen Group's 2.0-litre TFSI unit better as the engine that set pluses racing in resolute performance models like the Golf GTI and feistier Audi A3s. Well, you can also get it in the softer-focus A4 Cabriolet and yes, it's just as good.

In a range that's also populated by a 3.2-litre FSI V6, a muscular 3.0-litre TDI diesel and a 4.2-litre V8 which comes complete with deep, ground-shuddering soundtrack, you can see how the 2.0-litre TFSI engine could be overlooked by those with performance as a priority. To do so, however, would be to seriously underestimate a powerplant that won its class at the 2005 'Engine Of The Year' awards. It's a turbocharged 2.0-litre which incorporates the Volkswagen Group's increasingly ubiquitous Fuel Stratified Injection technology. This is a system for the direct injection of unleaded straight into the combustion chamber at high pressure for improved atomisation. The fuel-air mixture burns more efficiently as a result of this and the driver benefits from significant boosts to performance and responsiveness as the engine adapts to the demands being placed upon it.

Any thoughts of the pistons, fuel injectors, camshafts and engine management systems all working together in harmony under the bonnet quickly dissipate once you get behind the wheel of the Audi A4 Cabriolet. It's a car that majors on emotion and sensation, even if the Germans do go about delivering them in a mercilessly efficient kind of way. The key questions in the thinking of prospective buyers on a test drive as the wind hits their hair and the engine note soars are likely to include: how does it look? How do I look driving it? And, how fast does it go? The answer to the final poser being, pretty damn fast.

"The 2.0-litre's smooth, linear power delivery makes it feel very much like a larger six-cylinder unit"

The 2.0-litre TFSI features in the acclaimed Golf GTI remember, and here it produces an identical 200bhp. The A4 Cabriolet does have more roof and metalwork to lug about that the comparatively lean hot hatchback but that doesn't take the edge off too much. When you're sitting at a red light, 62mph is 7.9s away if you really give it some and there's an eye-opening 280Nm of torque at just 1,800rpm. It's this hefty pull from low revs that defines the car's character more than its outright speed. Forget the peeks and troughs of power and the need to keep the revs on the boil that you experience in some other turbocharged cars, the A4 Cabriolet 2.0 TFSI offers excellent flexibility from low revs with acceleration on tap when you want it.

On the road, the car never feels less than solid and the front-wheel-drive transmission has no problems getting the 2.0 TFSI's power down. The ride is smooth as a cabriolet should be, although the S-Line models do firm things up a touch for buyers wanting a sportier experience. Most of the feedback that reaches the driver comes through the suspension as the steering feels quite dead.

Drive the 2.0 TFSI model back to back with the 255bhp 3.2-litre FSI V6 and the difference isn't as great as you might imagine. The 2.0-litre's smooth, linear power delivery makes it feel very much like a larger six-cylinder unit. It's a little noisier and pulls less strongly at higher speeds but there's only just over a second difference in the 0-60mph acceleration. You certainly wouldn't feel like you were missing out too drastically if you opted for the cheaper 2.0 TFSI over the V6. When they factor-in the difference in fuel economy and emissions, it's a choice that many will probably take.

At a glance, you can see why. In a class full of particularly pretty cars, this one stands out, even against drop-top versions of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes CLK. And with competitive pricing counting in the Audi's favour, the A4 looks set to continually reprise the sales success of its predecessor. The single-frame grille and sculpted headlamps will be the thing most will spot after the most recent visual refreshing but a subtle redesign of the rear lights and updated alloy wheel designs are also part of the latest soft-top A4's arsenal. Yes, the Audi continues with a soft top, arguing that the engineering compromises required to fit a folding hard top force designers into all sorts of other knock-on issues regarding weight and packaging. This electro-hydraulically operated hood features a heated glass window and there's even an option of a special acoustic hood with fabrics of greater density to further insulate the driver from wind noise. With this additional insulation, noise in the cabin is impressively limited. Wind noise picks up at around 80mph but overall, it's little different to the A4 saloon.

The hood is folded away neatly and without fuss at speeds of up to 20mph by holding a switch next to the handbrake. There's a button to raise and lower all four windows simultaneously on the driver's door and elsewhere, the cabin is predictably well built. Audi seem to have successfully addressed many of the complaints often levelled at drop-top models. There's little evidence of scuttle shake and the handling is composed on twisty roads but even they couldn't satisfactorily address the age-old problem of rear legroom. With a driver of around 6ft at the wheel, any normal-sized adult sitting behind is going to have a particularly uncomfortable time of it. There is space to get two people in the back but long 4-up journeys are best avoided unless they're small children or you've drugged them in advance. Boot space is fairly generous with the roof up and may even be sufficient for an old family friend under heavy medication but when the hood goes down so do your stowage options.

Audi have got their cool, understated brand image nailed down and increasing numbers of people are starting to buy into it. Few cars in the marque's line-up can reflect this as well as the A4 Cabriolet. It's a good-looking, beautifully-engineered car, devoid of gimmicks and ostentation. The 2.0 TFSI powerplant is arguably the most accomplished in the range - although the 3.0-litre TDI diesel runs it close. Buying a convertible car is still an exercise in compromise but with their 2.0 TFSI A4 Cabriolet, Audi have reached a point where the benefits are starting to outweigh the costs.