Private Audi Owner A6/A7 - FedEx Field - Washington,DC

dorokusai · October 2011

I had a chance to attend a private Audi owner event to drive the new Audi A6 and Audi A7 today. The weather was awful but perfect to push the limits of the Quattro to say the least. We were all able to get about 15 runs in both vehicles, in varying speeds and configurations, on an autocross style course setup in the parking of the Washington Redskins, FedEx Field @ Washington, DC.

It was a blast and I partnered up with a really nice Dentist out of Baltimore named Alberto. I was the first to arrive and he was second so we we able to get a lot more time with the professional drivers they had present and talk shop with one another about cars in general plus talk to salespeople.

The first half was just meet and greet with snacks and coffee with general chatter. Turns out Alberto has a much varied ownership profile like I do which runs the gamut of Domestic, Japanese and eventually European autos. He's running a 2008 A7 with Porsche Cayenne 22" rims and it's very sharp looking. I drove our 2011 Q5 since the A5 has summer only tires and given todays bad weather, I envisioned me in an accident if I had chosen it.

The stock tires on the Q5 were predictably mediocre in the inclement weather so I can't wait to replace them when the time comes. Michelin Latitude Tour HP 235-60/18. I'm already shopping at 15K miles....is that bad?

Anyways, after the get together we had a tour of the new A6 concerning features and the usual sales information. Thankfully it was quick and they wanted to get us behind the wheel ASAP which suited us both fine.

He's got more pictures since his camera was better so I'll post them later. The course was very nice and started with a simple, shallow S turn series, 90degree into a to the floor straight with a small wiggle in the middle, another pair of soft 90's into another straight with a wiggle, followed up with a challenging hard turn exchange that went back and forth 4 times then onto rumble strips. I went a handful in each model by myself, twice with Alberto, as a passenger with a Pro and Driver with a Pro twice. They let me know what I was not doing correctly and actually complimented me on some things I did do right.

What I was having trouble with was proper line into the sharp turns and using acceleration and wheel rollout within the turn. It was very helpful to me and I liked it very much. It was nice to get feedback and also watch it done right. Man, the pro's didn't hold back a damn thing when it came time to go and I thought for sure we were gonna take out 100 cones the entire time. He was also talking to me the entire time he's blasting around this course at 60mph....in the rain and sleet.

The Quattro is amazing in any Audi but between the two cars I really preferred the A7. It's heavier but power wise it felt the same...actually is the same engine and I liked the weight of it since it felt more natural to me. I'm coming from a heavy truck so the fact it was so nimble was reassuring to me. The A6 was very nice but combined with the sick luxury of the A7, I liked it much more.

Overall this was great and I encourage anyone that has the chance to go to a manufacturer event be it Lexus, Honda or Kia, to do so absolutely. It's fun to see new stuff and the professional drivers were a bonus. I left with a couple water bottles and contact information for a pretty nice local with similar interests.

Anyone else do this regularly within AutoClubs or otherwise? I used to do a lot of Honda/Acura stuff when I owned my Prelude years ago but its been years.

More pics later.

danz1906 · October 2011

Cool

toucanet · October 2011

Re: Anyone else do this regularly within AutoClubs or otherwise?

I usually attend the Private Lexus and Porsche events in Metro Atlanta. My biggest problem is the last three times I attended their private test drive events, I ended up buying new cars from both manufacturers. I guess I am their ideal customer. I must admit that I am addicted to cars.

I attended one Ferrari event North of Atlanta but did not care for the crowd of owners; I have declined all invitations since.

I've never considered Audi. I'll have to check out their products.

nguyendot · October 2011

These are fun - dad sells them. I need to go play with them some time

ViperZ · October 2011

I went to four motorcycle demo events like that to help me pick between Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Yamaha 600cc SS bikes. Had tons of fun, learned a lot, met a lot of new people and of course chose my bike.

Ricardo · October 2011

That must have been an awesome experience Mark.

I love everything about the A7 except its looks. The rear is ugly as hell. If I ever get an Audi it will be the TT.

stuwee · October 2011

Very nice Mark, great review story, I'm totally in love with the interior on those, I can't get past how much the front looks like an Edsel and I hate the taillights, but who cares if you're sitting in one of those babys at 100mph on a damp twisty road :loneranger:

I', looking forward to seeing Alberto's pics, and I would have worn my Cowboys gear to the test

Systems · October 2011

Mark are you expecting?
Due date?

Mr. Sharpe · October 2011

Pretty sweet ride.

tonyb · October 2011

I do the lexus one all the time. Nice thing is they also have other brands to compare to out on the coarse. Audi makes some sweet rides no doubt. Thing I like about the lexus rides, especially the ls470-80 models is that their vibration is zero, you can't tell the engine is even on. I've made that mistake more than once getting in one, turning the key and getting that zing. Fun times though, really enjoy it.