On the Road in an A3 TDI Sportback
Eisvogel (ice bird or kingfisher)
“A small middle European bird (Alcedo ispida) with a long cleft beak and brilliant plumage, feeding on fish and other aquatic animals which it captures by diving.”
Eisvogel Blau also happens to be the color of an amazing test mule that I had the opportunity to drive for two weeks and close to 4500 miles during the end of April beginning of May of this year. (2009) Now being retired, I have simply too much time to get into trouble and or spend on my hobbies, the first is collecting old German (Märklin) toy trains, the second is driving my Audis, and the third is occasionally celebrating the arrival of a new Audi and having the opportunity to drive a test mule. Thanks to the Florida Audi Technical Center, Christmas does arrive more than once a year.
I picked up the showroom clean A3 on a Monday and to make it easier to keep it even cleaner of bugs and road grime on my trip, I waxed it. Unfortunately, I am one of those folks whose cars must always be shiny; it was also one way to get to know this car and unfortunately mules, press cars, etc. have a tendency to be abused. Just read the latest road tests in almost any automotive magazine. The other thing is that vehicles with manufacturer’s plates or names on the side are clearly rolling representations of the company and really should look more than just presentable at all times. When was the last time a less than shiny UPS or if they still have them Marshal Fields delivery truck passed you? So with blue Michigan manufacturers’ plates, no model or engine designation on the rear and a color not seen on this side of the Atlantic before, I was on my way. The cognoscenti of course would immediately recognize that this Audi just might be something special.
Now color is a matter of taste but sometimes when applied to certain objects a facet of design becomes accentuated. Though I must admit blue is not one of my favorite car colors, there was something about this blue along with the black panoramic roof on a brand spanking new (just a little more than a grand on the clock) A3 TDI that made it stand out. It was the right color on the right car with the right turbine-like wheels and in over 28 years of owning Audis, I have never received so many compliments on a car in two weeks. More on that later.
So early on a clear Tuesday morning, I set off for York, PA. It is here that a semi-annual pilgrimage takes place where men that suffer a common affliction and who refuse to grow old gather, filling up the county fairgrounds to buy and sell old toy trains. In about six hours of driving, I arrived at my first stop, Savannah to fill up on diesel and record the mileage. St Pete to Savannah on eight gallons at 44 plus MPG: not bad at all for a car that was just being broken in. For those who have not been there, Savannah is an interesting place to visit, with more than its fair share of history, beautiful homes, and some absolute chassis-jarring cobblestone streets to drive on down by the old waterfront. This A3 was solid, not a squeak, groan, or a rattle. I followed 17 north back to the interstate and then to Fayetteville and a non-descript motel and supper.
Savannah
There is absolutely nothing that would lead one to think they were driving a diesel except the running at lower RPM’s and the torque. Inside the car, the engine is smooth and quiet. Another uncanny thing is that there is absolutely no build up of soot on the chromed tail pipes. They were as clean after a day’s hard driving as the day prior when I made sure this styling accent was bright and shinny. Now I had driven a 4 banger TDI a few years back in Germany for 5 weeks and found that cruising at 110 was easy and charging up the hill to the radio transmission tower behind Heidelberg were great ways to relax after a hard days work in Waldorf. If it were an extra taxing day, I would do it twice, and then proceed to the Hacken Teufel in the old city for a wildschwein (wild boar) ragout dinner and only then was all was well with the world. Though this A3 was never pushed much above 80 MPH, one could still feel the torque and acceleration. Passing, though not blinding, was fast, crisp, and reassuring. There was never a problem of keeping up with traffic be it the two lane US 17 or the interstate, the issue was trying not to pull away from it all and end up running point for a ticket.
The next morning it was on into DC, actually skirting it, to check out the Air and Space Museum (a place not to miss if one is into the history of aviation) and then a meeting for a brief tour of Audi’s new HQ in Herndon. A lot of business is created, managed, and executed out of the Audi floor of that building. As one exits the elevator, there is an R10, a tribute to Audi’s many victories on the tarmac. It had to be taken apart and reassembled, as there was no service elevator large enough to fit it in. While many I am sure were busy working on figuring out how to chip away at BMW’s market share, another group was going through a presentation on (at that time) the fairly new Audi TDI micro site. How apropos. Though not asked, my pedagogical past combined with my two days of seat time would have afforded me the wherewithal to have provided them a 15-minute presentation on the “actual” virtues of the A3 TDI.
