Montespertoli

Montespertoli, tucked in a brow of the Tuscany picturesque emerald hills covered by vineyards, olive groves, and sunflowers, was our first glimpse to one of the famous wine countries in Europe. We were about to retire from the long drive from Germany and the exciting Lamborghini factory visit. Agriturismo Farm Poni Hotel Montespertoli was our destination.

Agritourismo concept is very common here and it is the best way to enjoy Tuscany. The agritourismo accommodation can simply be described as a bed & breakfast owned and operated by a farm owner. Our host guided us through the main 17th century estate complex where she showed us their collection of wines and extra virgin olive oil.

Our two bedroom faulted ceiling apartment was very comfortable and filled with common amenities and Italian furniture. There was no broadband internet. But who needed one when the view from the living room and bedroom windows was the vast rows of vineyards and olive groves on green rolling hills accentuated by Italian farm houses and villas. The evening spring sunset gave an orange glow on the horizon while the waking moon highlighted the deep dark blue sky on the opposite side.

Sitting on the reclined garden chair before this calming picture, I sensed every part of my body relaxing and I drifted away into blissfulness. Traces of adrenaline from the Q5 off road ride we had earlier produced flashbacks to the memorable and exhilarating moments.

Off road driving in Q5

There were many unpaved roads that the satellite navigation system didn't know in this region. Earlier, we quickly and happily got lost. The 3-D mode of the satellite navigation highlighted the contour of the landscape before us through shading technique, and this gave us better depth perception for the terrain.

Driving through steep angled roads infested by abysmal potholes made us, city slickers, very nervous. We were wishing we had a Hummer instead. Our 3G phones were out of range and the last farm house we passed were many miles ago on the other side of the hill. Not knowing for sure what to do, we let the Q5 brain to get us out of this trouble.

Packed with the computing power that is superior to the one in the Apollo 13, this Q5 features many drive assist programs for all kinds of driving. The ones that were very useful to us this afternoon were the 40/60 front/rear biased Quattro, the hill decent assist program, the dynamic electronic stabilization program, and the seven speed S-tronic. On a dare devil, gut wrenching downhill ride that we didn't mean to take, the brain of this Q5 was continuously monitoring for any minute shift in the center of the gravity of the car, and adjusting the power distribution, the braking modulation, and the gear selection to ensure not only the safety of its passengers but also the enjoyment of off road driving.

The spa-like scents of thyme, mint, sage, and juniper carried by the Tuscan breeze failed to reduce my anxiety. With sweat dripping from my forehead and my heartbeat drumming like Phil Collins in concert, I let the parking brake off, and I eased the brake pedal. Concentrating on where I should be going and pointing the steering wheel at the next point I wanted to get, I let the Q5 managing the power and braking. The ample ground clearance with the exceptionally high 31 degree climb and 25 degree lateral incline numbers combined with the electromagnetic continuous damping control (CDC) shock absorber system and the aerospace-technology-based variable ratio Audi dynamic steering provided this Q5 the Spiderman-like crawling ability.

We were not only relieved once we got to the bottom, but strangely, we wanted to do it again! Looking up at the steep hill we just conquered, I saw the Hollywood ablaze-car-tumbling-down-the-hill scene in my head. Had we tumbled down the steep hill, the Q5 safety features would have prevented the explosive Hollywood scene.

Upon the first frontal contact with the ground, a finely choreographed series of protective measured would have been triggered. The front cross-member would have distributed the impact forces through the upper and lower longitudinal structures and would have dissipated the energy through defined deformation. The aluminum sub-frame that supports the front axle and engine would have diverted the forces into the floor tunnel of the occupant compartment. The steering column would have been pushed away from me and the pedals would have disengaged from their mounts.

Almost instantaneously, the safety sensor meshed network would have provided the force data to the control unit so it would have timely coordinated the restraint system forward movement and the airbags' inflation and deflation based on the wight of the occupants and the severity of the impact. The control unit would have cut off the fuel line so no fuel could escape from the fuel cell located in the protected zone ahead of the rear axle sub-frame. With such safety measures, we would not end up at a hospital, but an eye witness would probably upload the embarrassing videos onto YouTube.

