Demi-Leigh and Audi have a fun day out

MOTORING NEWS - What car do you start shining up when Miss Universe comes home and looks to you for her transport?

In the case of our local best girl Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters, the reddest and prettiest Audi A5 Cabriolet on the showroom floor.

And also perhaps the elegant black one for the official parade.

That was the response of Audi George when they needed to assist Audi South Africa, who is Demi-Leigh's sponsor. Knysna Tourism provided the drivers.

From her arrival at George Airport, Demi-Leigh was surrounded by serious supporters on her first visit to South Africa after being crowned last year.

And from one beauty to another, the classic soft top was a perfect foil for Demi-Leigh with its athletic design and special dynamics to provide protective insulation inside the car when driving.

PERFECT HAIR
The new one-touch opening function makes operating the standard acoustic hood much easier. A quick pull of the switch is all it takes to open the soft top fully to prevent hair getting into a mess.

All this happens automatically in 15 seconds and one can close it again in in 18 seconds - even while driving as fast as 50km/h.With its sporty and agile handling, the A5 was perfect to fulfil all the commitments on a busy visit.

Plus, the special sports car helped keep our Miss Universe safe thanks to high torsional stiffness of the body, which has been improved by 40%.

The total weight of the new generation has been reduced by up to 40kg.

The newly developed electro-mechanical power steering would have provided great steering precision for a quick and comfortable drive on the beautiful twisty roads between George and Sedgefield.

As a special option, there is also dynamic steering, which varies its gear ratio according to the speed and steering angle.

The car can sprint from 0 to 100km in 5,1 seconds and the top speed is limited to 250km.

SAFETY ASSISTANCE
The new Audi A5 Cabriolet also has the assistance systems to help the driver keep its precious cargo safe.

Some of the solutions are standard features, while the options can be ordered individually or are grouped together in the "Parking" or "City" assistance packages.

An intelligent combination of different technologies enhances safety, comfort and efficiency.

Playing a central role here is the adaptive cruise control (ACC) Stop&Go system including traffic jam assist.

The ACC uses automatic braking and acceleration to maintain the distance between the A5 Cabriolet and the vehicle ahead.

A Stop&Go function also brakes the car to a complete stop and lets it start off again automatically at the driver's request.

When the fans cause slow-moving traffic up to speeds of 65km, the car can assume the tasks of braking or accelerating and on better roads it also temporarily takes charge of steering in case the driver wants to check all is well with the beautiful passenger.

The new A5 Cabriolet comes standard with Audi pre-sense city, which monitors the road at speeds of up to 85km, detects other vehicles and pedestrians and initiates full braking in an emergency.

Also standard is attention assist, which analyses driver behaviour and issues a warning when it detects that the driver is becoming inattentive - which may be a natural effect the passenger has on everybody around.

The speed limiter is another standard feature and can be set to a particular speed, ranging from 30km to 250km.

Friends and supporters with Demi-Leigh and the black version of the Audi A5 Cabriolet.

The whole MMI control logic is similar to that of a smartphone, including the intelligent free text search function.

The new, more natural voice control system can recognise input made using everyday language.

Getting lost in the known universe is not going to happen either. Customers choosing MMI Navigation Plus also get the hardware module Audi connect, which allows the vehicle to be a Wi-Fi hotspot for up to 8 devices, accessing Google Earth Navigation and Google Street View.

IF HOLLYWOOD CALLS
In case Demi-Leigh's agent or even Brad Pitt wanted to call, the Audi smartphone interface, Apple Car Play and Android Auto would make sure the connection was made in a familiar smartphone environment.

The optional Audi phone box with wireless charging in the centre armrest uses near-field coupling to link smartphones wirelessly to the vehicle's antenna and enables inductive charging according to the Qi standard. For very discerning hi-fi fans, the Bang & Olufsen sound system with its innovative 3D sound is also available.

The trunk lid opens automatically for improved functionality. A push of a button on the remote control key or in the driver's door provides access to the 380-litre luggage compartment.