2015 Audi A3 1.8t Premium Cabriolet Fwd S Tronic on 2040-cars

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The 2018 Audi A5 and S5 Cabriolets are here just in time for winter

There are no big surprises with the 2018 A5 and S5 Cabriolet. As you'd expect, the convertibles share a design with their coupe counterparts, the A5 and S5 coupes, refreshed versions of which were unveiled earlier this year. Alongside the coupes and upcoming sportback models, the Cabriolets complete the A5 lineup. At least until another RS 5 comes along. In Europe, the A5 will have five available engine options, including three TDI engines maxing out at a 286-horsepower 3.0-liter, and two TFSI gas engines, with the most powerful putting out 252 hp. There will also be a choice of three transmissions including a six-speed manual, a seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch gearbox, and as an eight-speed automatic. For the US, though, the powertrains should be the same as the new coupe's, with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder generating 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque in the A5, replacing the 220-hp turbo four in the previous model. An eight-speed automatic is a definite, although the existence of a manual A4 sedan for our market leaves some hope that a six-speed could be available in the A5 Cabriolet or at least the coupe. Audi also hasn't made final decisions on whether a front-drive model will be available here as it has been in the past. View 13 Photos The S5 Cabriolet, just like the two-door model, uses a new 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 engine that produces 354 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque, which is 21 more horsepower and 44 more pound-feet of torque than the old 3.0-liter supercharged V6 made. Despite the bump in power, the new S5 Cab hits 62 miles per hour in 5.1 seconds, just like the previous model. It is again electronically limited to 155 mph. And like the coupe, it will use an eight-speed automatic and get Quattro all-wheel drive standard. The A5 Cabriolet loses roughly 88 pounds compared to the previous model. The cars use an updated five-link front suspension and Audi claims the chassis is 40 percent stiffer than before. The soft tops have more insulation to cancel out road noise, take 15 seconds to open, and 18 seconds to close. You can do either at speeds up to 31 mph. The A5 Cabriolet will be available with Audi's latest array of driver assistance systems, including its navigation-linked adaptive cruise control and collision avoidance assist. A seven-inch display, seat belt microphones, Audi's Virtual Cockpit infotainment and gauge package, and a head-up display are available on the inside.

Pre-Race notes from the 2015 Nurburgring 24-Hours

Autoblog has come to the German countryside to watch the Nurburgring 24-Hour race, and just one day in, we have to say it's outstanding. Le Mans has been the highlight of our summer racing schedule for the past few years, the 'Ring 24-Hour event being the appetizer we always skipped. Earlier this year, however, while visiting Miami to check out the Cigarette Racing 50 Marauder GT S, we met Scott Preacher. He oversees digital marketing for both Cigarette and AMG during the week, then comes to Germany to compete in the VLN race series on the weekends, driving an Aston Martin Vantage GT4 for Team Mathol. If Le Mans is the Oscars of endurance racing, the Nurburgring 24-Hour race is the Screen Actors Guild award – the one voted on by the actors, for the actors. In this case it's the race by the teams and fans, for the teams and fans, even though the increasing manufacturer presence has altered the team equation. We were told that it wasn't so long ago that true privateers could win the overall, but that's not really the case anymore. Front-running teams have heavy factory involvement – Audi Sport Team Phoenix, for instance, which finished in first and third last year, has its own 'Ring race center and is running the 2016 R8; Aston Martin is represented by Aston Martin Racing and Aston Martin Test Center, and Bentley has a Bentley Motors team and uses HPT to run another team. The fan component hasn't changed, though, and you can't talk about the race for more than 60 seconds before someone brings up the battalions of spectators. Every driver we spoke to cited them as the most incredible part of this race after the track itself. It feels to us like a giant German Sebring, with thousands of people camped out in the ginormous, forested infield, many of whom have been here since Monday erecting their ornate camping compounds. There will be parties everywhere Saturday night, and so much bratwurst on the grill that the drivers can smell it when as they're blasting full speed through Wehrseifen. Even when we drove a Mercedes S63 AMG Coupe on a lap before the race, the fans waved like it was a competition. Scott Preacher's Australian co-driver Robert Thompson said, "You come around a corner and it's like you're driving full speed through the middle of a carnival." The race field itself could also be called a carnival, with an officially invited field of more than 170 cars. Even on a track that's 24.4-km long, that's like racing on the 405 at midday.

2015 Audi A3 configurator is up and running

Potential customers for the new Audi A3 should set aside some time during their lunch breaks to head over and build their ideal example of the new sedan. The official configurator, complete with pricing and options, has gone live on the Audi website.
Customers can choose from three trim levels (Premium, Premium Plus and Prestige), while each trim can be had with either the Volkswagen Group's familiar 2.0-liter, turbocharged, 220-horsepower four-cylinder or a 1.8-liter, turbocharged, 170-horsepower four-cylinder. Buyers of the 2.0-liter will enjoy Quattro all-wheel drive while power for the 1.8T is channeled through the front wheels only. A six-speed, S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission is standard across the range.
You can check out full pricing on the A3 right here, but as a means of recap, the base Premium trim with the 1.8-liter engine starts at $29,900. A Premium Plus 1.8T starts $32,800 and the Prestige 1.8T will cost $38,700. Adding a 2.0-liter turbo and Quattro increases the price by $3,000, regardless of trim. Those prices don't include an $895 destination charge.