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Tags: audi driving experience event r8 s5 s4 a3 a4 a6 a8 tt rs4

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VIDEO: My Audi Driving Experience at the Infineon Raceway...with a pleasantly surprising twist!
I'll let my video do most of the talking, but to sum up... WELL DONE, Audi!! This is THE best driving event I have ever attended for the last several years. Extremely well organized, paced and laid out. They had a nice lounge with just enough food (chips and granola bars) and drinks (coffee and juice) to get us going. A session starts for every half an hour. There can be 18 drivers per session, divided into 3 groups, led by 3 very skilled instructors. With half an hour of lecturing (mainly about the history of quattro and a lesson on the coordination among the steering, throttle and braking inputs to keep traction on the tires) finished, we were led to perform 3 tests (maximum braking and swerving, emergency lane change without braking, and auto crossing), after which we can actually drive on the track in S5's and S4's (or a TT) by forming a line after the instructor. I went there late in the afternoon on Sunday and I see from YouTube that in earlier sessions on Saturday they were allowing people to drive the R8 on the track. Unfortunately for them, they had to drive pretty slowly to stay behind the cars in the front, and yet I was able to experience something arguably much better. Watch the video to find out.;-) Read Article



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RupertRupert - 12/10/2007 9:48:06 AMView My AgentSpace
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Xerokool...you being nice about an Audi???
What is the world coming too...

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HwanyHwany - 12/10/2007 10:05:32 AM
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It's the trolls on this site that makes us ( car enthusiasts) look like a "fanboy".



HwanyHwany - 12/10/2007 10:08:16 AM
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Thank you Xero for your unbiased review!

This is a great gift for holidays....

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M53RM53R - 12/10/2007 10:37:04 AMView My AgentSpace
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Wow, nice driving dude!
And guess who got lucky? ;)

So now its time to ask you, still a Lexus fan? ;)

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SevorbeupstryIsBackSevorbeupstryIsBack - 12/10/2007 11:23:15 AM
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Great video! Nice sounds!

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KingerKinger - 12/10/2007 11:24:48 AM
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Wow, what an experience to be taken round a track flat-out in an R8 with such an experienced driver. Oh, and congrats on being the best student. ;)

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golfer38golfer38 - 12/10/2007 11:47:54 AMView My AgentSpace
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Excellent video, and how cool was that last experience. Being in the auto industry, I get to do this alot and it never gets old.

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CarboyCarboy - 12/10/2007 3:30:55 PMView My AgentSpace
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Wow, I wish I can do that. You must be a lucky guy! :)

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gsh23gsh23 - 12/10/2007 3:53:31 PM
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haha xero, your video is a response to my video? lol in my drive the guy nearly lost control of the r8, swerving 4 times before regaining control on the first lap in the first chicane

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gsh23gsh23 - 12/10/2007 3:55:14 PM
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oh yah and my brains were just squished the whole time. i even hit my head once on a turn against the door headliner. it was fun tho ;)

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 12/10/2007 6:28:32 PMView My AgentSpace
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LOL, so judging by what you said about it, I think you now know why I want an R8 so much, eh?

Excellent video. Those S5s (and the R8 of course) are drop dead gorgeous.

BTW, remember that the MINI Cooper isn't really German? If you had a pre-2007 model, it didn't have the Peugeot-derived engine that it has now, which should be better.

Also, most Audis are more reliable than BMWs. You shouldn't restrain yourself. Experiment. At least TRY another German car. If you hate it, go back to Lexus.

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gsh23gsh23 - 12/10/2007 6:46:22 PM
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youre right s4, i might as well try it. question is...should i wait for the new S4? the s5 is a bit out of my budget =(

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 12/10/2007 9:17:25 PMView My AgentSpace
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The new S4 will probably be about $45K, to keep away from the RS4, and also because apparently there will be no A4 2.0T. I think that's a good move. Anyway, yes, the S4 will be worth waiting for. Twin-turbo (or even supercharged) 3.0 V6 with ~330hp. It will weigh significantly less than the current model, so it will be quicker.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 12/10/2007 6:28:47 PMView My AgentSpace
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He didn't, he drove the S4.

