Convertibles are wonderful, aren’t they? You can take in the limitless expanse of sky above you, hear the wildlife singing a few feet away. All while the wind tousles your hair and the sun warms your skin. If you were to do that in the 2013 Audi RS 5 4.2 Cabriolet, you’d be overlooking something just as wondrous: its performance abilities on the track. Car and Driver didn’t.
The magazine soaks up the drop-top’s 0.96 gs of lateral grip; “finely honed RS5-specific suspension tune”; linear and responsive electronic power steering; and effective, fade-free brakes. What’s just as impressive as the 4.2-liter V8’s 450 naturally aspirated horsepower is its 8,250-rpm peak.
Audi’s software is just as lauded as its hard stuff. Drive Select “…allows drivers to select from Auto, Comfort, Dynamic, or Individual modes. In the latter, drivers can mix and match desired shift characteristics, throttle response, steering, and differential settings to their liking.” Electronically managed torque-vectoring quattro encourages indulgence of the driver’s right foot.
Both sets of components come together to enable the 4,453-pound RS 5 to blast from stationary to 60 miles per hour in 4.3 seconds; 1,320 feet passes in 12.7. Top speed is capped at 174 mph.
When it’s time to leave the motorsports park, the RS 5 still knows how to be a convertible. It allows audible conversation at speed and the top goes bye-bye in 17 seconds with the flip of a switch.
But the $44,245 A5 cabrio can drop its top, too. The well-equipped RS treatment, in this case, costs $89,320.
According to Andrew Wendler, “That leaves a small and select group of buyers who probably decided the RS5 cabriolet was the car for them long before writing the check. They won’t be disappointed.”
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
