[Mania] 5 Million Won to Drive on Snowy Roads, It's Not Without Reason

Driving Flex enjoyed by over 10,000 people annually
Various experiences including training and ice experience
800 sessions over 40 years, 14,500 participants each year

When driving nonstop across an icy lake in the middle of a snowy field, even those who usually do not enjoy dynamic driving quickly change their minds. Enjoying driving is a given, and as a bonus, you learn how to respond when you cannot control the vehicle as you wish.

Although engineering technology has advanced, making it much easier to handle cars than in the past, basic physics cannot be defied. The contact area between a nearly 2-ton vehicle and the ground is at most about the size of an A4 sheet of paper. If you learn this simple principle physically, you can respond more flexibly when the vehicle behaves unexpectedly. This is the background behind Audi’s launch of the permanent all-wheel-drive system Quattro and the operation of the Ice Experience program from the following year until now.

Audi Ice Experience Finland Instructor Jan Becker
Photo by Choi Dae-yeol

Jan Becker, who led our group as an instructor during this event, said, “This area is where Quattro was first developed and refined, so you can fully experience that technology here,” adding, “However, you must also feel for yourself that ‘Quattro is not omnipotent’ by driving the car yourself.” Jan used to be a racer and now works as an instructor for this program and handles new car product training. The most emphasized point in his guidance was safety.

Besides driving on snow, Audi has introduced various driving experience programs mainly in Europe. The Training Experience focuses on learning driving skills and vehicle control methods. There are courses including advanced and drift training, courses comparing electric and internal combustion engine models simultaneously, professional driver training for emergency situations, and courses using the high-performance model R8.

Audi High-Performance Electric Car RS e-tron GT
[Photo by Audi Korea]

The Ice Experience also offers a basic program consisting of an ice lake circuit and snow scooter tours, with difficulty levels that can be increased step by step. There is also a Tour Experience where participants can enjoy the winding mountain roads of the Alps, spanning Italy, Austria, and Switzerland, along with spectacular scenery.

Audi has held over 800 driving experiences worldwide for more than 40 years. The number of participants each year reaches 14,500. The participation fee for the Ice Experience Finland event this time was 5.2 million KRW (round-trip airfare not included). One participant who has attended driving experience events from other brands said this amount is not expensive at all. Opportunities to drive high-performance models so aggressively are rare, and on regular roads, even a few drifts require frequent tire replacements, which alone is costly. Another advantage compared to other driving experience programs is that instructors provide more attentive care.