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From YourSITE.com Reviews & Road Tests "Grand touring” has to be one of the most romantic terms in the automotive lexicon. Every time I read or hear those words, they set my mind racing. I can’t help but envision myself in the cozy cockpit of a genuine GT coupe, the love of my life at my side, dashing through the countryside on our way to some exotic destination, and not another car in sight. For some reason, we are impeccably dressed, driving gloves and all. A set of bespoke luggage rests neatly behind our seats, held in its designated place by leather straps with chrome buckles. No radio is needed; a virtual symphony plays as the throttle and gearbox coordinate the perfect melody at the exhaust tips.
Early March may not be the most ideal time of year to visit Bavaria and Switzerland, but when duty calls, what’s a guy to do? Three of us made the journey to Geneva for the annual auto show in that exquisitely international city. But rather than hopping a direct flight to Switzerland, we decided to make the most of the long journey and take in some other automotive sights while we attempted to shake off the jet lag. Our itinerary started on a chilly late-winter morning in the heart of Bavaria. Munich would serve as something of a home base for a few days as we visited several points of automotive interest in the surrounding areas. The first of our stops was the town of Ingolstadt, less than an hour from Munich and better known for being the home of Audi. The visit to Ingolstadt was important for several reasons, including a visit to Audi's Museum Mobile and the customer delivery center. New A6s, which had been revealed just days before our arrival, were abundant on the Audi grounds, giving us an in-the-flesh look at the new model before its auto show debut. Audi had arranged a German-market S4 Avant for our travels during the week of our stay. We picked up the Nogaro Blue bahn-burner while in Ingolstadt and did what any right-minded car enthusiast would do - we hit the autobahn and started driving. Fast. Our Euro-spec S4 was ideally equipped for our journey. The transmission was appropriately the six-speed manual. Our car lacked a sunroof, which was alright considering the predominantly overcast conditions of our stay. Heated, leather-wrapped Recaro seats were the perfect traveling companions for the long stretches of alpine autobahn. Since it was still technically winter, our S4 was decked out in true German fashion. The 17-inch Avus alloys, a European-only option, wore performance-spec winter tires, limiting our speeds to a mere 130 mph. The combination worked well on the unseasonably cold asphalt during our visit, though we never really needed the all-out snow traction they afforded. Probably the most important feature of our car was the navigation system. For three Yanks with a limited grasp of German, the nav system saved us from many embarrassing roadside conversations, especially in Bavaria where they speak their own version of the German language. We simply programmed our destinations into the computer and listened carefully as the pleasant female voice in the dash read us our instructions in English. Navigating the autobahns without satellite aid may be possible, but the system really showed its value once we got off the big roads and found ourselves in the picturesque villages that dot this part of the countryside. We became rather attached to our navigation system, using it to help us find hotels and restaurants on several occasions. Thanks to an integrated traffic monitoring system in Germany, our navigator was also capable of alerting us and rerouting us when traffic conditions turned really ugly. And when we had no choice but to sit and wait for traffic to clear up, we simply switched on the TV tuner function and watched German cartoons in gridlock. Our schedule included stops in Stuttgart to visit Mercedes, Zuffenhausen to visit Porsche, and Munich to tour BMW. Eventually we headed further south, staying overnight in the village of Freiburg before continuing on to Geneva. Most of the driving between these major cities was done on the autobahn, where the S4 was truly in its element. Despite heavy traffic in many areas, there were plenty of open sections where the driver could open the S4 up and stretch its legs. The sound of the V8 at full throttle was intoxicating, and it quickly pulled through all six of the gears, even with three of us and a hatch full of luggage. We reveled in the freedom to enjoy this machine as it was intended, without fear of being trapped by the law. We moved quickly through slower traffic, the courteous German drivers conceding the left lane to our more-capable super-wagon. It was a rare occasion that we were moved to the right by faster traffic, but we knew better than to hold up the likes of a 911 Turbo. Many Stateside enthusiasts shun the idea of ESP, but I'll be the first to tell you that when things in front of you start to change quickly at 130 with a car full of people and their belongings, it's very comforting to know that you are not alone in the daunting task of keeping two tons of mass in the correct lane without hitting another object in the process. ESP is a wonderful piece of technology, and we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss it as useless because of our assumed super-hero driving skills. Autobahn accidents can be brutally ugly, and the alphabet-soup technologies like ABS, TCS and ESP are literally lifesavers. Despite the calculated risk of high-speed driving, we took advantage of the opportunity every chance we got. Such enjoyment of the right pedal meant that we paid dearly at the fuel pump. Our cruiser was drinking premium unleaded at a rate of about 19 liters per 100 km, or about 12.5 mpg. With premium costing roughly $1.50 a liter (about $6 per gallon), the S4 was certainly not the most efficient form of transportation, unless of course you were counting spg (smiles per gallon). The German autobahn eventually became the Swiss autoroute, which carried a theoretical speed limit of 120 kph (about 75 mph). In reality, our actual driving speed changed very little from that in Germany except when approaching and traversing the numerous tunnels that are a Swiss trademark. The open highway delivered us to our destination city of Geneva, where they have mastered the art of gridlock by apparently allowing the traffic lights to remain green for no more than ten seconds at a time.
