Earlier this week I attended a Chicago-area Audi track day at the Autobahn Country Club. Audi of America is getting ready to bring the B8 Audi A4 to the US. The Audi Driving Experience is an opportunity for people to push Audi’s cars to the limit and judge how they did against the competition. The day started out with a lot of rain, but luckily it stopped before our time to go out. After a brief talk about Audi’s future technology we were greeted by three bright red Audi A4s.

The new A4s had improved weight distribution, torque split, and selectable driving modes. The models we drove had 3.2 liter V6 engines and the revised Quattro all-wheel drive system. We then got sent out to the autocross track to compare a an A4 3.2 Quattro to a C300 4Matic, IS250 AWD, and 328xi. All of these entry level luxury cars had all-wheel and six-cylinder engines.

I actually liked the Lexus IS the most out of the pack. It doesn’t feel underpowered (which was surprising) and felt a little more balanced and more eager to attack the corners. The IS250 was the underdog because it had smallest engine and the least amount of horsepower and torque. The IS makes up for it by having the lowest weight and the lowest price. The A4 is still an excellent car that really shines on the track.

Next up was a few laps around the track following a pro driver in an Audi S5. This was the most fun and also the most challenging. The lead car went out with four A4s following along. The goal was to get around the track quickly and safely. It was here that I realized how little my Gran Turismo training did to prepare me. I realized how precise and gradual you have to be with steering and throttle inputs.

Later in the day was an optional “Brand Drive.” It was an opportunity to drive some of Audi’s other models on the track. You have a chance of driving any model except for the R8. I sprinted over towards the end so I would have a choice and noticed a Black S5 sitting at the end of the pack. The S5 is amazingly comfortable and stable car. It was almost boring because I was so far from the car’s limits.

The Audi Driving Experience is free, so I suggest you sign up for one if it comes anywhere near you. You can see the rest of my pics from the day here.