(QQ, Fall 2002) — Three kids, four suitcases, one large box storing two child car seats, various carry-on bags, and two overwhelmed adults. These are the joys of a family vacation. And nothing makes a vacation more enjoyable than having to deal with a rental car company, traveling in a nondescript, usually abused car that in most cases is a major step below what one normally drives. Lucky for us, I was able to obtain a Crystal Blue 2002 A6 3.0 quattro to review for the week, so on this vacation we would be traveling in style.

Photo by Matt Daniels

After the flight from Denver to Chicago's Midway airport, we began the task of finding the A6 in the parking garage. In a stroke of good luck, the car was located near the elevator, its Crystal Blue color seemed to glow in comparison to the drab colors of the cars surrounding it. In a stroke of bad luck, we discovered that the remote didn't work. At first I wondered if this was the wrong A6, but trying the key in the door proved that it unlocked the car. Having to manually unlock the doors proved to be a minor irritation throughout the week, especially when trying to open the car from the passenger side, which has no keyhole.

With the car seats and luggage loaded, a task that the A6 handled easily, it was time to start our trip into Wisconsin, a drive that should have taken about 90 minutes. Thanks to a Grateful Dead reunion concert taking place not too far from our final destination, the drive ended up being closer to four hours, mainly due to traffic backed up at the final toll booth just before the Wisconsin border.

Thankfully the seats in the A6 are extremely comfortable and the addition of the 6-disc in-dash CD player made the drive more enjoyable. The only thinking lacking in the A6 for 40 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic is something to keep the kids entertained for more than a few minutes.

Our final destination was the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa, located just outside of the town of Lake Geneva. Interestingly, this resort was originally the Playboy Club & Resort, although the bunnies have long since left the building. Lake Geneva has been a favorite resort destination for wealthy families from Chicago, and the lake itself is home to many mansions from the late 1800's. At the resort, the A6 blended in nicely with the luxury cars of other vacationers and had a new A4 and TT Roadster to keep it company during the nights. For us, the remainder of the day was spent swimming with the kids and finding a local pizza joint for take out.

The next few days consisted of trips to the Milwaukee area, about a 45-minute drive from our location in Lake Geneva. Each time the A6 handled the duty with no complaints, even with the three kids in the back. On one such trip, I decided to test the parking assist system when parking in front of my Mom's Suburban. As I was backing up, I kept waiting for the warning beep to become a solid tone, all while watching this extremely large vehicle getting closer and closer. Once I heard that solid tone, I stopped the car and went to look how close I was. Astonishingly, I was less than six inches from the Suburban, a little too close for comfort. Upon closer inspection, the bumper of the Suburban is considerably higher than the location of the sensors on the A6, resulting in an extremely close parking job. While the parking assist is a great feature, this test was a good reminder that you should keep your own senses alert while parking.

After half a week in Lake Geneva, it was time to pack up all the gear again and head back onto the road. This time it was a trip to north central Wisconsin to the Wausau area to visit my father. The total trip took about five hours with lunch stops, construction obstacles, and breaks for the kids. Again, the A6 took us there in style and comfort with no ill effects worth mentioning.

At my Dad's house the A6 received a much-needed washing. The Wisconsin bugs had given us a warm welcome by covering the front end in a quarter inch of bugs. With the bugs disposed of, the A6 posed for a quick photo shoot in my father's back yard (and I posed for the local swarm of mosquitoes).

The following day was a trip to the Northwoods of Wisconsin for a day of boating. The only obstacle was following behind my father as he towed his boat. At least he took two of our kids with him, so the drive was a little more relaxing for my wife and me.

With nearly the entire week behind us, it was time to pack up one more time to start the trek back to Chicago. We had decided to stop in Milwaukee for a few hours to visit my grandparents, so our voyage took us past Oconomowoc, the headquarters for the Audi Club. Unfortunately, we were traveling on a Saturday and the offices were closed-maybe the next trip out I'll be able to stop in.

Once in Milwaukee, we let the A6 and the kids rest for a bit while we ate lunch and caught up on more of the family gossip (which, in my family there seems to be plenty). Back on the road, there were thankfully no Dead Heads this time, so the return trip to our hotel was quick and painless.

The following morning it was a quick trip back to Midway airport where we had to drop off the car. With over 1000 miles on the odometer, my wife and I reflected at how pleased we had been with the A6 for the entire week. She's used to hauling around the kids in her VW Eurovan, so she was a little nervous that the A6 wouldn't provide enough room for all of us. But we were both happy with how well kids fit in the back. The luggage fit in the trunk with room to spare and the A6 hauled all five of us around with no complaints at all.

Three kids, four suitcases, one large box, carry-on bags, and two overwhelmed adults. This is how we started the vacation and now how we were going to end it, but in between the 2002 A6 3.0 quattro made life much easier.