A Saturday morning is the perfect time to start off a relaxing, chilled out and smooth day, but that was not something we had signed up for on the morning of 23 April 2016. As the day dawned upon us we got ready to take on the off-roads with some Quattro power. We started off from our houses and in no time found ourselves at the Mumbai edition of the Audi Q Drive program setup. Waiting for us was a custom built offroad track and the three members of the Q clan – the dashing Audi Q3, the old school Q5 and the prodigious Q7. Before we go any further, for those who don’t know and those who must have forgotten, the Audi Q Drive is a multi-city event that is organized by Audi India to provide enthusiasts and potential buyers to experience the company’s Q series SUVs. The drive is in its fifth edition, and the Mumbai edition, we are talking about here, follows the introductory session that was held in Karnal earlier.
Our team has already tested these SUVs and has opened up the Q power to its limits. This drive gave us the opportunity to explore the deep corners of its capabilities and go full Quattro on the terrain once again. The custom built track had us taking on the rumblers, chicken holes, slush pits (without the slush) and hill climbs and descends. Before we could get to the cars, we were briefed about all the necessary tech-mech info by Audi’s Racing talent – Aditya Patel. And the only rule we were to follow was – in a klutzy situation with a couple of wheels in the air, tap the throttle to let the Quattro system kick-in for the rescue.
Also read: New 2015 Audi Q7 review: Evolved mastery
The enthusiastic ourselves started off with the mighty Q7 and seamlessly got onto the terrain. The Audi Q7 happily nodded to each and every task we put it to and wafted through the pits and undulations effortlessly whether it was the axle twister or the suspension articulation. On the tilting task, while we were almost off our seats and the SUV was stationed on the (mud) ramp of almost 35 degrees, the Q7 simply does the ‘I got this’ act and drives out with a wink.
Click here for the review of the Deft and Dashing 2015 Audi Q3 35 TDI
We were assisted by the Audi’s racing talent Aditya Patel and a team of experts and marshals. Next in line was the humble Audi Q5 for us and we did the same rounds with it. The Q5 is not equipped with the latest upgraded Quattro tech but is a decent performer on the terrains. It performs very well but takes a couple of extra seconds to get the Quattro going. We finished out drive with the smallest of the clan, the Audi Q3. The Q3 is nimble on its feet and makes the most out of its offroad technology while on the terrain. Its smaller size may instigate a lot of questions, but all of them get answered as you floor the throttle.
The Audi Q Drive is an interesting program to interact with the Audi SUVs and also to know what a package they are. On the drive, Joe King, Head, Audi India had a few words to share stating that the Audi Q range highlights the sportiness, the sophistication and the progressiveness of the brand. The Audi Q Drive showcases the functionality and capability of our SUVs while demonstrating their outstanding Quattro capabilities on an off-road track. For all the Audi enthusiasts, it is the perfect opportunity to experience the grit and strength of the Audi range in a natural off-roading environment.
