Cabriolet Vs Saloon

[Legacy87]

Hi All,
So in the past month i've bought a 1.9 FWD AWX 130 B6 Saloon, and a 2.5 Quattro 180 Saloon and love them both ALOT!.

BUT does anybody know if the cabriolet models handle the road as well as the Quattro Saloons? i know most convertibles are alot less sound and get the shakes and twists but thought being an audi it maybe another story? And how are they for wind noise etc? with the roof up on a rainy day are they every bit as good as a saloon? (heat, comfort, road/rain noise)?

 

[VagCabby]

I can't comment on the difference in handling because I have never driven the saloon but I have heard from people that the cab actually has stiffer chassis than the saloon due to all the strengthening they added to it but obviously its a heavyer car.

As for noise, you wouldn't know you were in a cabriolet, even at 70 on the motorway, its nice a quiet.

 

[jazzza]

my cabriolet is very quiet

 

[hades-]

top up just like a saloon
and they handle just as good

 

[jazzza]

i love mine cant wait for some good weather

 

[tbs]

be very patient!

 

[Springer*]

I have a B6 1.9 TDI 130 Quattro Sport and my missus has a B7 2.0 TDI 140 S-Line Cabriolet and I can definitiely say that my 130 is slightly quicker despite the heavier drivetrain. Being the saloon its roughly 100kgs lighter than the cabrio and you can tell. Mind you, having said this, I've just had the B6 totally cleaned out and de-coked in the EGR and intake and also had the EGR blanked off, so its pulling like a train lately. I'll probably get the Cabrio done soon and see if that changes anything.

The 1.9 litre engine is definitely not as smooth or refined as the newer 2.0 unit and I think the B7 chassis has much better soundproofing in the firewall too which helps.

There's also less vibration through the pedals in the B7 cabrio probably due to far superior damping.

The FWD chassis on the B7 cabriolet handles very well and seems to be more stable than the softer Sport suspension on my B6 during normal driving but the B6 with its Quattro certainly grips better when pressing on.

The Quattro will be much better on tyres as a result of the better traction and lack of slip and its deffo quite easy to light the dront tyres of the FWD cabrio up if you're too keen when setting off.

The cabrio chassis is DEFFO nowhere near as stiff as the saloon chassis. Just look in the rear view mirror when you're driving along in the cabrio and you can see the vibration. Its no bad thing though as you get used to it pretty quickly. Yeah, sure there's flex in the cabrio chassis, just like 99% of all other cabrios out there (ever driven a Golf cabrio or worse still, a French one???! ) but it still feels hugely well built and oozes class.

The B7 is definitely a better built car than the B6 though, despite the close similarities in looks.

Noise-wise, the cabrio is something else. I'm still not sure if our car has the acoustic hood fitted, but its really is quiet even at higher speeds. We drove it home to Yorkshire from the Midlands in pouring rain the other week and there really was very little noise intrusion. There's maybe a little noise from around the side glass die to the lack of a B-pillar but other than that its very cosy, very warm with the heating turned up and very smooth and quiet. I was very impressed.

Hope this information is of use mate

J

 

[DieselJake]

B7 2.0 TDI 140 S-Line Cabriolet and I can definitiely say that my 130 is slightly quicker despite the heavier drivetrain.

Your B6 130BHP Saloon is slower than her B7 2.0 140BHP Cab by 0.2 seconds to 60, her top speed is also 2mph faster.

The Quattro will be much better on tyres as a result of the better traction and lack of slip and its deffo quite easy to light the dront tyres of the FWD cabrio up if you're too keen when setting off.

The split is designed to give it more slip making it feel like a RWD. Explain your big difference in tyre change theory, B7 60/40 split and B6 50/50 split will make little or no difference to tyres.

worse still, a French one???!

French car's hate you too.

The B7 is definitely a better built car than the B6

The B6 and B7 are built on the same chassis.

 

[Cabbyfan]

Had my cab nearly 2 and a half years now, had 2.0 B6 saloon before that and 2 B5s before that and my cab is by far the best car I ever owned. I have had people in it who didn't realise it was a convertible until I told them. The only niggle is its not a good load lugger but who cares.

Bring on the sun !

 

[David280585]

my 2.5tdi cab handles awesome,it will get a ful four wheel slide when really hammering it before esp goes crazy but through the tight twists is where it benefits heavily in my opinion mine is the sport and on 235 35 19s a vvery well handling balanced car

 

[Springer*]

Well, it looks like I've upset a certain Diesel Jake lol...

Firstly, far from purely looking at manufacturers stats in magazines or online, I've actually driven both cars personally and know that my B6 130 is a quicker car. It puts out practically identical power and is nearly 200kgs lighter. It makes sense.

Maybe I got a good B6 with a fast engine too

You're also quoting incorrect manufacturers numbers...

Everyone knows that 0-60 really doesn't tell the full story on how quick a car feels in everyday driving, especially in diesels where the mid-range punch is what counts

I'm really not sure what you're on about with the 60/40 and 50/50 splits... we're comparing a quattro drivetrain with what I believe to be a 50/50 front/rear torque split to a FWD B7 cab which obviously has a 100/0 front/rear torque split.

My theory is simple - it is much harder to wheelspin a quattro than a FWD car. Fact. Accelerating hard out of junctions or in corners in a FWD car causes slip which wears the tyres. This happens much less in a Quattro car, unless you're ragging it.

I believe this is true as I've put 22,000 miles on my front tyres and they are still legal. The rears are wearing as you would expect and also have plenty of life left in them with 20,000+ miles covered.

A mate of mine had a B7 cab and found that the front tyres wore quicker than the rears and only lasted circa 12-15,000 miles with mixed driving. Okay, its not definitive, but my theory makes perfect sense.

I'm pleased French cars hate me lol. I cannot think of a single French car that is well built or reliable for that matter. Its not badge snobbery, its just the truth.

Just because the B6 and B7 are built on the same chassis doesn't mean they are identical. Different materials are used in the interior trim, subtle changes to the dash and seats etc... the B7 is improved over the B6 without doubt, as you would expect. The Seat Exeo is built on the same chassis as the B7 A4, but are they identical and built exactly the same? No they're not.

Anyway, far from offering a post that was criticising one car or another, I was assisting the original author of the thread by offering a comparison of the two cars in question from hands on experience, rather than some stats off a website.

J

 

[JasonS]

I had a Megane CC 'hard-top' convertible before my A4 Cab and it rattled and leaked something awful.

The A4 Cab is stiffer than the Megane and much more solid.

Despite being French, the Megane was built at the same Karmann factory as the A4 Cabriolet.

 

[Cabbyfan]

JasonS, I had a megane CC as well, mine didnt leak but had a friend whose did like mad. The whole car felt cheap, plastic and rattles everywhere. It suffered with scuttle shake with the roof down too plus mine had tyre pressure sensors that failed all the time and both rear windows failed. Sold it and returned to Audi with my cab...2 and a bit years on I still love it .