sparkhill
05-13-2006, 09:12 PM
I attended the Streets of Tomorrow event in San Francisco today. I arrived shortly after 8:00 AM, registered and went straight to the cars. You register on-site, so you are allowed to register any time the day of the event regardless of your previously chosen time. They said they were expecting 3,000 people this weekend. Upstairs from the registration area, there was a "lifestyle" area where there were videos, computers, food, etc.
The day started with a Q7 drive. It is a very nice vehicle. Lots of great features, fabulous interior, and great build quality. All the things you expect from Audi. It felt very "sporty" for an SUV. The Audi side assist and backup camera were both great features. The backup camera shows your predicted trajectory superimposed on the image of the ground. Are the days of curb rash gone?
Next I did the RS4 ride along. There were three RS4's: the Daytona and Mugello were being driven and the Imola was on display. <b>My tip of the day: don't buy a "demo" RS4 with a VIN number ending in 0006, 0043, or 0054.</b> Based on the VIN's, I assume that he SOT and press cars are coming out of the Launch Car allotment. The RS4 drive was very short. It sounds like the same short course with a professional driver as last weekend. The car was impressive and about what I expected having read the other reviews. I have no reservations about getting the RS4.
On display, there was a R8, S8, Q7, A3, A4, A8L and two Ducati motorcycles. My only complaint (and it is minor) about the whole event was the Bang and Olufsen representative kept the S8 tied up for demos of the sound system that lasted at least 15 minutes making it difficult for people to appreciate the other great interior and exterior features of the car. The B&O is impressive but just one component of a beautiful sedan. The two-tone gray interior and Daytona exterior are superb in person.
The final area was a closed course where you could drive the Q7, A3, A4, A6, A8, BMW X5, and maybe some other cars. I passed on this since the line was pretty long and I have already driven all of these vehicles. There was no RS4 to drive and I will post about this on separate thread.
The event was very nicely put together and must have cost a fortune. I greatly appreciate the effort AoA put into this. All staff members were very knowledgeable and friendly. On the way out, I ran into my regional Audi representative who recognized my name and told me my RS4 was on the way. Her personal touch was the perfect ending to a great morning.
The day started with a Q7 drive. It is a very nice vehicle. Lots of great features, fabulous interior, and great build quality. All the things you expect from Audi. It felt very "sporty" for an SUV. The Audi side assist and backup camera were both great features. The backup camera shows your predicted trajectory superimposed on the image of the ground. Are the days of curb rash gone?
Next I did the RS4 ride along. There were three RS4's: the Daytona and Mugello were being driven and the Imola was on display. <b>My tip of the day: don't buy a "demo" RS4 with a VIN number ending in 0006, 0043, or 0054.</b> Based on the VIN's, I assume that he SOT and press cars are coming out of the Launch Car allotment. The RS4 drive was very short. It sounds like the same short course with a professional driver as last weekend. The car was impressive and about what I expected having read the other reviews. I have no reservations about getting the RS4.
On display, there was a R8, S8, Q7, A3, A4, A8L and two Ducati motorcycles. My only complaint (and it is minor) about the whole event was the Bang and Olufsen representative kept the S8 tied up for demos of the sound system that lasted at least 15 minutes making it difficult for people to appreciate the other great interior and exterior features of the car. The B&O is impressive but just one component of a beautiful sedan. The two-tone gray interior and Daytona exterior are superb in person.
The final area was a closed course where you could drive the Q7, A3, A4, A6, A8, BMW X5, and maybe some other cars. I passed on this since the line was pretty long and I have already driven all of these vehicles. There was no RS4 to drive and I will post about this on separate thread.
The event was very nicely put together and must have cost a fortune. I greatly appreciate the effort AoA put into this. All staff members were very knowledgeable and friendly. On the way out, I ran into my regional Audi representative who recognized my name and told me my RS4 was on the way. Her personal touch was the perfect ending to a great morning.