Spain to Portugal in Audi TT Part 1

One of the greatest traits of Audi Sports cars is the fact that Audi Sports car is also a perfect daily driver. This TT Coupe lives up to that expectation. Despite its sporty stance and dynamic handling setup, the car is easy to drive. This is my first time driving in a bustling and crowded city of Madrid. Additionally, I have to rely on my GPS to know where I am going. And yet, with this TT, I feel confident in navigating through various one-way narrow cobblestone streets and busy intersections directed by Spanish policemen. In modern time, artists, designers, and engineers at Audi are making their own remarkable work of arts, design, and engineering. Since its dramatic first generation TT introduction in 1990's, TT has won varieties of design awards at global level. Recently, this second generation TT attained Drive Car of the Year, Top Gear Coupé of the Year 2006, Fifth Gear Car of the Year 2006, Autobild Most Beautiful Car, and World Design Car of the Year 2007. Additionally, it was a finalist for World Car of the Year...

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The sun is about to set and there is a perfect place to witness sunset in Madrid. We take a short drive but convoluted route to Parque del Oeste due to many one way streets. After finding a street parking space at the bottom of hill, we hike up to Temple of Debod. This temple, which originally was located not too far south of Aswan in southern Egypt, was dissembled piece by piece, transported extra carefully to this very spot via a ship to Valencia and a train to Madrid. Moving a master piece like Temple of Debod requires a very careful planning, packing, transportation, and unpacking. Audi had similar logistical challenges when they were planning to build TT at two different factories, 650 km apart separated by mountainous regions. They not only had to figure out how to do it once but they had to figure out how to do this daily. Furthermore, since the amount material to be transported daily was massive, the plan and the mechanism to transport had to be very efficient. Any disruption in logistics could lead to a supply chain issue that would affect production capacity, unnecessary energy waste, and finally customer satisfaction...

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Today, the body shell of Audi TT is built in Ingolstadt. Györ factory in Hungary is responsible for building the engine and assembling the various components into a ready-for-delivery car. The shells and other components are loaded to specially-designed-for-loading-and-unloading-efficiency train cargos. 10,000 hp Deutsche Bahn electric locomotive hauls the complete 650 meter train in 12 hour journey through Bavaria, Austria, and Hungary. The shells will come back two days later as completed cars. With just-in-time manufacturing, efficiency and reliability of shipment are the essence as part stocks are kept very low. While the first set of body shells make their way into the assembly line at Györ, the fully assembled TT's are loaded into the emptied cargos. Additionally, they are stacked in accordance to an integrated and intelligent plan for direct transport to end customers...

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We get up early because we have a long but exciting drive to Cordoba with a stop at a medieval town of Toledo, which is just 70 km south of Madrid. The drive to Toledo is far from exciting because we are part of the commuter traffic and the highways are mostly straight and flat. However, the comfort and the agile nature of TT make the trip fun. Audi metallurgists pioneered and perfected unique and advanced techniques to bond two different metals that have different characteristics. A8 and R8 have aluminum bodies while A4, A5, and Q7 have new high tech ultra strength steel bodies. Through the masterful metallurgy techniques, Audi brought the best of aluminum and steel together in TT. The TT front end and the cabin are made of aluminum, while the rear sub-assembly, the door and the rear fastback door are made of steel. The extra rearward mass from the use of steel gives balanced weight distribution between the front and the rear axle...

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There are two ways to get to Cordoba from Toledo. First option is to get to A-4 South freeway all the way to Cordoba. Second option is to take the undivided highway N-401, N-420, and then A-4 freeway just outside Cordoba.N-401 is mostly deserted, and pastoral landscape is the main theme. N-420 south of Almodóvar del Campo town starts to pick up elevation. We are entering the rocky Sierra de Alcúdia. The slow straight climb becomes fast bends. Soon, we are enjoying switch backs and occasionally hair pins. Shifting gear manually from second to third and fourth and then back to third and second never feels this great. This is the moment when I wish automatic transmission were never invented. Rolling peaks and valleys covered by green lush shrubs accentuate our driving enjoyment...

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Power-to-weight ratio is the key to efficiency in racing or spirited driving. Because TT Coupé only weighs about 1.3 tons, it doesn't need a mega horse power engine to give its driver a tingling sensation. The TT we are driving has the European 1.8 liter normally aspirated engine. It is the cleanest engine in TT line up producing only 149 g/km of CO2. But yet, it can still accelerate from 0 to 100 km in 7.2 seconds, which is about 1 second slower than the 2.0 TFSI version with the same 6 speed manual transmission...

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The next morning, after plenty of rest, we begin our tour of Cordoba. Because we stay in the center of the historic district, we leave our car beneath our hotel. Originally, the great Mosque-Cathedral was constructed in 600 AD as a Roman temple dedicated to Visigothic cathedral. In the 8th century after a new ruler arrived, a mosque was constructed and it took two centuries to complete. Finally, in the 13th century a cathedral was inserted into this immense structure by Christian conquerors. Because thousands of architects and builders from differing cultures had poured their passions over centuries of generations, the interior of this Mosque-Cathedral is impressive and yet odd at the same time...

