The four-seat premium convertible segment has become stagnant, but that's about to change. BMW fired a new 3-series convertible at its competition for the 2008 model year, and two years later, shots are finally ringing back. The 2010 Audi S5 cabriolet - along with its less sporty A5 brother - will be among the first to join the fight, closely followed by the Infiniti G37, Lexus IS, and Mercedes-Benz E-class droptops.
The sexy S5 cabriolet replaces the S4 cabrio, and since it's based on the gorgeous S5 coupe, it's longer, lower, and wider than the old car. Although the Infiniti and the Lexus join BMW in using folding hard tops, Audi remains faithful to fabric for several reasons. (Mercedes-Benz will, too, for its upcoming E-class convertible, which replaces the CLK.) Styling is the most obvious - cloth tops don't suffer from the bubbly proportions that usually afflict folding hard tops.... Read full article