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Now is your chance to experience and learn "hands on" how to make the most effective use of your car's technology with the 'Audi Driving Experience' range of safety and performance driving courses.
These courses have evolved over the last seven years with the purpose of not only improving driving skills but more importantly, enhancing awareness, concentration and ultimately focusing on the familiarity of your vehicle's capabilities to reduce the risk of accidents.
On behalf of GulfWeekly, Al Hilal's David Beckett, pictured above, jumped behind the steering wheel for an experience to remember.
AUDI invited the media to a cold evening at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) to sample the thrills of the half-day Advanced Safety Driving course under the very watchful, encouraging yet pedantic eyes of Mike Prophet, senior instructor, and his team.
On the principle that a day of bad driving is better than a good day working, these courses are fun and in such a short time provide you with the opportunity to experience the EPS intervention systems that enable you to make sudden direction changes without braking, and then moving on to aggressively testing the ABS braking system through carefully coned courses.
These courses can be tailored to personal requirements and whether you choose to participate as an individual or as part of a team-building initiative then the thrill of agility and performance are at your command.
The 'finale' was the timed slalom exercise using first the four wheel drive 3.2 Quattro and then the front wheel drive 2.0 turbo which was both competitive and fun.
Unfortunately, Rami from Arabian Motors stole the show relegating me to second, a position that my wife later pointed out, I rarely come!
The annoying factor about these types of courses is that just when you are feeling really inspired and confident about your improved driving, it is time to go home but then I suppose that is the very purpose itself of the entire experience and you do have an accredited certificate from Audi to prove it.
However, having driven a range of Audi cars including the A6 and T.T models throughout the evening, the experience was about to continue as Pieter Kruger, Audi brand manager, very benevolently invited me to load my company "Maxima" onto the truck and take away the T.T Turbo for a few days.
The TT is often regarded as the vehicle that made people take a second look at Audi when it was introduced to the market in 1998 and it really has to be said that this sports coupe is an honest and pleasurable car to drive.
The front-wheel-drive 2.0T model comes with a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine that develops 200 horsepower and 207 pound-feet of torque. The Audi TT 3.2 Quattro features all-wheel drive and a 3.2-litre V6 maxing out at 250 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque.
Although the 3.2 is the larger engine, I opted for the 2.0 Turbo as this model has now been significantly reduced in weight through the use of an all-new steel-and-aluminum Audi Space Frame that, utilising 69-per cent aluminum, weighs 48 per cent less than an all-steel body and the front wheel drive seems to provide a catapult effect when driven snappily through the paddle shift gear system.
Curb weight, lowered as well by an aluminum-intensive suspension, has dropped by around 200 pounds. And it's a formidable powerplant. Propelling the roadster from 0-62mph in only 6.7 seconds and on to 147mph, it's hardly any slower than the 3.2-litre V6.
Hardly 'up there' in the super car bracket, (The R8 is resplendently lined up for that accolade) the T.T_Turbo provides powerful acceleration, an extremely comfortable driving position and fantastic and responsive control over both the gears and brakes.
The ESP mode seems to make terrific compensations for any slightly over zealous maneuvers and the optional sports suspension mode adds to the congruity of a sports coupe driving experience.
I think that, without question, if I was to be 'tearing' around through the wet cambered country roads of England then the four wheel drive 3.2 ,with its firmer hold, would be the most appropriate option but certainly for here, in Bahrain, the 2.0 Turbo is a more than satisfying drive and it has to be said, is a beautiful, eye-catching automobile!
It would certainly seem that Audi is by far the fastest growing premium brand in the GCC and even more so in Bahrain.
Speaking confidently, Mr Kruger said: "I expect at least 40 per cent growth for Audi Bahrain in 2008 vs 2007 with continued strong sales growth on current models and the introduction of new A4 and A5 in 2008 will be contributing to this.
"Audi Bahrain has one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings amongst the GCC importers and we believe that "Driving Experiences" such as the one held at the BIC are the best ways to introduce and highlight the excitement, safety and advanced technology found in Audi cars."
