AutomobileMag Forums

I know being an audi lover puts bias on my opinion, but a larger cabriolet with audi luxury what's to put down.

The more open minded at Car and Driver said the following:  

In the world of convertible SUVs, only the Jeep Wrangler has managed any enduring success. Other attempts, such as the Isuzu Amigo or Suzuki Samurai, have fallen well short of the staying power possessed by Jeep’s off-road status symbol.

With its Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept, Audi ventures into this unfriendly arena with a luxury entry. The two-door, four-seat convertible SUV has a power cloth top that lowers in 17 seconds, hiding beneath a hard tonneau at the back of the vehicle. Certainly beats the time it takes to remove a Wrangler top, and something tells us the Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept would be quieter with the top up, too.

Top-down comfort is aided by “air scarfs” in all four seats that blow warm air around passengers’ necks and by an intercom that uses microphones to pick up passenger voices and play them back slightly amplified through the Bang & Olufsen sound system. On particularly cold days, the four heated and cooled cup holders—like those available in the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger—will keep a nice hot chocolate or tea handy.

Whereas the Cross coupe show car was powered by a 2.0-liter diesel inline-four, the cabrio version gets a 3.0-liter diesel V-6 and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Sure, 236 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque are nice, but producing them while getting 32 mpg combined and passing European emissions regulations as far out as 2014 is even better.

Nuff Said!