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2006 Audi S4 quattro Road Trip Part 1

quattro Takes on the Rockies

But first, about 1,500 miles of Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska (or is it Nebraska first and then Iowa... I couldnt really tell the difference) and the lowlands of Colorado stood between me and my destination: a few rounds on the slopes of Copper Mountain and seeing how well Audis 4.2L monster in the S4 would deal with the freshly powdered, twisting canyon routes that lead up to some of the finest skiing in North America. I got through that big chunk of real estate without a hitch and a quiet, overnight stop in Madison, Wisconsin, where I sampled deep fried cheese curds for the first time at Old Fashioned in downtown Madison. Easily the food highlight of the trip; thank you, Wisconsin.

On the long, lonely road to Wisconsins capital, I had the pleasure of seeing how each state feels about the importance of its cross-state traffic.

Ready for take-off... (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

Michigans I-69 stood out as being the biggest mess, where I could not lean my head against the headrest because it was like one of those silly body shakers they used to have as exercise machines--when was that, the 60s? It took about ten seconds to give me a headache in some stretches, so I took the neck pain over the headaches throughout most of Michigan.  Much of the road surface was buckled concrete with patches of rubber sealant holding it together, but one stretch was simply rolling asphalt that was literally bouncing me up and down almost perfectly in sync with Weezers Beverley Hills.

Fast-forward: the S4 poses in front of its final destination. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

Im developing a theory that it is the Michigan state legislatures effort to fortify Buick sales, because no car with any sort of sporty pretensions will do anything but punish you repeatedly, at least on the stretch of I-69 that I drove. Brutal. Almost made me wish for the A8s adjustable air suspension... now where is that Comfort setting on this car?

Anyhow, if a car ever had sporty pretensions, the S4 is it, and it is perhaps one of the most pretentious offerings in the sports sedan market. I mean, its German, its uptight, its fabulously engineered and extremely conservative in looks despite being gorgeous, so why shouldnt

See? Its so pretentious its got its logos everywhere, even on the door sills! (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

it have a high opinion of itself. I have definitely developed a rather high opinion of it. It is amazingly stable and composed at all speeds that I experienced, and I have no doubt that it would be similarly composed at speeds above the legal limits in the various states I drove through, if one were to hypothetically attempt such a thing. No doubt whatsoever. As speeds increased, the S4 seemed to get sucked down into the pavement for mindbending traction and stability; since there is no tacky spoiler, aerodynamic credit has to go to the front lip spoiler and the under-bumper diffuser that also houses the quad tailpipes. Consider this mind bent.

Of course, driving along a series of interstate highways

Ooh. Pretty. Two-tone seats. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

tests mostly high-speed cruising ability, suspension forgiveness, fuel consumption, my ability to stay awake and hold my pee, and the functionality of the navigation system. The results are as follows: amazing, punishing, draining, unblinking / twice every twelve hours and impeccable, respectively.
To elaborate further on the subject of suspension, this car is, like many others, happiest on glass-smooth asphalt or clean grooved pavement; however, unlike many others, it transmits most road irregularities straight to the awkward, yet supportive seats. The firm, sporty suspension keeps the car pancake flat around onramps, but bumps are bumpy and the seats are similarly firm, so the bumpy goes straight up your spinal ladder. Oddly, the seats shouldnt be adjusted in the way that you might think will

Audis MMI navigation system gets two thumbs up, but only needs one thumb to use. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

give you more comfort, but rather, as they were designed to be adjusted. After initially setting the chair to my preferred low slung, racy position, I found that back fatigue developed quickly and intrusively, so I started randomly moving buttons around to adjust the 12-way power seat until I was seated as high up as possible and leaning way back in my seat with a lot of lower thigh support. One quick push of the Memory "+2" and my optimal seating position was saved for the rest of my time in the car. Problem solved.

On the second day, when my copilot, Tom, joined me for the second leg (Madison, Wisconsin to Boulder, Colorado), he tried adjusting the seats as he normally would in his A4 and also found that he quickly developed fatigue and back stress. When he adjusted it to match my counterintuitive settings, he quickly became settled and

Behold Madison, Wisconsin, the fried cheese curd capital of the world. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

pain free. After that, it was smooth sailing, except in parts of Nebraska, where Tom commented that the roads are so spotty and the ride so firm that he should have brought along his Man-Bra for support.

As for the other tests of endurance on a trip like this, the most rewarding was by far the navigation system, and the most painful, the gas bill. The gas bill I will discuss later, but I have almost nothing but good things to say about the navigation system. Use the dial and buttons to punch in the address of any place (they are divided into regions), plus city and state, etc. and the nav will diagram you a map of the route, but you first have the option of adjusting the route with stopovers, places to avoid, or simply going through a stretch that you know to be more scenic.

The system then directs your driving with voice prompts, ample warning to prepare for lane changes, exits, and turns and a little

Warp speed S4. (Photo: , American Auto Press)

countdown bar plus directional arrows in the gauge binnacle so you can prepare for the upcoming turn. My only complaint was that the computer-generated voice sort of slurred her "left" and "right" so that they often sounded the same. That is something that should be very clear and unmistakable, but wasnt.

However, I cant thank Audi enough for their excellent navigation system and the visual cues that got me to my stopover and end destination without a flutter. After testing Audis MMI interface in a number of different Audi vehicles and spending a reasonable amount of time working the system, I have to say that it is properly intuitive and incorporates a reasonable organization of car functions. It takes only a brief acclimation period to become fully versed with its positioning, and ensuing operation can be executed with a minimum of attention stolen from ones focus on the road.

These are all relevant and necessary accessories that would be available in any sport sedan as luxuriously appointed,

I think this farm was in Wisconsin... but it just as well could have been in Iowa or Nebraska. (Photo: Jonathan Yarkony, American Auto Press)

and fully taking advantage of its assets on a long trip brought them to my immediate attention, but what about that engine? Well, that was definitely one of the things that helped keep me awake, with its veritable growling and deep rumbling that kept me alert, entranced and enamored through hours and hours and hours of Midwestern scenery (farms, farms, farms, farms, Chicago, farms, farms, farms, Mississippi, farms farms farms....), Im going to dedicate the rest of Part I of my Road Trip to this heartthrob engine.

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