Audi’s 300-horsepower S3 Cabriolet is all class

The standard four-door Audi S3 is a very exciting car indeed. It offers 300 horsepower, permanent all wheel drive, a compact yet extremely handsome body, and an interior that ought to make Bentley jealous.

Now, though, there’s a new version: The S3 Cabriolet.

Unbelievably, Audi has gone and outdone its S3 sedan – and it isn’t even on sale yet. The German brand has shaved two doors off the uproarious little sports sedan and cut the roof straight off, making the Cabriolet version.

Delightfully for us, removing the roof from the S3 doesn’t ruin the driving dynamics. As Audi proved with the RS5 Cabriolet, letting the sun and wind in doesn’t make the car worse for wear. It simply makes summer drives more fun. And while it has two fewer doors, it’ll still hold four passengers.

Under the hood, buyers will find the same 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder that makes 300 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. All that power is sent to a six-speed automatic, which routes power to all four-wheels through Audi’s quattro system. Although the engine is extremely powerful for its size, it doesn’t guzzle gas. Audi brags that the S3 Cabriolet can still achieve 33.13 U.S. mpg.

So it looks like the Audi S3 Cabriolet is perfect for the buyer who wants Teutonic styling, dynamic driving, upmarket interior fittings, and fuel efficiency. There’s only one problem, though: it’s not yet scheduled for Stateside sale.