Audi Pure Drive Experience

-Chris-

Has anyone seen this? I'm surprised no one's mentioned it yet.

http://www.audi.ie/ie/brand/en/experience/events/puredrive.html


Audi are giving the chance to test-drive the model range in several locations across the country. You nominate the car you want to drive and they'll schedule it for you.

I got a reminder email about it yesterday and it made me wonder if anyone here would be interested in it.

I know I'll be there anyway!



Needless to say, T&Cs apply. Don't PM me about this, I have nothing to do with it other than sharing the information.

Matt Simis

Where do you get to test drive though? Pooting around in an S4 or TTRS around Dublin City doesnt sound all that appealing!

-Chris-

I was actually thinking that too - I've driven the entire range except for the A4 Allroad, S4 and TTRS.
I'm not sure if I want to be driving up and down the Stillorgan dual carriageway in a TTRS, given the Gardai's penchant for putting speedtraps on that strech of road.

I don't know if I could resist the temptation to *puts on sunglasses* "see what this baby can do".

Hal1

If they closed of 160km of motorway I'd say yea this is more like it. Driving around the city would be pants. You couldn't accelerate to more than 30kph before reaching the next set of lights.

h3000

Hal1 wrote: »

If they closed of 160km of motorway I'd say yea this is more like it. Driving around the city would be pants. You couldn't accelerate to more than 30kph before reaching the next set of lights.

Going quick in a straight line is not what those cars are for. You need a nice Winding road to really enjoy them.

Might see if I can arrange the S4 and TTRS for Cork or Galway..

R.O.R

As a valued Audi Customer (well, I have a memory stick keyring anyway), I've just got my invite to the event at the Radisson St. Helens for Friday.

Is it a dealer thing as well as a central location? I went on to the website and it asks for your local dealer - unless that's just for follow up?

Hal1

h3000 wrote: »

Going quick in a straight line is not what those cars are for. You need a nice Winding road to really enjoy them.

Well sure I meant to say that too. Road handling is a fun part of driving too, and nothing better than some twisty rural or mountanous type roads.

Drummerboy08

I wouldnt be arsed with it tbh, unless I get to drive an R8. Thats all I want to drive. I can compare it to my recent experience in a 5.0 Jag XKR!

It would make more sense for Audi to book Mondello for a few days to do this event.

Padraig Mor

Signed up for the S4 or A8. Let's hope they don't expect me to buy one.....

Drummerboy08

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Signed up for the S4 or A8. Let's hope they don't expect me to buy one.....

I've a feeling they might be two of the more popular cars that people will sign up for...

Padraig Mor

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

I've a feeling they might be two of the more popular cars that people will sign up for...

Better not break them so!

-Chris-

Drummerboy08 wrote: »

It would make more sense for Audi to book Mondello for a few days to do this event.

They do, it's the Sportscar Experience.

Galwaytt will tell you all about it!

Drummerboy08

-Chris- wrote: »

They do, it's the Sportscar Experience.

Galwaytt will tell you all about it!

Yeah but that costs the punter money!

Unless your a jammy git, like Galwaytt

R.O.R

TTRS booked for 13.00, Q7 (never driven one of them) for 13.30

-Chris-

R.O.R wrote: »

TTRS booked for 13.00, Q7 (never driven one of them) for 13.30

I'll see ya there!

mickdw

Got my invite in the post today for galway event. Must confirm it.

bazzachazza

Got mine binned it straight away !!!!















I'll be in Oslo;)

RedorDead

Anyone make it to this over the weekend? What did you think?

TheBazman

registered for it ...didn't hear a bean

-Chris-

I thought it was very well run, cool to see all the cars in one place.

Only after I got there did I think "crap, I should have brought the camera for the HWIST thread."

Theta

No S5, RS, R8 Might be interesing for TTRS but other then that meh.

-Chris-

Did you go irlmarc?

pburns

Meh I got a phone call from Audi but was gonna be busy and cancelled. Ideally I'd like to try an A4 All-Road, A4 TDI Quattro, A6 3.0TDI and an R8. Couldn't be arsed tho' unless I got one for a few hours and could drive over the 'route-to-work' or some other road that is familiar to me - that would be the acid test.

