Audi A4 (2009)
Four of us went up to Infineon yesterday (07/01/08) for the Audi driving event. As expected, it was a marketing event designed to highlight the new 2009 A4. Overall we had a great time. After-all, how often do you get to flog someone else car around the autocross and open tracks for free? After a brief rundown on what we would be doing (but no actual driving instruction), we headed out to the pseudo autocross. Here we got to drive the MB C300, Lexus IS250, BMW 328 and of course the new Audi A4 3.4. If the cars looked a bit skewed in favor of the Audi, that's because they were comparing handling and the all-wheel drive variants from each manufacturer with price-point as a secondary decision point. The four guys in my group (all from Apple) bitched discussed that the BMW 335 was a better match for the Audi 3.4. When we made that suggestion, we were told the S4 matched the BMW 335. Does that mean the RS4 matches the M3? Audi's big deal was the change in chassis layout that stretched the car 6 inches, and their new dynamic driving technology. One of its features was the ability to change steering ratios on the fly, based on speed. Not a new concept, but they emphasized that the change in steering lock was one full turn from slowest to fastest. On the autocross, this made things more challenging. Steering input was different at every turn when on the Dynamic Setting, and very dramatic if you came out of a slow turn, blasted down the stretch to the next then broke hard and turned again. The latency in the system seemed to change input in the middle of the turn requiring a dramatic correction, or the feeling the back-end was suddenly getting loose. When turned to automatic, it seemed better. In the end, I think the BMW went around fastest in our group, but I enjoyed the Lexus the most. I really felt like it offered the best experience and felt fastest for me. As a footnote, those 6 inches of room were expansive in this new layout. If you've driven the current or previous A4, you'll be surprised. The car looks longer and lower slung than the current model. All our test mules had standard suspensions: no sport upgrades were present for the test. Out on the track, we got to lap Infineon (only) three times. Each lap got progressively faster. It was the standard follow-the-leader stuff since most people had never been to a track before, and all we had for safety was our courage and a helmet. The lead drivers warned us to stay at 2 car lengths distance from the vehicle ahead. If people fell behind, then the lap would slow to let them catch up. I was hampered by a timid guy lounging at 12-15 car lengths. I should have stuck with my friends, but I wanted to film their rides. I never felt like I got to challenge the car, or the track. But hey, I didn't have to pay for tires or gas. This tour leaves Infineon to travel around the country. Look here for more info and to sign up: http://www.audidrivingexperience.com/?area=driving-programs
comments
That sounds fun Damian. Great review. How fast did you get the car up to? Did anyone wreck their car? I did the AMG Challenge a couple years back at California Speedway in Fontana and it was a blast.
No one wrecked a car, though a guy in an earlier group ran himself out of track and got a little dusty in the grass. No car damage though, just pride.We were hitting a little over 70 mph, but with a better group we would have gone faster, I think.
Awesome review!I'm jealous of the track day. Free and in somebody else's car! Nice.
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