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Cordoba is famous for its creamy Gazpacho. The rich flavors of ripe and fresh tomatoes, roasted red peppers, garlic, Spanish saffron, cumin, and virgin olive oil create delicious one-of-a-kind soup. While sipping this delicious soup, we are plotting our next destination: Lisbon, Portugal. The drive will take about six hours. With the car we have, we are looking forward to it...

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Luxembourg Weekend Getaway in A4 Avant TDI

Luxembourg is smaller than the State of Rhode Island, yet it has three official languages: French, German, and Luxembourgish. It also has the highest density of global financial institutions and foreign government officials. Despite the fact it is one of the smallest nations in Europe, this country has amazing landscapes. The tiny center, Luxembourg City, sits on a plateau surrounded by deep lush gorges, and the rest of the country features forested hills and vast valleys. All of these attributes make Luxembourg a perfect long weekend getaway. ng chic and trendy restaurants, coffee shops, galleries, and boutiques. This is now a lifestyle hangout where you can find Balinese and Burmese teak furniture, European painting, Italian espresso, American breakfast, and Asian designer clothing. The founding team members of Audi Club Singapore suggested this place to meet...

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To accentuate our exploration, we got an eco car that drinks gasoline in the manner cactus drinks water, and yet it was still capable to instill tingling sensations in our weekend driving vacation. We rented an A4 Avant TDI from Europecar rental car company at Frankfurt Airport. As soon as we reached the Autobahn heading towards Luxembourg, I knew immediately that this A4 was not our fathersí clunky diesel car. The quiet engine at idle, the deep sporty growl when the accelerator was pressed, the exhilarating feeling as we passed others on autobahn made us forgot that this 2.0 liter TDI engine has only 136 hp but rousing 236 lb-ft...

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After a few hours of rest, we started our exploration. For architecture students, Kirchberg is probably the best place to study the latest trend of eco friendly modern architectures.The purposeful and sophisticated urban planning with the emphasis on providing a sustainable living reminded me of the similar eco initiatives that Audi has pioneered for many years. The sportiness of this A4 may be easily recognizable. But its efficiency becomes evident upon driving it. It is not one or two things that Audi does to improve the efficiency of its cars, but rather an array of research and development in various areas covering aerodynamic, power plant, electrical system, body and mechanical construction, and manufacturing process and recyclability. It is worth noting that Audi is ahead of regulatory requirements with its recycling program...

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This A4 has only less than 0.28 coefficient of drag (Cd). The Audi AG Wind Tunnel Center in Ingolstadt has a lot to do with this impressive Cd. Here, in a facility covering 10,000 meter square and housing three giant wind tunnels, car models are evaluated and tuned for minimal drag. Hot spots under car models, along roof lines, and at corners are eliminated. Less resistance means less energy is required and less CO2 produces. According to EU standard cycle, the decrease of 0.04 Cd reduces the CO2 emission by 3 grams per kilometers...

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The eco features of this A4 that we experienced a lot during our Old Town exploration were the Start-Stop system and Energy Recovery System. A fast and smooth Start-Stop system shuts off the engine when the car is at standstill and the clutch is pressed. In less than a split of a second after I relaxed my left foot to release the clutch, the engine started again ready for my next command. The system worked so fast and so reliably, even in the hilly part of Luxembourg, as if it read my mind. In the extreme cold weather temperature, the Start-Stop system remains inactive till the engine reaches the optimal operating temperature to reduce the unnecessary CO2 emission. The system lowers fuel consumption by 0.2 liter per 100 km and reduces the CO2 emission by 5 grams per kilometer...

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Luxembourg is a home to about 130 Ch‚teaux. Some are fortified castles, others are lavish mansions. So, our weekend getaway would not be complete without visiting one of them. We entered Vianden into our A4 navigation system and let the car guided us to the famous and large medieval Ch‚teau de Vianden. On the way to the Ch‚teau, we had some fun with the efficiency program. This program shows all consumption-relevant data and actively provides recommendation on the ideal moment to change gear. Coupled with a TDI engine that produced abundant 236 lb-ft torque at as low as 1400 rpm, the gear change recommendation will maintain the most optimum engine speed over various driving conditions. This way the fuel consumption can be minimized by up to 30 percent depending on the driving style...

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In 2008, Audi performed a study on sold vehicles with LED lights. Since A4 LED DRL consumes only 15 watts, this translates to 0.2 liter per 100 km and 4 grams fewer CO2 emission per kilometer per car. Using the 2008 sales figure and average driving number based on dealer service records, ten million of fuels were saved and 25,000 tones of fewer CO2 emission was produced in one year. Since then, LED lights are extensively use not only for DRL but also for taillights, headlights, and interior lighting. Additionally, LED has a virtually unlimited life cycle. It can be turned on and off up to ten times faster than regular bulb. And this hundreds of millisecond advantage of seeing LED brake lights sooner in emergency situation can actually save lives and reduce trauma...