Don't think I'd have the nerve to book an R8. Would love to try one one but wouldn't buy one in a million years, even leaving affordability aside. Too Celtic Cub bling...

I'd say they got a fair few time wasters but I guess it's all part of brand building and all that bollocks... Make someone fall in love with an R8 and he'll be buying an red-eye RS4 TDI somewhere down the line:p...

R.O.R

Went down at lunch on Friday. Arrived about 12.40 for my booked test drive in the TTRS at 13.00. After Chris had finished his 13.00 test drive and I was still hanging around like a tool I went up to the desk to see what was going on.

It was around 14.00 by the time the TTRS was back and ready to go - no explanation given for the delay, so wasn't best pleased.

The TTRS is very nice inside and there is a lovely noise from the engine, both at Idle and under load. Test drive route was through Blackrock, down towards Dun Loughaire, through to Monkstown then back up towards the Stillorgan Dual Carriageway. Took about 25 mins and got to test the acceleration and brakes a bit, but just a bit too much traffic around that area on a Friday afternoon. The performance of the car is very good, but not that much better than a Golf GTi to warrant the €50k + difference in price.

As I had to get back to the office I only took a short spin in the Q7 - no waiting for that as they had 2 parked up ready to go. Very nice to drive, but unlikely to sell many with the current tax regime - escpecially in White S-Line Spec.

Audi put on a good show, just a shame I was left hanging around for so long. I'd say most of the test drives in the TTRS and S4 were from people who have absolutley no intention of buying one (like myself) and were only driving them because you could. There were a few driving the A3/A4/A6 and they may get a few sales out from that, but I can't help thinking that the money it cost to run a day like that, might have been better spent on additional customer discount.

Padraig Mor

Taking the S4 out for a spin next friday in Cork.....

Matt Simis

Chris, does the S4 model on show have the sports rear diff, ie Torque Vectoring?
http://www.audiworld.com/news/08/b8-s4-first-drive/

THIS is what quattro is all about. The synergic combination of an improved weight distribution (~5% better than previous S4's), rearward torque bias (40:60 static) and the quattro sport rear differential rewards the driver with a chassis dynamic we've never experienced in a front-engined Audi before. The prevailing behavior is quite neutral, with early throttle inputs causing the tail to rotate easily. If one was to come in too hot and induce understeer, the rear differential will work its magic to bring things back to neutral. Get brave, and you can tailslide the B8 S4 nearly as well as a RWD car, with the added control of AWD to send torque forward and straighten the whole mess up on demand

Im thinking a track would be a better test of the S4, test driving it in traffic and people are going to be totally underwhelmed.

-Chris-

No idea Matt, I could find out if you wanted.

They had the S4 at the Sportscar Experience in Mondello too, so if you wanted to give it socks, that's probably the best place to do it.

I think they're damned if they do, and damned if they don't tbh - if you only bring the bread-and-butter cars for test-drives you'll probably get the "meh, bland" reaction of irlmarc, and if you bring the S & RS cars you get "sure I couldn't drive it properly anyway because of the traffic."

I'd say for most people it's just an opportunity to sit in/drive cars that they dream & drool about. Anyone serious about buying a TTRS, S4 or similar has already contacted their dealer directly to organise a test-drive, they're not going to wait around until Audi holds a free test-drive day.

mickdw

Galway event is cancelled due to the weather ( and maybe some destroyed cars). No contact from the organisers to say so though.

Padraig Mor

Cork on this Saturday...

rebel.ranter

Padraig Mor wrote: »

Cork on this Saturday...

not to be caught out this time they are bringing this model......:D:D:D


http://www.newluxuryitems.com/audi-boat-r8-catamaran.html

RedorDead

rebel.ranter wrote: »

not to be caught out this time they are bringing this model......:D:D:D


http://www.newluxuryitems.com/audi-boat-r8-catamaran.html

With all the cars that were used in Dublin as well apart from the R8 which is heading to top gear live.