International Press Launch, Monaco

Is Monaco in Monte Carlo or is Monte Carlo in Monaco, or is it in France? Monte Carlo is a principality governed under a form of constitutional monarchy with Prince Albert the second as Head of State. Monaco is bordered on three sides by France, and the other by the Mediterranean Sea. It is the second smallest and the most densely populated country in the world, with only Vatican City being smaller. Monaco has a land border of 4.4km (2.7 miles) and a coastline of 4.1km (2.5 miles) and a width that varies between 1,700, and 349m. The total area is 2.02 square km or 0.78 square miles. The population is around 36,000 but during our two day stay we saw hardly any people there as most want the Monaco address, but few want to live in this place crowded with very expensive apartments. There are more police per capita than anywhere else in the world with 515 currently employed.

The weather in mid-November was glorious, clear blue sky, 23°C and the perfect day for driving Audi’s all-new A3 Cabriolet; let’s hope the weather is as good in April in the UK when we see the first ones in Audi dealer’s showrooms.

The new A3 Cabriolet is longer by 183mm, wider by 28mm and lower (with the roof up) than the current car. It is based on the longer A3 Saloon, which gives more interior space and an increase in luggage capacity. When you get in the rear, the extra legroom is noticeable.

There will be three trim levels available at launch; SE, Sport and S line, with the mid and high specification cars getting an upgrade to the acoustic hood, which is available in three colours and sits 15mm lower than the standard car.

The roof goes up or down electronically in 18 seconds at speeds of up to 31mph. We tried the car with the roof up (very briefly as it was too nice to keep it up) and found it to be extremely quiet, with hardly any wind, engine or road noise; it was more like you would expect from a metal roof rather than a softtop. The quality of the roof was exceptional and the mechanism a work of art, although the two metal struts that lifted the boot panel did look a little flimsy, but obviously were strong enough to lift and hold the raised panel.

At launch the A3 Cabriolet will be available with three engines; 1.4 TFSI 140ps with Cylinder on Demand (CoD) technology, 1.8 TFSI 180ps with 7-speed S Tronic gearbox, and a 2.0 TDI 150ps. Other engines such as the 1.6-litre TDI will become available shortly after launch and Quattro four wheel drive will become available on some models.

Out on the roads, up in the hills above Monaco the car behaved so well and was a real pleasure to drive. It did absolutely everything right and was a real shame when we had to hand them back at Nice airport. I don’t think they would have missed one and a drive back to Yorkshire would have been very enjoyable, though no doubt the majority of the journey would have been with the roof up.

The handling was superb and despite it having no roof, there was no body flex or a squeak or a rattle from anywhere. The car was almost perfect, just one thing we thought that looked a bit cheap and poor quality was the four round air vents on the dash, which did not have the same look and feel as the rest of the car.

Prices for this super new four-seat cabriolet start from £25,790 and go up to £32,420 OTR.

S3 Saloon

The press were out in force on the French Riviera, with representatives from North America, Australia, Brazil and us from the UK. Therefore some interesting conversations took place during the evening meal. But once the Americans spotted the S3 Saloons parked outside the airport, they were all over them like a swarm of flies and us Brits didn’t get much of a chance of getting the keys to one, but being left with the Cabriolets was no real hardship.

It would appear from their enthusiasm for the hot four door saloon that it may just be a very desirable motor in San Francisco or Beverley Hills, they seemed to love it. But will a compact, four wheel drive 300ps Sedan be as wanted in the UK as it will probably be over the pond?

At the end of the first day we did manage to get into an S3 for a quick drive and it was pretty good. The noise it made was superb, especially going through the tunnels in Monaco, windows down and listened to the throbbing exhaust note. It was brilliant; making the Ferraris and Astons sound like an Opel Astra (may be a slight exaggeration!).

The S3 is powered by a 2.0-litre TFSI petrol engine, it goes from 0-62mph very quickly in just 4.9 seconds, with a governed top speed of 155mph, where permitted and Co2 emissions of 159g/km. The combined fuel consumption figure is 40.4mpg for the manual and 40.9mpg for the S Tronic automatic. 

Prices for the S3 Saloon start from £33,240 OTR.
Audi have created a new niche for this hot small saloon, and while like most small saloons it will probably only sell in small numbers in the UK, it still looks good, drives so well, and sounds brilliant. I guess it will sell in larger numbers in North America based on the reaction it got from the Americans on the launch – perhaps there are more tunnels to go through in the states so they can appreciate it more.

We did find out that Monte Carlo is the administrative area of Monaco and is where the Monte Carlo Casino is situated. The Monte Carlo quarter is 0.234 square miles and is home to 15,200 people, so now we know, very handy for a pub quiz!

Martin Ward, Manufacturer Relationship Manager