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As soon as we left the highly populated areas, the view opened up and we were greeted by autumn foliage colors covering the vast rolling hills. At this moment, there was nothing better to do than absorbing the mesmerizing continuous frames of perfect postcards. After passing a few more small towns, we finally arrived at Viandenís main street, Grand Rue. This street climbs up a forested steep hills from the tiny bridge over River Our at the city center. We eagerly drove up this street following the sign for Ch‚teau de Vianden. Mightily sits on a high ground, the eleventh century castle of Vianden glowed in the dusk. The mixture of Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance features of this castle made this castle a perfect place to have a Halloween party. Many kids and their parents dressed in scary, funny, and medieval customs were dancing in a very large, tall, and airy hall at the heart of the castle. Walking around the castle ground, we soaked the fairy-tale panoramic view of dark deep blue sky, orange band of sunset on the horizon, and rolling lush hills highlighted by lights from small towns below. It was a great place to end our weekend getaway...

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Driving Audi A5 Cabrio with a Car Designer in Beverly Hills

Beverly Hills Cop and 90210 brought dramas to this seemingly orderly, quiet, and opulent small town. In this 70 degree Southern California weather, Abeng Halim, a senior car designer at VW/Audi Design Center California at Santa Monica, and I are driving around in a 2010 A5 2.0T Quattro Cabrio...

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We turn onto N. Beverly Drive heading towards the famous Rodeo Drive. It takes about 16 seconds for Cabrio's roof to fold in an origami manner. Once the roof is tucked in, there is neither gaping holes nor protrusions that are usually found in other convertible cars. Despite the missing roof line, A5 Cabrio looks very sporty; thanks to curvy shoulder lines and slightly flared fenders...

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In addition to the already famous front daytime driving LED lights, this A5 has LED taillights. The design of this LED taillights gives the distinctive look that eclipses the design of LED taillights from other car manufacturers. The laborious time spent on the design details by Audi designers set this car apart from other new convertibles...

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We decide to cruise the famous strip, Rodeo Drive. Rodeo Drive is a large outdoor catwalk. Many people dress to be seen and they strut in and out of boutiques looking for the latest and greatest designs in fashion. This is where rarity is the norm. Most limited production cars can be seen driving by this strip. In a few minutes we are on the strip, we see several Aston Martin's, Audi R8's, Bentley's, Ferrari's, and Maserati's. To top that, we also see a very rare custom painted Bugatti Veyron...

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This trip will not be complete without taking this A5 Cabrio to Pacific Coast Highway. So, we head west towards Santa Monica Pier, where the historic Route 66 officially ends. For us to satisfy our craving for adrenaline, we rely on the 2.0T engine that produces 258 lb-ft and 211 hp. Mated to a six-speed automatic gearbox, this car zooms from 0 to 60 mph in about 6.4 seconds. The ventilated and heated leather seats allow us to drive briskly with top and windows down despite the chilly ocean breeze. The paddle shifters on the steering wheel allow us to maintain our firm grip on the steering wheel during gear shifts. This feature comes handy when we reach Tuna Canyon Road off Pacific Coast Highway. This narrow road is probably the best road to enjoy a sport car in Santa Monica Mountains region. It is secluded and residential traffic is absent. It features mostly sharp turns, zigzags, hairpins, and very few and short straight stretches. Turns after turns come at us in crescendo. No time for us to look at speedometer. At lower elevation, the lush vegetation creates canopies. As we go higher, the sight of sheer cliffs reminds us to watch our speed...

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By moving the engine farther toward the firewall, Audi engineers are able to improve front-to-rear weight distribution. The combination of 52.9/47.1 front and rear weight distribution, rear biased Quattro system, new reinforced steel construction, and Dynamic mode of Audi Drive Select gives us a sport-car driving experience. Audi Drive Select enables its driver to select different programs that govern car's adaptive suspension, dynamic steering, transmission shift characteristics and engine response. To top off our exhilarating drive, the turbo blow off valve and the sporty tuned exhaust resonator produce a very addictive soundtrack when the car is driven spiritedly on this hilly extremely twisty road; perfecting the enjoyment of Audi driving...

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A5 2.0T Quattro Cabrio is the perfect car for people who live in Los Angeles areas. On a nice day, with the roof down, the car allows us to enjoy the best California weather. It wakes up our inner child when it is driven on Pacific Coast Highway. The same car gives us an oasis during our long and challenging commute traffic so we can arrive at our destination with a smile. And, the elegant and sporty design of A5 makes us feel like celebrities when we arrive at a red carpet party...

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