[MrCabbage]

Anyone see latest test in here?

E93 325i M Sport manual (which just happens to be the same as mine!) up against what is surely now its biggest rival (the A5 soft-top) and some ugly japanese thingy.

The Audi is 3 years newer, cheaper, roomier (cabin and boot), cheaper to run and faster. And yet, the BMW wins "by some distance".

Will Audi ever understand making decent convertibles?

p.s. I'm not anti-Audi - I have an A4 as my company car. But glad to see my decision to spend my own cash on an E93 was the right decision.

[dar2008]

In my view, a 4 seat convertible built today has to offer a foldable hard-top, that's Audi's problem. You can even get a Ford Focus or Vauxhall Astra hard-top convertible, and yet Audi?

For me, I didn't even go to look at the Audi due to this oversight on there part.

ps: Do you remember the Fifth Gear comparison 'test' between the Audi and the E93? They chose the Audi, because the roof closes about 6 seconds quicker than the BMW... they didn't even show a picture of the BMW or point out that it has a hard-top

[Em135eye]

While BMW convertibles are heavy, Audis are REALLY heavy.

Have hired a few folding hard tops - they are pretty good these days but still rob too much boot space.

[330cdsport]

Fifth Gear: One of the most pointless annoying car programs on TV.

I dont even like Tiff Nedell any more now due to the pretentious bullshit school yard contests he and Jason Plato enter into.

Don't even get me started on those other two bearded pish-splashes!!

[Steve748]

I saw that 5th gear test and I think it was the most pointless test I have ever seen, regardless of which one 'won' in their opinion.
A complete waste of space by a weapons grade dickhead

[MrCabbage]

Originally Posted by 335diesel

While BMW convertibles are heavy, Audis are REALLY heavy.

Have hired a few folding hard tops - they are pretty good these days but still rob too much boot space.

Its a rag-top. Surely, it can't be heavier than the E93?

I think what this is really about is the difference in engineering. BMW (generally) won't stoop to making a duff car. VAG will happily plunder a platform (Golf, A4, etc) for every cheap-to-market variant they can make.

The E93 is almost as good as the E92 for handling and poise. That takes a lot of thought - can't imagine that Audi put the same amount of thought into theirs.

Also, looking at the pictures in the mag, the Audi suffers from the classic 'hump' problem that most convertibles have; a big rear-end. Somehow, BMW's engineers managed to create a low profile that stays low along the whole shoulder. I'm not a car-designer but I suspect that was pretty tricky to achieve with a folding metal roof.