By Nauman Farooq
Audi and Infiniti have been locked into a sales battle for over a decade, and from the looks of things, the battle is far from over.
At the 109th New York International Auto Show, both Audi and Infiniti brought along their latest drop-top offerings, which as you might have guessed are very similarly priced and will thus be appealing to the same buyers.
Audi A5/S5 Cabriolet vs. Infiniti G37 Convertible
So which one better? Let’s take a closer look at both to find out.
The Audi A5/S5 cabriolet is available with two engine options, a normally aspirated, 3.2-liter V6 which develops 265 hp, or a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 which develops 333 hp in the S5 model.
The A5 comes with a six-speed automatic gearbox, while the S5 model gets the newer seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox. Both the A5 and the S5 can also be ordered with a six-speed manual gearbox.
The Infiniti G37 convertible only comes with one engine, a normally-aspirated 3.7-liter V6, which produces 325 hp. You do get a choice with the gearbox, a six-speed manual or a new seven-speed automatic.
So far these cars look very evenly matched, however, while the G37 only sends power to the rear-wheels, the A5/S5 have the Quattro all-wheel drive system, which will certainly be useful in climates where the weather can get very slippery.
Both the Audi and the Infiniti have power-folding roof systems, however while the Audi still makes do with a canvas roof, the Infiniti features a very clever folding metal roof. This means the G37 can go from being a hard-top coupe to a convertible in about 25 seconds.
However the Audi has another trick up its sleeve. You see, in the A5/S5, you can operate the roof while the car is moving. At speeds under 50 km/h, you can open and close the roof as you go. So if it starts to rain while you’re enjoying open-air motoring, you don’t have to stop the car to get the roof erected.
As you can imagine, both the Audi and the Infiniti come equipped with the latest gadgets to keep their owners amused.
Both of these vehicles will go on sale this fall, with prices starting at about the $60,000 mark.
Which one is better? As you can see they are both very evenly matched, they both have their pro’s and con’s. Regardless of which one of these cars you choose, you’ll surely be a very satisfied owner.
