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From YourSITE.com Reviews & Road Tests If I were to say “winter getaway” and S4 Convertible” in the same sentence, Canada is probably not the first destination that would come to mind. Perhaps a trip to Florida would have made more sense, but with a fresh set of snow tires, all-wheel-drive, and seat heaters we decided on beautiful Montréal and Québec City instead.
Since we were about to spend a lot of time in the car taking directions from the navigation system, we decided it might feel a little more personal if we named the navigation voice. She can be rather bossy, and she always thinks her way is the right way, so with some sarcasm I suggested we give her the same name as my traveling mate. That suggestion was quickly rejected by said companion, who punctuated her feelings on the matter with a swift punch to my shoulder. After implementing Rule #1 of the trip (Thou shalt not hit the driver) I suggested the name Penelope, which for one reason or another, was agreeable. “Penelope” successfully got us out of the DC area and on our way to Syracuse. On the uncongested highways taking us north, the S4 demonstrated what a great cruising car it is. The suspension is firm, but not upsetting or intrusive at speed. Over rough roads, some minimal cowl shake creeps through and the car will occasionally jolt you. Otherwise the car is so solid and quiet at speed that I sometimes forgot I was driving a convertible. The S4’s multi-layer top does an excellent job of muffling wind noise. The only time outside noise was even evident was when passing a tractor-trailer or when the wind was seriously gusting.
We encountered heavy fog once we made it into New York– so much that you could barely see 5 feet in front of you. I turned on both the front and rear fog lights and proceeded with caution. The fog eventually lightened and I continued at a normal rate again. Nearing Syracuse, we input the address of our hotel, and Penelope once again got us there without any mistakes. We woke early the following day to get started on the 250-mile trip to Montréal. Before crossing the border, I decided to fill up the car. Gas is more expensive for Canadians, and there is no 93 octane available on that side of the fence. After picking up the 401 towards Montréal, the S4’s firm suspension drew attention to the poor quality of the roads. While still not intrusive, it was more noticeable than when driving through the States. We arrived in Montréal in the early afternoon, and without Penelope’s guidance we would have been completely lost. Our hotel was located at the Complex Desjardins, a relatively large shopping mall. It sounds strange, but the hotel starts on the 6th floor of the mall, and shares its underground parking garage. The location is prime, as it is close to Vieux-Montréal (old Montréal) where most of the attractions are. After checking into the hotel and taking a quick shower, we were ready to explore the town. We stopped at the food court in the mall for something to eat, and then proceeded to the Basilique Notre-Dame, which is in the heart of old Montréal. The entry cost $4 (CAD) per person is well worth it. The architecture and design is amazing, as are the numerous intricate woodcarvings throughout the church. We continued our walk toward the river, and stopping at the Montréal History Center before making our way to the Hotel de Ville (Town Hall). The best time to see the Hotel de Ville is dusk, when the building is illuminated. Darkness descended on us, and with it came the cold, so we started our walk back to the hotel.
The following day we hit the Musée des Beaux-Arts (Museum of Fine Arts) in the downtown area of Montréal. On the high recommendation of our hotel concierge, we booked dinner at the Vargas Steakhouse, which is also a sushi bar. A little on the pricey side, the food was nonetheless excellent, and the service top notch. We had spent two great days in Montréal, but now it was time to move on to Quebec City where we had booked a hotel just outside of the old city walls. Inside the walls of the town you will find small, boutique hotels that lack many modern amenities, very much as you would in many parts of Europe. Just outside of the walls, you will find larger hotels with offerings more typical of modern properties. We left Montréal in the morning, the navigation system having calculated a distance of 150 miles and a driving time of 3 hours. Halfway there, the S4 was begging for more gas (something that happens quite often), and we again used the nav system to find a gas station in the vicinity. The closest fuel stop was 12 miles ahead, and at this time the distance-to-empty indicator read 5 miles. With an icy wind blowing outside, we hoped the car was giving us a conservative estimate. For the first time on the trip, Penelope was outsmarted. She delivered us to a non-existent gas station with the indicator now reading 0 miles. Ready to call Audi Roadside Assistance in anticipation of running out of gas, pure luck lead us to another gas station about a mile down the road. Even after filling up the whole tank, which holds 16.5 gallons, it only filled up 15.5 gallons (after conversion from liters), which means that when the distance till empty indicator reads 0 miles, there is still about a gallon of gas left – a nice safety feature. Judging by the looks on faces. it appears most Québecois have never seen a convertible before. When nearing Québec City, cars would speed up to get next to me, only to stare in and give a “you are crazy!” look. Not only is the top so quiet that it’ll make you forget you’re in a convertible, but it is also very well insulated and keeps the cold outside. I just smiled and waved back to my new Canadian friends. We arrived in Québec City around in the late afternoon, parked the car in the garage and checked into the hotel, deciding to take it easy for the night. There are numerous restaurants right inside the walled town, and our new concierge recommended an Italian restaurant, Portofino, where the food was excellent and the price very reasonable.
