[svgallery name="Road_trip_09_Audi_S8"]
Story and photos by John LeBlanc
CALABOGIE, Ont. – Driving enthusiasts know that a great car to drive is only half the equation. You also need a great road to drive on. And in these days of congested traffic and road designers addicted to the grid system, a good road is hard to find.
But here's a bit of secret road-tester knowledge I've been holding onto for a decade and a half. It's a road that offers the thrills of Germany's Nürburgring road circuit. But you don't have to get on a plane to get there.
Just west of Ottawa, between Calabogie Lake and the town of Griffith, are 17 kilometres of driver's heaven called Centennial Lake Rd. Officially known as Regional Road 65, this remote swath of serpentine two-lane slices through great chunks of the Canadian Shield and skirts by crystal- clear lakes. And since a motorcycling friend tipped me off to its charms, it has provided me with many memorable drives.
I recently revisited this driver's heaven in a 2009 Audi S8, a large sedan that at first blush doesn't appear to be the weapon of choice for such a driving adventure. But then, the big Audi four-door has a Lamborghini V10 under its hood.
One of the qualities of Centennial Lake Rd. is its remoteness. From the town of Calabogie (which is about 65 km north of Perth on Hwy. 511, itself a barnburner of twists and turns), you turn left onto Hwy. 508, heading past the local ski hill.
To access the road, around 11 km from the junction of 511 and 508 heading southwest, turn right at a red sign for Black Donald Trailer Park. It comes up fast, so slow down. If you arrive at a hydro dam, you've gone too far.
Now, turn right at the stop sign. Pull over under the yellow "twisty road for 17 km" sign. Take a deep breath. Adjust your mirrors, seats and pedals. Tighten your string-back gloves. This is the start of Centennial Lake Rd.
By this point in my drive up from Perth, I've only scratched the surface of what Audi's respectively competent luxobarge can do.
The S8 is a high-performance take on the German automaker's short-wheelbase version of its flagship all-aluminum A8 sedan, tuned by Audi's quattro GmbH. Up against its chief rival, the $150k-plus Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG, the $127,000 S8 presents a bit of a bargain. But is it Centennial Lake roadworthy?
You have to pay attention for the first 3 km of the road. Back-to-back corners, narrow shoulders, lots of elevation changes and rock faces that seem to be waiting for you to make a mistake mean you have to be sharp right from the get-go.
Despite the S8's conservative looks, the V10 sounds amazing when I drop the throttle. And just like the smaller S6 that houses the same mill, throttle tip-in is aggressive.
Audi argues that the S8's 5.2-litre V10 has nothing in common with the 5.0-litre V10 in its corporate cousin Lamborghini Gallardo. With 450 hp and 398 lb.-ft. of torque, that's less than the S 63 AMG's 518 hp and 465 lb.-ft. But, hey, I'm not complaining. You do get something Merc's AMG gang can't offer: Audi's trademark quattro all-wheel-drive — a comforting feature knowing some of the inherent dangers the road presents.
For one thing, I've hit more deer here than on any road I've ever driven. Then there are the fallen branches, strewn gravel, blind corners, pickups stuffed with ATVs in hunting season, roadkill other than what I've caused, and nine months of the year there's always the threat of snow.
After about 7 km, the road's curves start to open up. The corners are less blind, and the turns seem to go on like Woodstock (the festival). Although not as lonely as my first driving adventures 15 years ago, the road offers little traffic. There are few crossroads or residences. If not up to autobahn speeds, I can now stretch the Audi's legs a bit more freely through some sweeping curves.
By the 12 km point, a sharp left-hander with a 50-km/h sign is a reminder to pull over and take a rest. There's a boat launch just before a bridge that crosses one of the bays of Centennial Lake. I snap some pics before continuing toward Griffith.
As is the nature of such factory hot rods, the S8 gains a firmer suspension with 20-inch (instead of the standard 18- or 19-inch) wheels and rubber on cooking A8s. Halting duties are left to pizza-pan brakes from the A8L W12 model.
For such a large beast, the S8's steering is accurate enough. But there's obviously less feedback than some of the sports cars I've driven here. Like all A8s, the S8 has an adjustable air suspension. "Comfort" offers (you guessed it) a limousine ride, while "Dynamic" seems almost too taut. I stick to "Auto." It seems to be the best compromise in dealing with the various pavement conditions found on the road.
By the 16 km mark, the road starts to open up like an accordion. There's a stretch for about 5 km where the curves are wide open and undulating. For the first time, you can see more than one turn ahead. But as soon as you relax, the road grabs the back of your neck again.
I'm now driving along Centennial Lake's shoreline, and the turns become decidedly sharper. As the end is near, there are now quite a few more homes. Another reason to slow down.
The road ends unceremoniously at a T-junction at the end of Centennial Lake. You can either go left 5 km to Matawatchan, or right 10 km to Griffith. Or if you're like me, take the road knowledge you've just gained and retrace your route.
