44
Drum: WHEELS
On The Road
Audi A4 Convertible 2.5 V6 TDI
140 mph, 0-60 in 9.9 seconds
163 bhp at 4000 rpm, 310 Nm
at 1400-3600 rpm
Fuel Economy: 39.2 mpg combined
Max Speed:
Torque:
Converted to Diesel
have a confession to make
writes Drum motoring correspondent, Karl Williams. I
love diesels. You might not be
aware of it, but the days of noisy,
smelly diesels are long gone.
Testament to this is the fact that
Mercedes has just shoehorned
diesel engines into the bellies of its
SLK and SL sports cars, making
them the most powerful in their
range.
I
Similarly, the new 21st century Audi
2.5 V6 turbo diesel has brought us
a purring, sweetly refined engine
that is vastly superior to what you
may be used to. Let’s cut to the
chase, ‘Vorsprung Durch Technik’
is all about stylish, solidly built,
well-engineered cars and this one
won’t disappoint.
Yet again don’t think, “Diesel, uhoh, slow!” Oh no, it’s got plenty of
poke on the go, what with 310 Nm
of torque, which is more than any
petrol variant in the range except
the 4.2 V8, betwe en 1400-3600 rpm.
That’s a lot of low-end torque, offering a great spread of power across
a very wide rev range, just right for
take-off with a variable turbo
engine.
But it’s the multitronic gearbox and
the sound of the glorious V6 diesel
under acceleration that adds cream
to my coffee. It’s quite docile and
smooth around town but when you
fancy a shake down, just park the
Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) auto box in the manual shift
and let that engine sing as it gathers
momentum.
The suspension has been lowered
on the cabriolet for more stability,
and combined with the Electronic
Stability Programme (ESP) it makes
for good steady progress with little
or no wind noise and shuttle shake
to mention. This sport model came
fully loaded with satellite navigation,
electric and heated front seats, xenon lights, and auto box.
The combination of a diesel engine
and an automatic gearbox makes
so much sense. In many ways
‘frugal’ springs to mind, especially
if you run your own business.
In a car of this size and performance, 0 to 62 in 9 seconds, and
with a top speed of 140 mph, you
may want to sell those shares in
that Iraqi oil well