The temperature in Québec City is slightly lower than Montreal, and the difference was immediately noticeable. While 13 degrees might not seem that cold, with the wind chill it was downright frigid. I had to swallow my manhood and wear a scarf. Even with layers- a hat, the hood on my jacket up, ski gloves, and a semi-manly scarf - I was still cold! While walking in the town, the only real way to beat the cold is to continually stop in the shops along the way. This is great news for the shop owners, but bad news for the wallet.
The Chateau is essentially the icon of Québec City, as it can be seen from all parts of town. Some people even refer to it as the Eiffel Tower of Québec. Since the Chateau is right on the edge of the split between the upper and lower town, we decided to check it out. There are two ways to get down to the lower town, either by stairs or by elevator. Already freezing- rather, already frozen- we shelled out the $1.50 (CAD) per person for a ride in the enclosed elevators. Once into the lower town, we found our way to the Museum de la Civilisation (Museum of Civilization), which has to be one of the most random museums I have ever visited. Exhibitions range from “Indonesia”, to “Salt Essentials”, and “Autopsy of a Murder”. Some of the exhibits were interactive, which was a nice touch, but after little more than an hour we were ready to head out to other destinations. Only seven miles from Québec’s city center is Montmorency Falls, a great side trip. The falls, which are higher than the Niagara Falls (but considerably narrower), freeze during the cold winters in Québec, making for a spectacular sight. Cable cars take visitors to the top, where there is also a restaurant, the Manoir Montmorency. By now the sun was going down and the temperature was dropping quickly, so we got right back in the car, blasted the heat, and turned the normally scorching seat heaters up to 6. Right across from the falls is the island, Ile d’Orléans. We drove down to the beach area, and this provided an excellent view of the walled city as well as an exceptional view of the falls. Back at the hotel, we once again heeded the advice of our friendly concierge, taking dinner at a small Mediterranean restaurant right inside the walls called La Questa. We were already warned that while the food was good and priced well,the service would be rather slow. We were naturally surprised to find that we were the only people there when we arrived. Did everyone else know something we didn’t? All my doubts were put to rest after the food came, and it was indeed was superb. The following morning we packed our bags and bid adieu to Canada. Our next stop was the Eastern Shore of Virginia, which Penelope calculated as a distance of 850 miles. I had to be back for a court hearing over a speeding ticket that I received at the end of October, in none other than our Four Seasons S4. We took the 401 west to the 55 south and dropped down into Vermont, the hope being that we could get out of Canada without having to fill up. Alas, the S4 drank too much gas for that to happen. I had to ask the nav system to find a gas station, and it did just that.
Stopping at the duty free store on the border, I picked up some inexpensive liquor and a bottle of Canadian wine, and then proceeded on I-91, taking it all the way down to Milford, Connecticut. About 40 miles south of Hartford, Milford is where we stayed for the night. Except for the one imaginary gas station, Penelope had been working like a charm during the entire trip, but it seemed that we were working her too hard. Once into New Jersey, Penelope wanted us to get off at every exit on the turnpike, and then to get immediately back on. I ejected the disc, cleaned it, inserted it again, and recalculated the route. This rectified the problem, and Penelope was back to normal. By this time, driving through all the snow and salt and wet roads really started to show on the paint of the S4. When filling up at a gas station near Salisbury, Maryland, the person on the other side of the gas pump leaned over and said “Wow, where are you coming from?!”. I responded “Canada, eh!”
The car was actually so dirty that the license plate was not visible. The headlight washers proved to be very useful, and the high-pressure spray of washer fluid is actually strong enough to remove any salt deposits and clean the lens for the low-beam. Finally at our destination in Cape Charles, Virginia, I felt the normal winter temperatures that I have grown to love. The S4 indicated 61 degrees, almost 50 degrees higher than in Québec City. Now that it was no longer wet outside, and the salt had dried, the S4 was very, very dirty and a much lighter shade of grey. Not only was the outside filthy, but on the inside I actually found rather large salt crystals. After a couple of days on the shore, I finally returned to Centreville. Despite covering nearly 2000 miles in the course of a week, the S4 never left me fatigued. The seats are extremely supportive, the navigation is priceless, and the car is a blast to drive. What wasn’t a blast was the gas mileage – 18.8 MPG combined highway and city. Straight highway mileage wasn’t that bad; on two full tanks of just highway driving, the S4 reported 20.6 and 19.9 MPG, respectively. The S4 really gulps down gas in traffic and city driving conditions though, which the caused the lower overall average. Total gas cost was $306.52, with an average cost of $2.88 per gallon.
If you have never made it across the border into Québec, I strongly recommend it. Going north in winter may seem alien to all but skiers and snowboarders, but Quebec might surprise you. The region is rich with culture this time of year, from winter carnivals to the aforementioned winter sports. Quebec City is one of the oldest towns in North America, and a little touch of Europe on this side of the Atlantic. To find out more about the region, follow the links below for more information.
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