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gsh23gsh23 - 12/10/2007 6:56:07 PM
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my impression of the s5 is that it really is a better car in almost every respect to the 335i. yes, it costs a little bit more and yes the expected mpg is less. but driving dynamics and very responsive on the track and the shifter and v8 is very smooth. in fact, the engaging point for the clutch is very forgiving, almost honda like. the interior is of course execellent, but i tried the b&o stereo and it sucked. thats definitely not an option i would get. the seats are a joy to sit in although all the s5's there had the leather and not alcantara. back seat room was ample for a 5'10" driver and 5'9" backseat passenger. headroom was more than enough even with helmets. the buttons on the consoles have a strange push to them but otherwise very nice. in the 1 minute i had to play with the stuff before doing some hot laps i couldnt really figure out how to adjust the air or i-drive-like settings with the screen. the screen is very nice, better than bmw's. had more colors and was definitely sharper, but still not as impressive the the lexus screens.

all in all i walked away wanting one. for 50,500 i would have hoped for a bit more power or a bit less weight. as S4 already said, a new generation of audi owners are going to test if audi electronics or mechanicals are reliable.

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Htay7500Htay7500 - 12/10/2007 6:59:15 PM
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that a6 looks hot with those rims.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 12/10/2007 9:19:07 PMView My AgentSpace
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And it sounds amazing.


chewychewy - 12/10/2007 9:11:58 PMView My AgentSpace
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AudiphileAudiphile - 12/11/2007 9:48:17 PM
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XeroKool, you lucky dog! We'll make an "Audiphile" out of you yet!

You got a chance to drive my ride, the A8L. Handles very well for something that big, doesn't it?

But that R8 ride was worth the trip all by itself. Too bad I'll never be able to afford one. Too bad that I'm probably too tall to fit in it anyway. By the way, how does the headroom and legroom in the R8 compare to the A8? If the dimensions are the same or larger, maybe I'll take out a second mortgage on the house after all! :-)

You said that a bad experience with a Mini Cooper soured you on German cars. I know how you feel. My first car was a 1975 VW Rabbit - fun car, but what a lemon! My next German car purchase was 18 years later, when I bought a 1993 BMW 325i. Again fun to drive, and not a lemon, but it had more problems than a $30,000 car should have. My next car, a 1997 BMW 328i, was another great car, and was less troublesome, but still more trouble than I had a right to expect. My next car, a 2001 Mercedes CLK, was a great car to drive, but little electrical problems drove me crazy - I was in my dealer's service department so often I knew the names of the entire staff! And don't get me started on maintenance costs once the warranty ran out!

My current car is a 2006 Audi A8L. If this one turned out to be another lemon, I was ready to swear off Kraut cars forever. I even leased it so that I could walk away from it should it prove troublesome.

Ironically, the big Audi has had only one real problem in 2 years. (The power steering pump and reservoir had to be replaced, all covered under warranty.) And it's a great car to boot. A refreshing change for the better!

I am curious - what kind of problems did your Mini Cooper? My entire family is considering buying a small car for a nephew of mine that has been accepted into medical school. The Mini Cooper is one of the cars we are considering. Your input would be appreciated.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 12/13/2007 1:40:35 AMView My AgentSpace
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"Too bad that I'm probably too tall to fit in it anyway. By the way, how does the headroom and legroom in the R8 compare to the A8?"

I think you know that the R8 is quite spacious. I don't know the exact specs, but it's a truly comfortable, livable sports car. A quick trip to audiusa.com should fix your problem.

As for the price. If you can afford an A8L... why not stretch? :-D

BTW, get a GTI over the Mini. The Cooper is great, but the suspension is super-harsh. The GTI gives you 99% of the fun with a lot more refinement and space.



MunichRobMunichRob - 12/12/2007 4:41:36 AMView My AgentSpace
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You know I always hear about people saying they had this problem or that problem with the German cars, but I've owned 2 Bimmers & 1 Audi in my lifetime, & have had only one issue significant enough for me to remember, happen between the 3 of them...Which was the driver side windows motor on my 530i burnt out after 3 years.

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S4cabriofoxoneS4cabriofoxone - 12/13/2007 1:42:21 AMView My AgentSpace
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Wow, that's just about as good as mine. Four Audis, a BMW (two weeks, LOL) and a VW Rabbit. My biggest problem was the A6 2.7T's headlight washer cap coming off at high speeds on the highway.

Non-reliability problems abound with the X5 though, and mostly in reverse. The backup camera sucks. The park assist drives my wife crazy and we can't fully turn it off; I am planning to go to the dealer to get it disabled. She's still learning how to use iDrive. Otherwise, we love it.


MunichRobMunichRob - 12/13/2007 9:47:27 PMView My AgentSpace
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Yeah the park distance control needs a volume button & should only enable itself when in reverse, & then immediately disable itself when you throw the car into drive. I’ve actually never checked in the i-Drive menu to try & turn it off.

However the worst feature on modern day BMW’s is the seatbelt chime, I don’t want to throw my seatbelt when just going around the corner so I’ll sometimes try to ignore it, but in the end, that dam chime always wins.

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