At this point I should like to point out my one little bugbear inside the vehicle. No, not her, how could you think that about my charming wife? No, what I meant were the coffee cup holders.
Some designer, in his wisdom, had seen fit to place them under the centre arm rest!? On a long run, I kind of like to use that armrest, and so the entire trip consisted of "move your arm dear, I want to get to my coffee"!
Now when I'm on a trip like this, I try to stay off of the freeways as much as possible because I like to see and experience the countryside I'm driving through. I enjoy wandering along the windy roads and taking in the cute little backwater towns. After all, if I was in that much of a hurry to get there, I would have taken a plane, wouldn't I?
No, my wife and I look upon this annual trip as a bit of a holiday, and with that in mind, what better way to enjoy our vacation than dawdling through the countryside with the top down and the wind in our hair?
This brings me nicely to the plastic and mesh contraption which I had found in the trunk. Yes, what at first appeared to me to be some sort of rack for stopping sweaters losing their shape after washing, was actually Audi's answer to a windbreak.
My first thought was to leave this at home as it took up quite a bit of space in the trunk, but after some consideration, I decided to try it out.
Now typically, these things are about as useful as a plastic ice-cream, but the one that Audi supplies actually works!!!
Positioned between the headrests, and with the windows up, you would almost think that you were in a vehicle with a sunroof, rather than a full convertible. That made the trip for me, because at low speeds through the little towns, you could put the windows down and enjoy proper open-top motoring. Yet, when speed was called for, there was next to no wind-buffeting at all!
Speed! Yes, well, you knew that I'd get to that at some time!
My tester was fitted with Audi's 3.2L FSI V6, which produces 255hp. That is more than enough for this vehicle to be designated as quick (0-60mph in 7.2 seconds, 155mph top speed), and yet when coupled to its wonderful 6 speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic, it becomes a true playful roadster.
Some designer, in his wisdom, had seen fit to place them under the centre arm rest!? On a long run, I kind of like to use that armrest, and so the entire trip consisted of "move your arm dear, I want to get to my coffee"!
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| The windscreen was surprisingly efficient. |
Now when I'm on a trip like this, I try to stay off of the freeways as much as possible because I like to see and experience the countryside I'm driving through. I enjoy wandering along the windy roads and taking in the cute little backwater towns. After all, if I was in that much of a hurry to get there, I would have taken a plane, wouldn't I?
No, my wife and I look upon this annual trip as a bit of a holiday, and with that in mind, what better way to enjoy our vacation than dawdling through the countryside with the top down and the wind in our hair?
This brings me nicely to the plastic and mesh contraption which I had found in the trunk. Yes, what at first appeared to me to be some sort of rack for stopping sweaters losing their shape after washing, was actually Audi's answer to a windbreak.
My first thought was to leave this at home as it took up quite a bit of space in the trunk, but after some consideration, I decided to try it out.
Now typically, these things are about as useful as a plastic ice-cream, but the one that Audi supplies actually works!!!
Positioned between the headrests, and with the windows up, you would almost think that you were in a vehicle with a sunroof, rather than a full convertible. That made the trip for me, because at low speeds through the little towns, you could put the windows down and enjoy proper open-top motoring. Yet, when speed was called for, there was next to no wind-buffeting at all!
Speed! Yes, well, you knew that I'd get to that at some time!
My tester was fitted with Audi's 3.2L FSI V6, which produces 255hp. That is more than enough for this vehicle to be designated as quick (0-60mph in 7.2 seconds, 155mph top speed), and yet when coupled to its wonderful 6 speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic, it becomes a true playful roadster.
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| This 3.2-litre V6 is all that it takes to get you moving in a splendid way. |