Montespertoli

Montespertoli, tucked in a brow of the Tuscany picturesque emerald hills covered by vineyards, olive groves, and sunflowers, was our first glimpse to one of the famous wine countries in Europe. We were about to retire from the long drive from Germany and the exciting Lamborghini factory visit. Agriturismo Farm Poni Hotel Montespertoli was our destination.

Agritourismo concept is very common here and it is the best way to enjoy Tuscany. The agritourismo accommodation can simply be described as a bed & breakfast owned and operated by a farm owner. Our host guided us through the main 17th century estate complex where she showed us their collection of wines and extra virgin olive oil.

Our two bedroom faulted ceiling apartment was very comfortable and filled with common amenities and Italian furniture. There was no broadband internet. But who needed one when the view from the living room and bedroom windows was the vast rows of vineyards and olive groves on green rolling hills accentuated by Italian farm houses and villas. The evening spring sunset gave an orange glow on the horizon while the waking moon highlighted the deep dark blue sky on the opposite side.

Sitting on the reclined garden chair before this calming picture, I sensed every part of my body relaxing and I drifted away into blissfulness. Traces of adrenaline from the Q5 off road ride we had earlier produced flashbacks to the memorable and exhilarating moments.

Off road driving in Q5

There were many unpaved roads that the satellite navigation system didn't know in this region. Earlier, we quickly and happily got lost. The 3-D mode of the satellite navigation highlighted the contour of the landscape before us through shading technique, and this gave us better depth perception for the terrain.

Driving through steep angled roads infested by abysmal potholes made us, city slickers, very nervous. We were wishing we had a Hummer instead. Our 3G phones were out of range and the last farm house we passed were many miles ago on the other side of the hill. Not knowing for sure what to do, we let the Q5 brain to get us out of this trouble.

Packed with the computing power that is superior to the one in the Apollo 13, this Q5 features many drive assist programs for all kinds of driving. The ones that were very useful to us this afternoon were the 40/60 front/rear biased Quattro, the hill decent assist program, the dynamic electronic stabilization program, and the seven speed S-tronic. On a dare devil, gut wrenching downhill ride that we didn't mean to take, the brain of this Q5 was continuously monitoring for any minute shift in the center of the gravity of the car, and adjusting the power distribution, the braking modulation, and the gear selection to ensure not only the safety of its passengers but also the enjoyment of off road driving.

The spa-like scents of thyme, mint, sage, and juniper carried by the Tuscan breeze failed to reduce my anxiety. With sweat dripping from my forehead and my heartbeat drumming like Phil Collins in concert, I let the parking brake off, and I eased the brake pedal. Concentrating on where I should be going and pointing the steering wheel at the next point I wanted to get, I let the Q5 managing the power and braking. The ample ground clearance with the exceptionally high 31 degree climb and 25 degree lateral incline numbers combined with the electromagnetic continuous damping control (CDC) shock absorber system and the aerospace-technology-based variable ratio Audi dynamic steering provided this Q5 the Spiderman-like crawling ability.

We were not only relieved once we got to the bottom, but strangely, we wanted to do it again! Looking up at the steep hill we just conquered, I saw the Hollywood ablaze-car-tumbling-down-the-hill scene in my head. Had we tumbled down the steep hill, the Q5 safety features would have prevented the explosive Hollywood scene.

Upon the first frontal contact with the ground, a finely choreographed series of protective measured would have been triggered. The front cross-member would have distributed the impact forces through the upper and lower longitudinal structures and would have dissipated the energy through defined deformation. The aluminum sub-frame that supports the front axle and engine would have diverted the forces into the floor tunnel of the occupant compartment. The steering column would have been pushed away from me and the pedals would have disengaged from their mounts.

Almost instantaneously, the safety sensor meshed network would have provided the force data to the control unit so it would have timely coordinated the restraint system forward movement and the airbags' inflation and deflation based on the wight of the occupants and the severity of the impact. The control unit would have cut off the fuel line so no fuel could escape from the fuel cell located in the protected zone ahead of the rear axle sub-frame. With such safety measures, we would not end up at a hospital, but an eye witness would probably upload the embarrassing videos onto YouTube.