imdakine1

CA Route 17 is made for AWD vehicles! The 26 mile -- two lane mountain highway is full of steady inclines and curves. My old 2006 outback xt loved it and my Q5 loves it even more. I used to drive it 4 days a week for 7 years as a commute which is why the outback xt was awesome. Now I have a virtual job and work within 2 miles of home and a mile to the beach.

From Wikipedia:

SR 17's combination of narrow shoulders, dense traffic, sharp turns, blind curves, wandering fauna such as deer and mountain lions, and sudden changes in traffic speeds have led to driving conditions that result in a number of accidents and fatalities, leading to the reputation of SR 17 as one of the most dangerous highways in the state. In the winter months, because SR 17 crosses a high precipitation area in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the roadway can become slippery from rain, snow or ice, especially at the summit.

Some sections of SR 17 are so dangerous that they have been nicknamed. The first long sweeping turn North of Summit Road with its sharp angle and steep entering downhill slope is called "The Valley Surprise" for the fact that so many strike the median shortly after having entered the Santa Clara Valley. The most infamous is called "Big Moody Curve". This curve is named after Big Moody Creek below, slightly greater than a 180 degree turn, and bracketed by additional 90 degree turns. The inside surfaces of the median barriers in both of these turns are normally chipped up and black with tire rubber.

Recently, I've gotten to drive it a few times with trips to and from the airport and to visit friends and the more I drive it the more I love the Q5 TDI. Route 17 is a gorgeous yet sometimes dangerous drive depending on the curves. Most people don't get to enjoy the speed and curves since they are heading to the beach and are usually stuck in traffic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_17
As Summer ends, I invite all Bay Area Q5 owners to enjoy Route 17! The car handles like so well and feels like it enjoys the curves and inclines! A nice 65-75 mph for the whole trip around the curves will truly make you appreciate just how nice the Q5 and all other AWD vehicles are....

Fun videos I found on youtube from San Jose to Santa Cruz



The fun really begins from 2:35 on....

Note: You may not want to listen to sound since neither background music were that great.

What are some of your favorite roads you've gotten to travel with your Q5?





Route 17

Rehesan

Man!! I really miss Cali.

I lived in SoCal (Orange County) until last year that I had to move to FL because job relocation.

I loved to drive the Ortega Highway (CA 74) from San Juan Capistrano to Lake Elsinore and also the CA 38 from Riverside to Big Bear. Even-though on those days I did not own a quattro audi, I used to drive an A3.

Now here in FL every road is just plain and straight, no mountain roads So I haven´t had chance to feel the quattro of my Q5.

Yoshimura

Looks like an interesting road! Thanks for sharing.

SQive

I like the second one better. He drives like I do. The music is better...love Satriani. He's going to the beach, not away from it. Looks like a fun drive.

imdakine1

I used to live in Marina Del Rey and work in Santa Monica. My first audi was the 2002 A4 1.8T and FWD. I moved to DC and started to date someone in NY and had to drive a not quattro to Upstate NY in the winter. No one got near me and kept staring at a CA license plate with not quattro in Subaru and Audi country!

My in laws live in FL and it is a different world. Definitely no scenic trips with mountains and curves compared to CA. Northern and Southern CA have some of the most beautiful coastal and inland mountain drives. Living in Santa Cruz we see about 6 out of 10 cars are subaru.

The funniest thing is I sold my 2006 Subaru Outback XT to the dealer in town on Aug 15th and I was walking home from the beach today and saw it 8 blocks from my house. My dealer paid good money for the car although it had 140,000 miles... I'm shocked to see it sell so quick!

I wonder if an Audi dealer would ever pay cash for an 8.5 year old car with 140,000 miles? --- I doubt it!

metta

Loved the vids! I think I may have seen my black TrailBlazer zip by on 17! <grin> As a resident of the South Bay/Silicon Valley, I know all of these roads well. As I've said to you before, I'd hate to have to drive over the hill (CA SR 17 for non-locals) as part of my daily commute due to congestion and accidents, but I look forward to driving my TDI on 17 when I get it (on a weekend after beach season) and expect it will be a fun drive under those conditions. Great thread!

nathanjbrown

I miss Cali too! I lived in SF (Sunset...then South Beach...and finally Presidio) for 12+ years before relocating to Boston. And while I miss it terribly - and will likely move back in the next year or two - I've really enjoyed exploring the northeast in our new Q5 TDI. I think my favorite drive is 89 between Grantham, NH and Burlington, VT. It's beautiful. And it doesn't hurt that I can easily stop off at a number of excellent breweries along the way.

imdakine1

@Metta Congrats with the new TDI and I don't miss the commute since doing it for 7 years 4 days a week was enough. The only good thing was that commuting from Santa Cruz to Mountain View was a reverse commute on 17 until I hit Los Gatos. The first 26 miles was actually "fun" as long as we didn't have any accidents on the road as the commuters knew the road and usually drove "respectfully".

The beach crowds should be slowly going away between now and the end of October (although a weekday is still the best). The Santa Cruz Boardwalk will only be open on the weekends until Dec 1 and open from Christmas to New Years. No more .50 ride nights until next year!

Let me know when you get the new ride! Would love to see photos and hear about your adventures.

@nathanjbrown I grew up in the City but haven't lived in SF since 1997. I moved to Washington DC for a few years, to Marina Del Rey for a few years, and back to Washington DC for a couple of years. I've been settled in Santa Cruz for 10 years and loving it! The East Coast has beautiful drives especially as you hit Fall with the seasons.

stix

A few times per month I travel from Harrisburg, Pa. to Cambridge, Oh. (about 300 miles) via I-76 turnpike and I-70. Curves, hills, tunnels, bridges, varying speeds, and traffic (including 48' rigs swerving while texting..wow). Pay attention and anticipate or you wreck...

And yet, in my '12 Q5, the danger eases into familiarity and most of the time it's damn fun !

metta

@imdakine1: Have you driven your TDI in SF? I lived in SF for about 10 years before moving to the South Bay a couple of years ago. Just curious about what driving the hills of SF is like in the TDI, though I will find out soon enough when I get mine as I get to the city about once a month.

@nathanjbrown: I've spent some time in New England and agree there are some wicked (LOL) gorgeous drives in that part of the country. The White Mountains/Flume area in New Hampshire, and also parts of Vermont. One trip I haven't done, but is on the bucket list, is the drive along the coast of Maine on Route 1 from Portland to Bar Harbor . . . Consuming as many lobsta rolls and brewskis as possible along the way. Have you done that drive?