My wife and I made the 3 hour drive to Asheville for the ST SUV Experience last week and I wanted to do a little write up and answer any questions anyone had about it before they go.
Arrival Day
We arrived at the Biltmore the afternoon of the reception dinner. Traffic on I40 made us take a little detour but Waze got us there no problem. Following the signs to the hotel was easy enough, as was check in. They give you an envelope with a map, your Biltmore Tour tickets, and (2) $25 breakfast vouchers. It was pouring down rain so we didn't get to explore much of the grounds but we found our way to Cedric's ahead of time just to make sure we knew where we were going. Come time for the reception dinner we followed the sign they had set up to go through the private party door and up the elevator. Everyone was dressed pretty casual, some more than others, but jeans and a collared shirt seemed to be the attire most chose. Dinner was a pretty standard upscale business buffet, ie soup, salad, herb mac and cheese, sweet potato risotto, prime rib, half chicken etc. Our presentation was done by Shaun who did a great job, even with the technical difficulties he had. At the end he talks about preparing for the next day, including eating breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel, and that they even open 15 minutes early (6:45am instead of 7am) for ST SUV participants and to not forget to use the included $25 breakfast vouchers.
Drive Day
We arrived at breakfast at 6:45, although there were several other couples already there and some had already received their food by that time. Both of our meals were very good, but we had to eat quickly. You have to be at the designated parking lot between 7:30 and 7:45 for check-in and it is about a ~8-10 minute drive there. We were not staying another night so we had to check out and load our luggage before departing for the meeting spot. After our short drive we arrived at the parking lot, checked in at the tent, and were assigned our Explorer for the day. We brought our phone charging cables but they ask you not to plug them into the front port because they use the Ford Navigation presets to get everyone from place to place just incase someone gets split up. After checking to make sure everyone's 2-way radio is working and a short explanation on the Roadkeepers, we were on our way. There were 3 groups on our day, each with an instructor at the front of the group as well as the back. We had Shaun and Andy and they did a great job keeping us all together as best they could.
The first leg is a ~90 minute drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway with one stop about halfway through to allow you to stretch your legs and switch drivers if you want to. The entire way we were being walked through over the radio on how different aspects of the car work as well as how to use them. At the end of the drive on the Parkway you arrive at the Asheville Fair Grounds for the second part of your day. We started with splitting the couples up into 2 groups with one group doing the auto parallel park assist and the other doing the skid car. Next was the obstacle avoidance maneuvering, which we both did. After that it was time for a light lunch at the Golf Course just down the road. After lunch is the last 2 driving exercises before returning to the Biltmore. We did the Emergency Automated Breaking Test first, where you just drive at the inflatable car at 20mph and let the car stop itself. Next was the Autocross and it was so much fun. After the Prize(s) of Unspeakable Value are handed out and the group pictures taken, everyone heads back to the Biltmore parking lot to return your borrowed ST and head over to the Biltmore house for the tour. Overall and amazing experience that I would highly recommend to everyone that can do it.
A few quick things:
Arrival Day
We arrived at the Biltmore the afternoon of the reception dinner. Traffic on I40 made us take a little detour but Waze got us there no problem. Following the signs to the hotel was easy enough, as was check in. They give you an envelope with a map, your Biltmore Tour tickets, and (2) $25 breakfast vouchers. It was pouring down rain so we didn't get to explore much of the grounds but we found our way to Cedric's ahead of time just to make sure we knew where we were going. Come time for the reception dinner we followed the sign they had set up to go through the private party door and up the elevator. Everyone was dressed pretty casual, some more than others, but jeans and a collared shirt seemed to be the attire most chose. Dinner was a pretty standard upscale business buffet, ie soup, salad, herb mac and cheese, sweet potato risotto, prime rib, half chicken etc. Our presentation was done by Shaun who did a great job, even with the technical difficulties he had. At the end he talks about preparing for the next day, including eating breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel, and that they even open 15 minutes early (6:45am instead of 7am) for ST SUV participants and to not forget to use the included $25 breakfast vouchers.
Drive Day
We arrived at breakfast at 6:45, although there were several other couples already there and some had already received their food by that time. Both of our meals were very good, but we had to eat quickly. You have to be at the designated parking lot between 7:30 and 7:45 for check-in and it is about a ~8-10 minute drive there. We were not staying another night so we had to check out and load our luggage before departing for the meeting spot. After our short drive we arrived at the parking lot, checked in at the tent, and were assigned our Explorer for the day. We brought our phone charging cables but they ask you not to plug them into the front port because they use the Ford Navigation presets to get everyone from place to place just incase someone gets split up. After checking to make sure everyone's 2-way radio is working and a short explanation on the Roadkeepers, we were on our way. There were 3 groups on our day, each with an instructor at the front of the group as well as the back. We had Shaun and Andy and they did a great job keeping us all together as best they could.
The first leg is a ~90 minute drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway with one stop about halfway through to allow you to stretch your legs and switch drivers if you want to. The entire way we were being walked through over the radio on how different aspects of the car work as well as how to use them. At the end of the drive on the Parkway you arrive at the Asheville Fair Grounds for the second part of your day. We started with splitting the couples up into 2 groups with one group doing the auto parallel park assist and the other doing the skid car. Next was the obstacle avoidance maneuvering, which we both did. After that it was time for a light lunch at the Golf Course just down the road. After lunch is the last 2 driving exercises before returning to the Biltmore. We did the Emergency Automated Breaking Test first, where you just drive at the inflatable car at 20mph and let the car stop itself. