2005 Volvo Winter Test Drive: Quebec City, Canada: Event Overview

Ice Hotel Quebec-Canada

Constructed entirely of ice and snow, this is the only Ice Hotel in North America and one of the most popular tourist attractions in the area. Definitely a must-see if you're ever in the area, and rooms start at $199CAD if you're planning on staying the night!

Le Relais

My strategy was to yank on the emergency brake handle at the end of the course in an effort to spin the car around. In theory this would have been a fine plan but I neglected to disengage the DSTC, which resulted in my risky maneuver being converted into a quick, controlled stop. I was a little disappointed with my performance, but hopes were high that everyone else would make the same mistake!
Once finished with the slalom competition, we were shuttled up to the ski area’s terrain park by snowmobile. Here, ski instructors from the CSIA (Canadian Ski Instructors Alliance) demonstrated their freeride vertical skills in the area’s halfpipe. Very cool!

Le Relais was our last stop of the day, so we hopped back onto the highway and headed back to Auberge Saint-Antoine.

The Evening

Well, as an eventful a day as we managed to have, Volvo still had a few more tricks up their sleeves. Round about six o’clock we boarded a tour bus and were taken to the Musée de l'Amérique francaise. The building was originally constructed as part of the renown Séminaire de Québec site back in the 1600’s and was founded by Monseigneur de Laval. Today it stands as Canada’s oldest museum.

The scene inside was impressive to say the least... a cluster of tables with intricately carved ice sculptures in the center, holding a bottle of vodka, for each table. We were told the original plan was for the liqour to be the traditional Scandinavian akvavit, but labour problems in the Quebec’s liquor distribution sector forced them to make a late player substitution with the Swedish Vodka brand of Absolut... We weren’t ones to complain

With just that said, indeed it was a great night interspersed with live operatic performances throughout the night, an awards presentation for the slalom competition, and of course lots of socializing and good times. On that note, somehow I managed to win the slalom competition on the V50 side, and George Achorn from SwedeSpeed.com won amongst the XC70’s!

Conclusion

And with that we were done, just 36 hours after landing in Quebec City I was on my way back to the West Coast with newfound appreciations for Quebec, and Volvo's AWD wagons, the XC70 and V50 AWD!

But aside from such great experiences like Ile d’Orleans, the Ice Hotel, Le Relais and more, at the end of the day it was all about the cars… And as such these experiences really solidified my perspective on the XC70 and V50 AWD.

Without a doubt, the strongest point I brought home is the importance of DSTC (Dynamic Stability Traction Control). I can’t emphasize enough how much of an improvement this system makes to overall vehicle control on slippery surfaces. I will say it again, that if you are in the market for a new Volvo and live anywhere you encounter severe weather, be sure to take the time to either find a DSTC equipped model in stock or take the time to place a special order your new car with DSTC.

The second strongest is how impressed I was with the overall stability and quality of the V50. I certainly have to hand it to Volvo on this note, but to have to wonder about overall pricing. Seeing as the V50’s primary competition is not it’s XC70 stable-mate, I do have to wonder how well it stacks up to the competition.

Thank you kindly to everyone at Volvo involved with the organization and planning of this exceptional event. This sort of a press event was a first for me and I’d be putting it mildly in saying it was an amazing time… The people, the events, facilities, activities, everything was top notch!