AUDI A3 wins Best Drop Top at Scottish Car Of The Year Awards.

Drop-top honours go to the Audi A3 in annual awards presided over by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers

• Audi A3 wins drop-top category in 2014 SCOTY awards
• A3 range now comprises three-door, Sportback, Saloon and Cabriolet variants, all of which are also available in 300PS S3 form
• A3 Cabriolet prices from £26,085 OTR to £35,265 OTR, S3 Cabriolet from £39,205 OTR

Attributes that proved impressive enough to earn the Audi A3 hatchback the title of World Car of the Year 2014 have also helped the latest Cabriolet variant to shine in the annual Scottish Car of the Year Awards, in which it has been pronounced Drop-top of the Year.

Presented last night at a high profile ceremony in St Andrews, the coveted Drop-top of the Year award is allocated based on the collective nominations of the ASMW, whose members test dozens of new cars each year and report their findings in the country’s key national and regional titles.

Commenting on the class victory Alisdair Suttie, President of the Association, said: “The Audi A3 Cabriolet’s main purpose in life might be to let the sunshine in, but it won over our judges with fabulous looks and a fun drive. The A3 Cabriolet also displays plenty of other winning traits, such as its rock solid quality and a superb range of efficient engines. Add in a roof that keeps even the Scottish weather at bay and you have a cabrio for all seasons.”

Ben Fish, Product Marketing Manager for Audi UK, added: “The fact that experts from the country that can arguably lay claim to the most testing weather conditions in the UK feel 1/!3 that an Audi should be the cabriolet of choice north of the border really speaks volumes. The open-air A3 is of course in its element in the sunshine, but with strong, frugal engines, the option of quattro all-wheel-drive and refinement and rigidity that run a saloon close, it can also cope admirably with whatever Scottish roads throw at it.”

An Audi A3 for all seasons and all reasons

In the extensive A3 range customers now have a choice of three or five-door hatchback, four-door saloon or cabriolet, all of which can also be enjoyed in 300PS S3 form. Drivers who favour frugality can choose a 1.4 litre TFSI petrol engine with Cylinder on Demand technology which is capable of up to 60.1mpg, or opt for one of three TDIs, the entry level 1.6 TDI combining the potential for up to 74.3mpg with CO₂ emissions of just 99g/km. The more powerful petrol and TDI engines in each range are also available with the added reassurance of quattro all-wheel-drive.

The A3 Cabriolet is available in SE, Sport and S line specification priced from £26,085 OTR to £35,265 OTR, and at the head of the range the S3 Cabriolet slots in at £39,205. All versions feature alloy wheels, a fully automatic fabric hood, air conditioning or climate control, light and rain sensors, navigation preparation and an MMI radio complemented by the Audi Music Interface, a DAB radio receiver and an electrically powered retractable 5.8-inch colour monitor.