2010 Audi A5 Cabriolet Tiptronic

Pay attention, all you other automakers. This is how you do a four-cylinder engine. My first stint behind the wheel was a brief highway drive in mild traffic. At the time, I would have sworn that I was driving a V-6 engine. The A5's supreme smoothness and low highway revs give this car highway-cruising comfort that I've never experienced in a four-cylinder vehicle. At 70 mph, the engine is turning at a relaxed 2600 rpm -- a far cry from the 3000 to 3500 rpm that so often corrupt four-cylinder cars. In my opinion, there's absolutely no negative to Audi dropping the V-6 here. Want a faster car? Get the S5. From a driving standpoint, this A5 2.0T Prestige is more of a touring cabrio than a sporty convertible. The impressive engine refinement is nicely complemented by the fabulous soft top that others have mentioned. Audi says it's sticking with ragtops because they're more affordable and offer better trunk space while offering the same quietness and weather protection of a hard top. The A5 cabriolet is proof that Audi's confidence is built on truth. The A5's largest shortcoming here is steering. Even as a tourer the steering is inadequate. Heck, it hardly measures up to minivan standards in my book. Eric Tingwall, Associate Editor