Upon arrival at our hotel, we surrendered the keys to the valet and kissed the car goodbye for the next few days. For the duration of our stay in Geneva we relied on shuttle busses and taxis, driven by locals with knowledge of the city’s bizarre traffic patterns, to get us between our hotel and the PalExpo Centre where the auto show was held. Geneva grants preferential treatment to mass-transit in the form of dedicated lanes, cutting travel times in half versus private vehicles. After nearly three days of walking the enormous exhibition center in search of all things automotive, we took a cab back to the hotel to collect our S4. A quick stop at a local chocolatier to get souvenirs for our wives and we were back on the road. It felt good to get back behind the wheel after a few days of being merely a passenger. We split our drive from Munich to Geneva into a two-day trip, but our return trip would not afford us that luxury. Efficiency was the name of the game for the final leg of our journey. In true road-trip tradition, we reloaded on carbs and fat whenever we stopped to refuel our ride, which was fairly often. There was no time for sit-down meals on that day; instead we subsisted on salame-and-butter sandwiches washed down with Red Bull. After all, we left Geneva at noon and were hoping to be in Munich before midnight, giving us just a few short (and much-needed) hours of sleep before boarding our flights the next morning. The daylight does not last long in early spring, and we spent most of our final day driving in the dark. As day gave way to night and we got further from civilization, we found ourselves traveling in the deep, unlit valleys created by the Alps Mountains, which sometimes seemed to jump vertically out of nowhere. The reflections from the xenon headlights helped to illuminate some of the scenery that we would have otherwise missed in the deep darkness of the valleys at night. One drawback of our beloved navigation system was that it worked only when we were in Germany (we didn’t have the Swiss CD). Combined with overwhelming fatigue, this technological glitch led to a missed turnoff in Switzerland that took us an hour away from our intended route. A quick but refreshing pitstop allowed us to adjust our travel plans, which now included a brief pass through Austria. We pressed on regardless, and soon we were seeing signs for Munich. With the nav system functional again, we scrolled through our destination menu and chose the Munich Holiday Inn as our stopping point. Shortly after midnight we rolled up to the hotel and checked in for the rest of the night. A few hours later, we packed our suitcases back into the S4 and drove to the airport, where we said goodbye to our trusty traveling companion. For many car enthusiasts, our week in Germany would be a dream come true. Indeed, there are few experiences that can compare to traveling from one automotive hotspot to another with friends on the autobahn in a high-performance German touring car. And there is hardly a car more suited to comfortable trans-European travel than the Audi S4. Part 2: America with the family
Every couple years I’m reminded of the upcoming family reunion, which I have inevitably missed for over a decade. When the subject came up again last fall, I made a commitment to several of my family members that I would attend the 2004 edition, come hell or high-water. Since this year’s gathering would be in the Twin Falls State Park in southern West Virginia, I knew there would be several opportunities to enjoy the challenging Appalachian Mountain roads. Because of my wife’s busy work schedule, there was a possibility that I might have to make the trip solo. Had that been the case, I would have extended the twelve-hour drive from Chicago by a couple days to take advantage of the scenic route, sidetracking through southern Kentucky and northern Tennessee. I have taken this diversion in the past, and it makes for a great time, especially if you travel light. At the last minute, my wife was able to swing an extra-long weekend. That meant not only an additional front seat passenger, but also that our three Jack Russell Terriers and all of their associated gear would have to travel with us. So much for traveling light. The arrival of the Imola Yellow S4 Avant just two days before our trip could not have been timed any better. Having driven one through Europe already, I knew it would be both comfortable on the long stretches of interstate and exciting on the mountain roads. The only question remained whether all five of us and our related paraphernalia would actually fit in the sexy Euro-wagon. The first obstacle was fitting the three dog crates, which just managed to squeeze between the walls of the cargo compartment. We abandoned the rear cargo cover for the trip so the dogs could get fresh air and some daylight. In our Isuzu Rodeo, they ride on a platform that allows them to look out the rear windows, while our luggage is stowed below. The lower roof height and tapered rear bodywork of the Audi would not allow for such an arrangement. Consequently, the luggage would have to be relocated to a rooftop carrier. Once the packaging was arranged, we filled the tank and hit the road. Tradition holds that the family reunion is always held on Memorial Day weekend, so we wanted to make sure we had a good jump on