The Driving Woman

The views are staggering in Ibiza, Spain

We were test driving the 2009 Audi A4 Avant 2.0 turbocharged in Ibiza, Spain. This is just possibly the most beautiful place on earth with the kind of roads that enthusiasts dream about. My partner, 'Eric'. who writes for those kinds of magazines, was in the driver’s seat. Before we set out, he said something like, “I’m going to be flinging this car around because I have to give it a full-on review.”
 
I replied, “That’s fine, but I think I’ll opt out.” He assured me that it would be fun and not to worry.

Yes, 'Eric' is a confident driver and a whiz at understanding, explaining and writing about torque, steer, engines, handling and all that jazz. And yes, he makes me feel like a lightweight. But, that’s my own ego stuff.

'Eric' did drive hard, take corners fast and like the pro that he is, even turned the ESP off at one point to prove how steady this sporty wagon is. The Audi A4 Avant was certainly up to the challenge. I wasn’t. I have two kids, two dogs and a husband at home. I like to take it easy. I’ll leave the other stuff to the race track.

In any event, when it was my turn to take the wheel, he pointed out that I was holding it wrong. “I’m what?” I said astonished. Mind you, I hold it at 9 and 3 (thumb resting gently) like I have been taught at several driving schools around the country.

“No, no! You should hold the wheel like this---on the bottom,” he said. I put my hands inside the spaces under the wheel as he suggested. He explained that in this position you were pulling down on the wheel, that you were using your arm muscles not your body and something about feeling the car dynamics better. It all sounded good to me but I was getting confused. In fact so confused and intimidated that for a moment there I forgot how to drive. Instead of my usual shuffle, I was taking a series of tight, tense turns hand over hand. It was not my greatest day of driving. But, what came out of this is the desire to know how to hold the wheel correctly. I also learned a whole lot more about how vehicles work.  (Thank you 'Eric!')

I checked with the experts at a well-reputed institution and yes, indeed, 9 and 3 still holds BUT according to AAA National, a leader in producing driving instruction materials for teen driving programs, holding below the wheel in the grips is fine as well. Ah ha! We were both correct!

And my ego? Back to normal.