Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/327657
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF AUDI I f the miles on a car tell a story, then the 2015 Audi A3 that rolled into my driveway barely had an opening line. Sure, I'd read its reviews—best in this, best in that—but frankly the luxury car market these days is like a game of under-10 T-ball, where everybody gets a trophy. So with only a handful of miles on it, the first chapter of this particular Audi was up to me to write. Staring at me in all its bold, aerodynamic glory, this car was just begging for an adventure. I popped the trunk and threw in a pair of boots, a backpack, a gallon of water, and a first-aid kit. Mount Washington was said to be having the most beautiful hiking in decades, and what better way to go to the highest peak east of the Mississippi than in this car from the future? The Audi's curbside Fonzarelli factor continued as I slid into its driver's seat: This A3 is cool, very cool. Unlike other top-of-the-liners that tack on every bell and whistle in Christmas-tree excess, the A3's fine leather interior possesses a clean, sophisticated design that Steve Jobs would have appreci- ated. I turned the key (yes, the A3 still uses a key, not some remote control) and a f lat screen rose from the dash to greet me. Mount Washington Weather Center was calling for rain, but there was one tiny window of sunshine. Punching the coordinates into the Audi's GPS, the race was on. Breaking out of Boston, I galloped the A3's 220 horses up 93 North for 145 miles before banking onto New Hampshire's Kancamagus Highway, a real-world test course if ever there was one. I clicked the Audi's Dynamic Steering Mode, and the A3 powered through slick hairpin turns, dramatic inclines, and the ever-looming threat of moose, bear, and other critters. The car had a guerilla grip on the road. Agile and swift, it was a samurai sword on wheels. At 2,885 feet, we broke through the tree line onto Kancamagus Pass, where purple dawn was pouring out over the horizon. No wonder Kancamagus means "the fearless one." One hundred sixty-three miles after leaving Boston, we rolled into the parking lot at the foot of Mount Washington to bearded men unloading gear from their pick-up trucks. Their faces said it all: "What's this city slicker doing here?" They had forgotten—just as I had before turning the key to this Audi—that every car tacks on miles, but where you spend those miles is entirely up to you. newenglandaudidealers.com BC The A-List Adventure THE 2015 AUDI A3 OFFERS A LESSON IN AUDACITY FOR PROPER BOSTONIANS. BY ROBERT COCUZZO 116 BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM CARNOISSEUR