the holiday traffic. As usual, the heaviest traffic of our trip would be the stretch that takes us out of Chicago and into Indiana, and the crack-of-dawn commencement proved a wise decision. With the congestion of a Chicago rush hour eventually behind us, we were able to let the S4 find its groove on the open highway of I-65 in Indiana. There was a problem though; my European trip had spoiled me to the unrestricted speeds of the autobahn. It wouldn’t have been prudent, or even possible, to sustain triple-digit speeds in central Indiana. Instead I would have to settle for a comparatively tame 85 to 90 mph whenever traffic allowed. Despite traveling at a much more conservative speed, the Audi managed to feel quite at home on the Interstate. The difference in speed paid off at the gas pump, which we visited less frequently than before. Our S4 returned just under 16 mpg; considering the aerodynamic hindrance on the roof and an average pace of about 80 mph, this figure actually seemed rather impressive. Our American-spec wagon was endowed with the same wonderful Recaro seats as it European cousin. The yellow rocket also came with satellite navigation, though the pleasant voice in the dash managed to lose her British accent for this trip. Thankfully it was also equipped with a glass sunroof that not only opened up the pitch-black cabin, but also proved ideal for confirming the presence of our rooftop carrier periodically. The drive through Indiana was uneventful until the absolute last second. As we were crossing the bridge that connects Indiana to Kentucky, my wife called my attention to the accident occurring just two cars ahead of us. We stopped literally inches from being the fifth car in the bumper-to-bumper mishap. There’s no doubt in my mind that the incredible brakes on the S4 saved us (as well as the car immediately in front of us) from becoming a part of the collision. Cruising through Kentucky was a beautiful drive. The gently rolling countryside was picture perfect in all its late-spring glory. Deep in the heart of horse country, we must have passed miles of white fences containing hundreds of the majestic creatures. From the highway at least, Kentucky looked to be a pretty ideal place to live a relaxed life.
Our journey eastward eventually delivered us to West Virginia. Despite its somewhat undeserved reputation as a cultural black hole, the state is perhaps the most beautiful and geographically diverse in the eastern half of the country. The rolling countryside became increasingly steeper, and before we knew it we were traveling in the green valleys of the Appalachians. Exiting the highway just outside of Beckley, the last half-hour of our twelve-hour trip proved to be the most exciting, at least from the driver’s seat. The last twenty miles leading up to the entrance of Twin Falls were filled with blind hairpins and off-camber switchbacks, plenty of elevation change, and even a couple of logging trucks for added drama. I suspect the dogs became a little disoriented, if their experience was anything like my wife’s. The weekend was filled with all of the usual family reunion activities, which typically consisted of eating, drinking, or golfing. The S4 drew quite a bit of attention from members of my family, many of whom have a propensity for driving Buicks and Hondas, causing me to wonder if I might actually be adopted. The family stuff was fun, but a person can only handle distant relatives for so long. The Avant was unloaded, and I was looking for any reason to get back to those amazing mountain roads just outside of the park. Did I hear someone say “ice?” How many bags do we need? Don’t worry, I’ll buy! Before anyone had a chance to answer, I was on the road. With no passengers, pets, or luggage, it was the only chance I might have to really enjoy the scenery. The roads were every bit as fun as I had remembered them from the day before. Horsepower is always a good thing, but where there are hills, torque is king. The V8 proved more than capable of pulling the S4 through all of the ups and downs of the West Virginia countryside. The balanced chassis took to the twisties with aplomb, and the Quattro drivetrain proved a blessing as much of the road was still wet from the overnight rainfall. The brakes were worked ruthlessly as the wagon shot hard and fast between corners, but they never failed to inspire confidence in their abilities. This brief diversion on the quest for ice was both needed and deserved. The return trip required a more relaxed pace as we encountered rain showers and thunderstorms through the day, and the Audi seemed happy to oblige. The romance of grand touring gave way to the reality of holiday driving as we got closer to Chicago. It wasn’t long before the familiar sights of expressway gridlock signaled our return to the greater Chicagoland area. If only the last half-hour of this drive could have been as invigorating as the final leg of the journey east! Once again the Audi S4 Avant had proven a willing and capable cross-country travel companion. These two trips convinced me that grand touring is still very much alive, even if it is slightly different than what I had envisioned. The Audi S4 lives up to the GT ideal exceptionally well, offering long-distance transportation in comfort and style.
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