After an hour and a half and 15 miles in traffic, it was on to an enjoyable supper with a former colleague at a Vietnamese restaurant in Germantown. It is simply amazing what people will endure to escape oppression and tyranny. His family story, though I am sure not unique, is simply harrowing. Within sight of land being towed back out to sea and left to drift without any replenishment of fuel, food or water, the atrocities perpetrated by pirates and the death at sea of a younger brother makes one pause and reflect.
Dinner completed and back on the road, I dialed in the most direct route (meaning back byways) from Germantown to Gettysburg. This was to take me on some high crown rural black top, a one-lane steel trestle bridge, and a gateless RR crossing. I had once driven it on a Harvest moonlit night with the top down in a Cabrio, but one could never do this without the Audi Navigation System Plus or an intimate knowledge of the roads even during the day; it was now being traversed on a pitch black night. Scale in the screen and it all makes for an enjoyable drive at speed but one must be ever careful of deer. I had the opportunity to stand on the binders not once but twice when on two occasions herds of deer crossed the narrow country road directly in front of me. On the second, I saw all these sparkling reflections and briefly wondered if some one had hung some Christmas tinsel along the road until the headlights picked up the almost camouflaged herd. The third would be the charmer and frankly, I am not that fond of venison no matter how it is bagged so I slowed down.
The following morning, with frost on the hood and roof, the diesel of course fired right up. It is almost as long ago as the dark ages since one started a diesel tractor by running it on gas first till it had warmed up enough to turn over to diesel, or waiting for the glow plug to warm up prior to cranking it over. This TDI fired up faster than many a gas engine.
It was off to the battlefield to spend a leisurely early morning drive through what was certainly unbelievable carnage close to over a century and a half ago. In many places, the first signs of spring along with budding flowers were evident and what a counterpoint. If one did not remember from grade school, it still would be very easy to figure out who the winner was by the number of memorials. Winners generally write the history but both sides suffered immensely in this decisive battle during what some historians consider our second civil war with the first being our revolt against Great Britain.
Gettysburg
Alabama Memorial Gettysburg at sunrise
Then it was off to York, east on US 30 the old Lincoln Highway which started in Times Square New York and ends in Astoria Oregon. Talking about historic drives old US 66 is good but US highways 6, 30 and 40 used to go coast to coast but did not have the luxury of novels, songs or a TV show to celebrate them. It would be fun to do one of the latter at some point. Upon arriving at the show, the hunt was on for that addition to the collection that one could not live without.
Eisvogel at the Eternal Flame Memorial Gettysburg
By this time, I’d had the Eisvogel for four days and many times that number in compliments on how sharp it looked. Whether it was a friend who just purchased an M3 or another who had driven down from Canada in his Cayenne or an absolute stranger who said “I hope that is the blue of the S5 I have on order” (frankly I did not want to tell him, it probably was not), or the fellow who just parked next to me and came over first to talk about trains but then started asking about the car.
Nothing found the first day and the drought continued into the second day so at about eleven, on having not lightened my wallet, it was time to head south and home. I stopped for some of the best BBQ ever at Andersons north of Baltimore then on to the loop. A couple in a S8 pulled up along side waived, pointed at the car and gave the thumbs up then peeled off to their exit. Once again, it had to be the color; they certainly knew what an A3 was. Proceeded to get lost in downtown DC, had wanted to go over the Wilson Bridge replacement and must have made a wrong turn. Dialed in the MMI Nav and was soon on my way out of town past old National, now Ronald Reagan and on to the Wilson. The latest iteration of navigation systems available on the R8 and A3 is really cool, intuitive, and informative. It took me out of Dodge quickly and in the most direct route.
Taking the back roads From Wilson NC, to Hilton Head Saturday morning found me driving the streets of Charleston. I had now visited the place not far where that second civil war had all started and now from the beginning to where the end had transpired. This road trip was going full circle. Once again, the stone and cobble streets tried to shake the A3 but could not make it squeak. A quick swing through “Patriots Park” then it was off to Hilton Head and dinner with a long time friend. The compliments on the car and especially the color continued even at a tawny yacht club on Hilton Head Island. Now the A3 has been out and on the roads for a number of years and there was nothing to let one know it was a diesel; once again, it had to be the color. I know colors are often chosen by focus groups but seeing this car in person and in many different lighting situations, it is striking even without the distinctive running lights on.
