Saturday, February 5, 2011

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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