Driver Training: Audi Driving Experience

Also, having never been around Mosport as a driver before I was at a bit of a loss, and the instructor was already tipping into corners faster than I would have. So I backed off just a tick, but kept focusing on the lessons. The S5 Coupe was communicative, brake feel was excellent, the thick steering wheel giving me plenty of feedback.

“Be smooth”. “Look ahead”. “Relax”.

I rolled the wheel gently to the right as we crested the entry to turn one, and the car responded. Calmly and firmly following the track laid by the instructor’s car ahead.  His guidance made it easy for me to concentrate on technique, and on the car underneath me, even while I was going faster than I would have on my own.

Turn 2 and 2a were even more daunting, but I trusted the instructor and tipped in – perfect. Very little body roll, a little bit of resistance through the wheel, and the car accelerated strongly out of the corner – there wasn’t even any tire squeal… this time. By the end of the half an hour session we were all going faster, we were all smoother and I was beginning to feel extremely comfortable with the car. Again, if there is a better way for Audi to get its customers excited about their rides, this is it. By the end of the day there was plenty of tire squeal as well all pushed on harder – even some from under the instructor’s car.

Audi Driving Experience. Click image to enlarge

Driving the S5 coupe was a silken experience. The contoured seat and flat-bottom steering wheel welcomed me aboard, and the seven-speed S Tronic gearbox (which Audi claims shifts in 0.2 of a second) delivered the supercharged 3.0L TFSI V6’s power to the wheels smoothly. I didn’t bother with the paddles or manual shifting, but the automatic shifts were unobtrusive and fast.

With 333 hp at 5,500 rpm and 325 lb-ft at 2,900 there was no shortage of grunt, and the ever-soaring engine note had me grinning from ear to ear.

The day ended in the Audi A6 TDI. I’ve driven this car before, on a comforting tour of the woods surrounding Washington DC. I was enamoured then by the A6 TDI engine, writing; “The star of the show? Audi’s second generation 3.0L TDI engine that produces 240 hp and 428 lb-ft. Enough to propel the A6 and A7 from 0-100 km/h in 5.7 seconds.”

I don’t think it was the star of my day at the Audi drive experience, that was reserved for the Group B Quattro in which I was served a hot lap of a lifetime. Still, the effortless torque of the engine made accelerating down CTMP’s backstretch a sheer joy. The car was heavier and far less nimble than the S5, with a bit more tire squeal evident as we muscled these rigs around, and yet it remained communicative and smooth, even forgiving.

If anyone was in doubt about the straight-line prowess of the TDI engine, this course would have proven differently. It pulled hard, and I reached the same maximum speed in the A6 as I did in the S5 – 190 km/h.

That sounds quick, but under the expert guidance of Audi’s trained racing drivers it just didn’t seem that way. I had joked to my wife that morning, “let’s hope I don’t arrive at the wedding in a full body cast”, but the reality was a much safer, comfortable experience than I had expected.

Instead, we got  pure, grin-inducing, full-tilt fun.  With a big chunk of learning, and a big chunk of “falling in love with Audis” thrown in for good measure.