Eisvogel downtown Charlestown
Was home a day then ran the latest iteration of the Audi Club of Florida Mileage Challenge route from St Pete to Orlando which was to be run on July 12th. Despite being stuck in Tampa traffic for close to 30 minutes, was able to manage 45 MPG over the 140 mile trek. Besides the mileage, my wife was really surprised how comfortable the car was as we drove through some of the few hills and dales in rural Florida.
By Wednesday afternoon, I was ready for another monoposto road trip, packed the A3 with my kit and clothes then off to join the Cherokee Club (now the Georgia Audi Club) in their annual “quattro de Mayo” drive of the “Tail of the Dragon”. I made it just north of Valdosta that night then on into Pigeon Forge early the next afternoon. Whether one is cruising along at 80 or stuck in the stop and go of an Atlanta morning rush hour navigating spaghetti junction, the car handled beautifully. The manual seats were actually more comfortable than those in some of the fancier Audis and of course, Sirius radio is terrific; they just need an additional classical station or two. Sipping gas at speed or just crawling along comes naturally to this car.
Now I had driven the Tail before in my ’02 S6 Avant but this was clearly more fun, used much less fuel, and probably did it as fast if not faster. The Cherokee Chapter and specifically Ted Dannemiller and his brother Bud’s hard work insure that it is a first class event. I was heading back to St Pete leaving Pigeon Forge at 3:00 AM on a rainy Saturday and missed some of their festivities but it is well worth the drive to join them as they rollick through the Smokies in their Audis. The drive from Pigeon Forge to Cherokee early that morning was like running a late 50’s, early 60’s rally with one’s Lucas Flamethrowers piecing the almost impenetrable. Never went all that fast but it was a blast. 670 miles, 11 hours, lost count of the Krystals (hamburgers) and averaging a shade over 60 mph including stops, the Eisvogel (as I had affectionately begun to call it) delivered not just on comfort and economy but was really fun and sporty to drive on the long haul back to St Pete.
Some additional thoughts on what is a fantastic car. The color is a knock out; I probably could have sold that car at least three times. It garnered attention, interest and admiration from folks driving MB’s, Lexus SUV’s, BMW’s, Volvo’s, and even a Dodge SRT pickup at a car wash, figure that. A member of the Cherokee club asked what motel I was in so she could steal the car, another piped up, “If she doesn’t, I will”
After having the opportunity to drive this TDI A3 on many types of roads and through different weather conditions, it became apparent, this car is the most viable answer to the fuel economy verses joy of driving dialectic. The engine never ran out of power whether it was driving the “Tail of the Dragon” and keeping up with a very highly modified TT, running with an RS4 or climbing the ridge of the Smokies to try to beat a storm and catch a sunset while never getting much above 2000 RPMs, the torque is there and delivers smoothly. It is absolutely amazing how quickly one can drive this car without any of the drama of constant shifting to keep within a narrower torque band. It would be interesting to compare midrange acceleration figures of this car with many of the higher “performance” engines available. At the speeds one generally drives, I am absolutely sure that it would hold its own. When one adds a winding hilly road with many switchbacks put it in “S” and the torque insure this car simply flies.
I am not sure this color will be available but it should be; it makes this car. Where is Harley Earl when we need him? I doubt he ever heard of a focus group and probably would have even cared less what they thought. If one is looking for an all around car that has class, clearly very sporty driving characteristics and some very nice amenities, then on top of it all delivers fantastic mileage; this is it, hands down. As of this writing, I have since driven two 3.0T S4’s, a Q7 TDI and a 3.0T A6 Avant. All fantastic cars which I would love to own, but I still miss the Eisvogel A3 TDI.
Bob Greving
President ACFL
Update June 2019
The above was written in June of 2009. As an update, after about two years of testing, the Eisvogel suffered the fate of all test mules. Since they do not meet DOT safety standards and cannot be sold to the public they are crushed, shredded then the remains are sold for scrap.
Bob Greving