One of the most distinctive concepts at the Los Angeles Motor Show is the Audi Cross Cabriolet quattro; a vehicle that not only combines the ‘rugged’ appeal of an SUV with the sleek style of a cabriolet, but more importantly, offers the keen eye a sneak preview of the upcoming Q5 off-roader.
Quite unlike anything else Audi already has in production, the Cross Cabriolet is undoubtedly styled after the well-known soft tops from the Ingolstadt stable, but also includes some SUV-inspired design details. Audi hasn’t gone easy on the black plastic underbody, which creates the impression of good ground clearance, though the pictures provided do indicate that actual ground clearance would render this is definitely a “soft-roader”.
The copper-sunset paintwork and 21-inch wheels make for an imposing exterior, but at 4 620 mm long and 1 910 mm wide, the Cross Coupe quattro is certainly no GL-Class, although it isn’t very far off the mark. Sporty connotations from the coupe styling are similar to those of other Coupe-SUV crossovers such as the X6 Concept, but with the Cross Coupe quattro’s ground limited clearance allies this concept more closely to a road car than an SUV..
The Cross Coupe Quattro is powered by an evolved version of the company’s 3,0-litre turbodiesel unit that produces 176 kW and a colossal 500 N.m of torque. Coupled with an eight-speed automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive, the new crossover from Audi accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 7,2 seconds and has a top speed of 240 km/h. Ceramic brakes on all four wheels certainly do a most effective job of retarding forward motion with the six-piston monobloc aluminium calipers fitted on the Cross Cabriolet quattro concept.
The interior has all the bells, chimes and whistles associated with concept vehicles, such as nifty features and trim finishes that could scarcely have made it to the showroom floor, let alone production. One such gadget, is the “airscarf” function (similar to the unit in the Mercedes SLK), that incorporates air vents on the head rests to compensate for air turbulence around the occupants neck.
The infotainment system includes niceties like a Bang & Olufsen sound system, similar to the unit that provides acoustic quality in the A8 saloon, and a mixture of the internet-based three-dimensional Google Earth and Audi’s own navigation software, creating a plethora of information systems regarding traffic, weather monitoring and working out customised routes.
