What_Car_UK_-_August_2020

90 August 2020 whatcar.com

Frontseatspaceis generousin theA5,butrearseatsarea squeezeforadults.Bootis morepracticalthanthatof the4 Seriesandcanswallowmoreluggagewhentheroofis up

widesidewindows.It’sadifferentstorywhen

tryingtolookbehindyouwiththeroofup,

though;the 4 Serieshasaslightlylargerrear

window,butit’sstillabitlikelookingoutofa

letterbox.Happily,bothmanufacturersfitted

frontandrearparkingsensorsasstandard.

TheA5notonlyhasamoremodern-looking

interiorbutalsofeelsmuchbetterbuilt;nearly

allofthematerials,switchesandtrimsare

wonderfullyclassyandwellscrewedtogether.

The 4 Seriesdoesn’tlookcheapinside,butit

doesn’thavesuchaplushfeel.

Withitsrotarycontrollerandhandyshortcut

buttonsbetweenthefrontseats,theA5’s

infotainmentsystemiswonderfullysimpleto

use.ItcomeswithAppleCarPlayandAndroid

Autosmartphonemirroring,andit’sworth

lookingforacarwiththeoptionalTechnology

Pack(£1100fromnew),whichstretchesthe

A5’sscreenfrom7.0into8.3inandaddsAudi’s

VirtualCockpitdigitalinstrumentpanel.

The 4 Serieshasanevenbetterinfotainment

system;its8.8inscreenisbrightandsharpand

therotarycontroller(similartotheoneinthe

A5)iswonderfullyintuitivetouse.Yousimply

twistthedialtoscrollthroughtheon-screen

menusandpressdowntomakeaselection.

Disappointingly,though,BMWchargedextra

fromnewforAppleCarPlay,andAndroidAuto

wasn’tofferedatall.

SPACEANDPRACTICALITY

Frontspace,rearspace,seatingexibility,boot

Bothcarsarestrictfour-seaters,andinbothit’s

thedriverandfrontpassengerwhoaretreated

tothelion’sshareofthespace.AlthoughtheA5

hasslightlymorefrontheadroom,the 4 Series

isn’tfarbehind,andtalladultswillstillhave

roomtostretchout,evenwiththeroofup.

Anothertwoadultswillfitintherearseats,

butthey’llfeelhemmedin–moresointheA5

thanthe 4 Series.Thisispartlytodowiththe

4 Series’slightlymoregenerousheadroom,

butmainlybecauseitsrearseatsarewider.

It’stheA5thatstandsoutforluggagespace,

though,withlessofitsboottakenupbythe

roofmechanismwhenyou’regoingalfresco.

Asaresult,itsluggageareaiswider,longer

andsquarerinshape.Withtheirroofsup,we

managedtofitsixcarry-onsuitcasesinthe

A5,versusjustfourinthe 4 Series.

USEDCARS

youcanhearthisevenwiththefoldingmetal

rooferected.TheA5’sfabricroofletsinmore

windnoise,butthere’sslightlylessroadnoise.

The 4 Series’roofworksatspeedsofupto

8mphandtakes 29 secondstogoaboutits

business,whereastheA5’stoptakes 19 seconds

andcanoperateatupto31mph.Roofsdown,

theBMWdoesaslightlybetterjobofkeeping

fourpeoplebluster-freeuptoaround60mph,

althoughrearpassengersareinevitablyblown

aboutmorethanthoseinthefront.

BEHINDTHEWHEEL

Drivingposition,visibility,infotainment,quality

Bothcarshaveelectricseatswithagoodrange

ofmovement,sofindingyouridealdriving

positionissimpleenough.Anyonewithabad

backwillappreciatetheA5’sstandardelectric

adjustablelumbarsupport,butbothdriver’s

seatsholdyouinpositionsecurelyincorners.

Yougetagoodviewoutatjunctionsinboth,

thankstoslenderwindscreenpillarsanddeep,

2017 AudiA5

Cabriolet2.0TFSI

252 quattroS line,

24,000miles,£21,500

2017 BMW4 Series

Convertible430iM

Sportauto,31,000

miles,£19,995

ONES WE FOUND

on the used car forecourts if you avoid the S

line and M Sport trims. The 4 Series is harsher

over sharp bumps that the A5 manages to take

the edge off, but the A5 is generally fi rmer, so

you feel small imperfections more noticeably

as they pass beneath the car. Both cars have

relatively stiff structures, but you’ll feel a bit

more wobble through the A5’s on scruffy roads.

The 4 Series’ standard run-fl at tyres generate

quitealotofroadnoiseat higher speeds, and

‘The A5’s roof takes

19 seconds to raise or

lower and can operate

at up to 31mph’

Heavy folding metal

roof hurts 4 Series’

handling, but steering

feels more natural

Quattro four-wheel

drive helps the A5 put

its power down on the

way out of a corner

AUDI A5 CABRIOLET

BMW 4 SERIES CONVERTIBLE

BEST

HANDLING

AUDI A5 CABRIOLET

BEST

BOOT

SPACE

870mm

680mm

1200mm

950mm

1100mm

690-990mm 1410mm

1080-1830mm 250-360mm