3200 miles, 10 states, me, my wife, a dog, a cat and one blue S4...
07-24-2001, 06:52 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
3200 miles, 10 states, me, my wife, a dog, a cat and one blue S4...
Just got back from an 8 day trip with the four of us in my S4 from Houston to Pennsylvania to visit my wife's parents. It was nearly 1600 miles each way, split over 2 days each way. I love my S4. I wish I were shorter, and it probably would have been a lot more comfortable though. At 6'5", my legs really got cramped and would hurt during the trip, but from my experience I've had in rental cars, can say I would probably be at a doctor's office for back treatment if I were in an American car. We stopped about every 1.5-2 hours on the trip. The longest day was 1040 miles on yesterday, from Northampton, PA to Meridian, MS, and it took 17 hours to drive including rest stops. The weather was never over the low 80's in PA. I loved that, and it was quite a break from the Houston summer heat.
Trip tidbits:
Average trip computer speed on the way up: 69mph (complicated by 1.5 hrs. of traffic delays)
Average MPG on the way up: 24.2 mpg
Trip computer time on the way up: 23h04m (26 hours on the road counting stops, but not the motel stop)
Average trip computer speed on the way back: 70mph (complicated by 1 hrs. of traffic delays)
Average MPG on the way back: 24.9mpg
Trip computer time on the way back: 22h40m (26 hours on the road counting stops, but not the motel stop)
Approx. MPG on 70mph cruise control in Virginia: 27mpg
Trip observations:
Cat fur sticks to every piece of plastic and fabric in the S4.
Texas drivers are virtually clueless of the concept of stay right except to pass. Louisiana drivers sometimes embrace the concept. From Mississippi to Pennsylvania, compliance seems to run about 97% with this rule though.
People from Florida drive slow.
Virginia sucks...oh sure, it was the prettiest state with the best roads on the trip...but I feel like I'm entering **** Germany when I arrive there with these signs when you cross into it (not to mention that I saw about one cop per hour there):
Speed Limit 65 (vs. 70 south of VA)
Radar Detectors Illegal
Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft
Speed Limit Enforced by Electronic Devices
Illegal Gun? 5 Years In Prison
I-10 from Beaumont to Baton Rouge may be the worst road in the country.
The right lanes of most of the interstates is significantly worse than the left lanes (very noticeable with 18" wheels).
If I lived in Pennsylvania, I wouldn't have 18" wheels.
I think I only downshifted once per day to pass somebody on the interstate: 6th gear S4 torque rules!!! And it blows their doors off of startles them to bits as well.
Trucks suck (or at least a lot of them do). They tailgate. They change lanes into the passing lane regardless of whether there's a car in their way or not (seen at least 50 times, and I was very hard on the brakes 5-6 times to prevent a collision when one would change at the last minute). And when they do pass somebody, they can take miles to do it.
I saw a Louisiana State Police unmarked (from the front and rear) white Ford Excursion running radar on I-10. Scary.
I could probably count the number of Audis I saw on the road during the trip on my hands and toes.
Finally...Turn Signals -- Lever on the Left -- Need I say more?
Trip tidbits:
Average trip computer speed on the way up: 69mph (complicated by 1.5 hrs. of traffic delays)
Average MPG on the way up: 24.2 mpg
Trip computer time on the way up: 23h04m (26 hours on the road counting stops, but not the motel stop)
Average trip computer speed on the way back: 70mph (complicated by 1 hrs. of traffic delays)
Average MPG on the way back: 24.9mpg
Trip computer time on the way back: 22h40m (26 hours on the road counting stops, but not the motel stop)
Approx. MPG on 70mph cruise control in Virginia: 27mpg
Trip observations:
Cat fur sticks to every piece of plastic and fabric in the S4.
Texas drivers are virtually clueless of the concept of stay right except to pass. Louisiana drivers sometimes embrace the concept. From Mississippi to Pennsylvania, compliance seems to run about 97% with this rule though.
People from Florida drive slow.
Virginia sucks...oh sure, it was the prettiest state with the best roads on the trip...but I feel like I'm entering **** Germany when I arrive there with these signs when you cross into it (not to mention that I saw about one cop per hour there):
Speed Limit 65 (vs. 70 south of VA)
Radar Detectors Illegal
Speed Limit Enforced by Aircraft
Speed Limit Enforced by Electronic Devices
Illegal Gun? 5 Years In Prison
I-10 from Beaumont to Baton Rouge may be the worst road in the country.
The right lanes of most of the interstates is significantly worse than the left lanes (very noticeable with 18" wheels).
If I lived in Pennsylvania, I wouldn't have 18" wheels.
I think I only downshifted once per day to pass somebody on the interstate: 6th gear S4 torque rules!!! And it blows their doors off of startles them to bits as well.
Trucks suck (or at least a lot of them do). They tailgate. They change lanes into the passing lane regardless of whether there's a car in their way or not (seen at least 50 times, and I was very hard on the brakes 5-6 times to prevent a collision when one would change at the last minute). And when they do pass somebody, they can take miles to do it.
I saw a Louisiana State Police unmarked (from the front and rear) white Ford Excursion running radar on I-10. Scary.
I could probably count the number of Audis I saw on the road during the trip on my hands and toes.
Finally...Turn Signals -- Lever on the Left -- Need I say more?
07-24-2001, 07:09 PM
#5
AudiWorld Expert
Thread Starter
I was perfectly happy not venturing more than a half hour in the car from the house...
...we didn't leave Houston on the first day until 1:35 pm, so I was really socked by that drive and the uncomfortable double bed we were in until I woke up Sunday (it was a Tuesday-Tuesday trip).
07-24-2001, 07:49 PM
#6
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If you ever take the trip again, you have to try the Blue Ridge Pkwy
From NC into VA. One of the most beautiful rides east of the Miss. but you have to time it right or the slow traffic will kill ya.
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07-25-2001, 05:28 AM
#8
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8 days in a car with a cat?! You must be a masochist......
Never met a cat that didn't hate driving in cars. They cry, they howl, they pee....no fun for anyone. Maybe you got one that's a little more road-savvy.
Looks like you skipped the lovely D.C. roads on your drive through MD and VA.....wise move. We've got some of the worst roads I've ever seen (and I grew up on the south side of Chicago).
- Dave
'01 Santorin/Silver
Looks like you skipped the lovely D.C. roads on your drive through MD and VA.....wise move. We've got some of the worst roads I've ever seen (and I grew up on the south side of Chicago).
- Dave
'01 Santorin/Silver