As for this latest S8, it was a surprisingly fun companion. Its V10 reacts as well as it sounds. And although it's tuned more for comfort than out-and-out road athletics, the Audi's AWD gives it a unique leg up on its S Class AMG rival.
The third-generation Audi S8 is expected to go on sale as a 2011 model, released just one year after the all-new 2010 Audi A8, and is speculated to come with an engine tuned up to 600 hp.
By that time, a return trip to the now not-so-secret Centennial Lake Rd. seems obvious.
Comments
One of the qualities of Centennial Lake Rd. is its remoteness. From the town of Calabogie (which is about 65 km north of Perth on Hwy. 511, itself a barnburner of twists and turns), you turn left onto Hwy. 508, heading past the local ski hill.
To access the road, around 11 km from the junction of 511 and 508 heading southwest, turn right at a red sign for Black Donald Trailer Park. It comes up fast, so slow down. If you arrive at a hydro dam, you've gone too far.
Now, turn right at the stop sign. Pull over under the yellow "twisty road for 17 km" sign. Take a deep breath. Adjust your mirrors, seats and pedals. Tighten your string-back gloves. This is the start of Centennial Lake Rd.
By this point in my drive up from Perth, I've only scratched the surface of what Audi's respectively competent luxobarge can do.
The S8 is a high-performance take on the German automaker's short-wheelbase version of its flagship all-aluminum A8 sedan, tuned by Audi's quattro GmbH. Up against its chief rival, the $150k-plus Mercedes-Benz S 63 AMG, the $127,000 S8 presents a bit of a bargain. But is it Centennial Lake roadworthy?
You have to pay attention for the first 3 km of the road. Back-to-back corners, narrow shoulders, lots of elevation changes and rock faces that seem to be waiting for you to make a mistake mean you have to be sharp right from the get-go.
Despite the S8's conservative looks, the V10 sounds amazing when I drop the throttle. And just like the smaller S6 that houses the same mill, throttle tip-in is aggressive.
Audi argues that the S8's 5.2-litre V10 has nothing in common with the 5.0-litre V10 in its corporate cousin Lamborghini Gallardo. With 450 hp and 398 lb.-ft. of torque, that's less than the S 63 AMG's 518 hp and 465 lb.-ft. But, hey, I'm not complaining. You do get something Merc's AMG gang can't offer: Audi's trademark quattro all-wheel-drive — a comforting feature knowing some of the inherent dangers the road presents.
For one thing, I've hit more deer here than on any road I've ever driven. Then there are the fallen branches, strewn gravel, blind corners, pickups stuffed with ATVs in hunting season, roadkill other than what I've caused, and nine months of the year there's always the threat of snow.
After about 7 km, the road's curves start to open up. The corners are less blind, and the turns seem to go on like Woodstock (the festival). Although not as lonely as my first driving adventures 15 years ago, the road offers little traffic. There are few crossroads or residences. If not up to autobahn speeds, I can now stretch the Audi's legs a bit more freely through some sweeping curves.
By the 12 km point, a sharp left-hander with a 50-km/h sign is a reminder to pull over and take a rest. There's a boat launch just before a bridge that crosses one of the bays of Centennial Lake. I snap some pics before continuing toward Griffith.
As is the nature of such factory hot rods, the S8 gains a firmer suspension with 20-inch (instead of the standard 18- or 19-inch) wheels and rubber on cooking A8s. Halting duties are left to pizza-pan brakes from the A8L W12 model.
For such a large beast, the S8's steering is accurate enough. But there's obviously less feedback than some of the sports cars I've driven here. Like all A8s, the S8 has an adjustable air suspension. "Comfort" offers (you guessed it) a limousine ride, while "Dynamic" seems almost too taut. I stick to "Auto." It seems to be the best compromise in dealing with the various pavement conditions found on the road.
By the 16 km mark, the road starts to open up like an accordion. There's a stretch for about 5 km where the curves are wide open and undulating. For the first time, you can see more than one turn ahead. But as soon as you relax, the road grabs the back of your neck again.
I'm now driving along Centennial Lake's shoreline, and the turns become decidedly sharper. As the end is near, there are now quite a few more homes. Another reason to slow down.
The road ends unceremoniously at a T-junction at the end of Centennial Lake. You can either go left 5 km to Matawatchan, or right 10 km to Griffith. Or if you're like me, take the road knowledge you've just gained and retrace your route.
As for this latest S8, it was a surprisingly fun companion. Its V10 reacts as well as it sounds. And although it's tuned more for comfort than out-and-out road athletics, the Audi's AWD gives it a unique leg up on its S Class AMG rival.
The third-generation Audi S8 is expected to go on sale as a 2011 model, released just one year after the all-new 2010 Audi A8, and is speculated to come with an engine tuned up to 600 hp.
By that time, a return trip to the now not-so-secret Centennial Lake Rd. seems obvious.