Audi’s long-awaited S4 Cabriolet has arrived in Australia.

This new sports variant, first unveiled in Australia at the 2005 Melbourne International Motor Show, is priced at $143,800, and combines V8 power with extraordinary good-looks.

Like its S4 saloon and Avant siblings, the S4 Cabriolet boasts impressive performance figures thanks to its 4.2-litre, 253 kilowatt engine, plus the outstanding feature of an electro-hydraulic drop-top which opens up in under 30 seconds to really let the outdoors in.

Expected to appeal to drivers who love the freedom and feel-good experience of top-down motoring, the S4 Cabriolet driver also benefits from the practicality of four seats, a very high level of quality and standard equipment and an extremely sporty engine response.

Gripping performance is guaranteed thanks to Audi’s quattro all-wheel drive technology, a key feature of all Audi S models.

Audi Australia’s Managing Director, Mr Joerg Hofmann, says that although the S4 Cabriolet is a niche model for Australia, it is nonetheless an important addition to the range.

“The Audi Cabriolet is admired both for its style and the strong performance from both the 1.8-litre Turbo and 3.0-litre V6 engines. The Audi S4 Cabriolet takes this concept one step further, adding supreme ‘S’ model performance to the beautifully-designed vehicle body, plus feel-good factors such as its throaty engine note, quattro all-wheel drive and sports-derived steering wheel paddles for faster gear changes and responsiveness,” Mr Hofmann said.

The new Audi S4 Cabriolet expresses its supremacy by adopting a deliberately restrained appearance – a wolf in sheep’s clothing. A closer look, however, reveals that this stylish, sporty body is indeed subtly different in its basic form and proportions to its sibling - the Audi A4 Cabriolet.

The front bumper features large air inlets, the xenon headlights have a titanium-coloured surround behind the glass and the outside mirror housings have been given an aluminium finish. A glance at the rear reveals the powerful exhaust tailpipes on both sides that are so typical of the Audi S models.

The Audi S4 Cabriolet runs on 18-inch cast aluminium wheels of S design with 235/40 R 18 tyres.

Inside too, this Cabriolet is immediately identifiable as an S4. The instrument cluster has the grey dials that are characteristic of S models and special needles. There is a choice of carbon fibre, piano finish, brushed aluminium and birch wood for the inlays. The car’s sporty character is emphasised by the three-spoke leather-covered sports steering wheel with S emblem. There are shift paddles behind the steering wheel on cars with the 6-speed tiptronic transmission.

The Alcantara and leather sports seats, with lumbar support and adjustable thigh support, can be electrically adjusted in several directions, providing firm lateral support and excellent comfort on long journeys.

The Audi S4 Cabriolet’s eight-cylinder engine develops 253 kW (344 bhp) at 7,000 rpm, and delivers a massive 410 Newton-metres of torque to the crankshaft at 3,500 rpm. Such impressive figures are a sure sign of the superiority of this large-capacity, naturally-aspirated engine.

Possibly even more impressive than its peak power output is the immediacy with which it responds to every movement of the accelerator pedal, and its remarkable willingness to run freely up to high revs. The exhaust system produces a deep, sporty note, always present but never obtrusive.

The Audi S4 Cabriolet sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in only 5.9 seconds, and reaches a top speed of 250 km/h, at which point the governor cuts in smoothly.

Power is delivered to the road via a 6-speed tiptronic transmission with dynamic shift programme, plus an additional Sport programme. Shift paddles on the steering wheel combine sports-style driving with the convenience of an automatic transmission, and are therefore ideal for smooth, relaxed travel in an open-topped car.

The lightweight aluminium chassis consists of four-link front and trapezoidal-link rear suspension, and is designed to ensure maximum steering precision and clearly defined road behaviour with excellent lateral stability. Ride comfort also benefits from this ingenious suspension design, since low unsprung weight makes the suspension more responsive to road-surface irregularities.

The S4 Cabriolet has firm sports suspension settings – an important precondition for agility and thus for pure driving enjoyment.

The servotronic steering is a standard feature, varying the degree of power assistance according to road speed so that the correct combination of steering precision and light action is always obtained.

The new Audi S4 Cabriolet has quattro permanent four-wheel drive as a standard feature.

It can therefore translate engine power into optimal progress in any conditions and exploit the dynamic potential of its aluminium chassis with a new degree of supremacy, or in other words, driving pleasure in the purest sense.