Star-Telegram.com's view

If you’ve got a rag-top car, summer is generally the best time to go topless.

Unless you’re in Texas or Arizona, where the temperature reaches triple digits rather routinely.

So it was that I had a hard time enjoying the top-down benefits of last week’s test drive, the 1998 Audi Cabriolet.

Don’t blame the car. It really is designed for fun. And, even though the back seat is a rather tight fit for full-size folks, at least the Audi has a back seat — unlike competitors such as the Mercedes-Benz SLK roadster. Tight as it is, you really can cram a couple of people in back in the Audi and enjoy a moonlight cruise.

In the daytime in this heat, however, you’ll want to keep the top up and crank up the Audi’s quite capable air-conditioner. The nice thing about owning a ragtop in the Sun Belt, however, is that you generally can ride with the top down in the spring, fall and much of the winter without freezing to death.

The Cabriolet’s price starts at $34,500; it comes with a choice of standard manual top or a really cool automatic roof that lowers with the touch of a button. Our test car came with the automatic one.

To lower it, you merely engage the parking brake, turn on the ignition and unlatch the roof with the twist of a single handle, then press the button. All four side windows automatically lower, a rear hatch pops open, and the soft top folds back into the trunk. The hatch closes and locks in place, stowing the top neatly out of view. If you continue to hold down the button, all four windows go up.

Our Audi came with a rear windscreen (a $400 option), raised by another button, that cuts down on the wind in the cabin. Hair is still going to fly, though, so why not wear a hat or scarf like most veteran ragtop owners?

Driving the Cabriolet is lots of fun, with or without the top down.

It’s not the speediest car around; the 2.8-liter V-6 engine cranks out just 172 horsepower and 184 foot-pounds of torque. That’s not enough to win many races, but it will let you keep up with most of the competition in this class (such as the BMW 323i convertible), and the book says you can go from zero to 60 mph in 10.3 seconds. Although the speedometer goes all the way to 160 mph, the Cabriolet is electronically limited to 130 mph for U.S. consumers.

Handling is remarkably nimble for a front-drive near-luxury car, thanks partly to the somewhat stiff suspension. Passengers will not enjoy the ride as much as the driver will enjoy the crisper handling that results from the firm suspension, but, hey, this is supposed to be a sporty car, not a cushy Caddy.

Straight-drive purists won’t like the fact the Cabriolet comes only with an automatic transmission, but the rest of us will appreciate how smoothly the four-speed automatic shifts. It has logic circuitry that alters the shift points to the driver’s style, which is a nice compromise if you can’t have a stick shift.

Luxury abounds in th e Cabriolet, especially when you choose the $3,700 premium-equipment package. The extra money pays for all-leather seats, finely polished walnut trim on the doors and dash, the power roof and remote keyless entry.

Our test car came with a few other options: the all-weather package ($470), which added heated front seats, windshield-washer nozzles and door locks; “cool shades” Pelican blue metallic paint with platinum interior ($460); 16-inch “competition-style” wheels with 205-55/16 tires ($400); and that previously mentioned interior windscreen.

With the $5,430 worth of factory options and the $500 transportation charge, total sticker was $40,530.

Standard on all Cabriolets are leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather-trimmed cloth seats, air-conditioning, front and rear fog lights, cruise control, alarm system, dual power mirrors with defogger, fan-assisted rear-window defroster, power windows and door locks, Delco AM/FM/cassette stereo (wired for optional six-dis D changer), galvanized body panel, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock system, rack-and-pinion power steering and headlight washers.

The front bucket seats are a lot more comfortable than the rear bench. Sportier front buckets are optional ($1,190), but we didn’t have those on our vehicle.

Trunk space is just under 7 cubic feet with the top up, and much less with the top down (it goes into the trunk, remember?). That makes the Cabriolet rather inconvenient for long trips, especially if you’ve got to put kids or the dog in the back seat. Otherwise, your luggage would go there (not a really secure place for it in a convertible, either).

Fuel economy is a respectable 19 miles per gallon in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. The fuel tank holds 17.4 gallons.

At A Glance: 1998 Audi Cabriolet

THE PACKAGE: Compact, two-door, four-passenger, V-6 powered, front-drive near-luxury convertible from Germany.

HIGHLIGHTS: Nice styling; optional automatic roof is easy to operate, and stores neatly into trunk; sporty handling; luxurious interior (with optional leather and walnut trim).

NEGATIVES: Somewhat overpriced; engine power adequate but not impressive.

MAJOR COMPETITORS: BMW 323, Saab 9-3, Volvo C70 convertibles.

EPA FUEL ECONOMY: 19 miles per gallon city, 24 highway.

BASE PRICE: $34,500 plus $500 transportation.

PRICE AS TESTED: $40,530, including transportation.

ON THE ROAD RATING: B-minus.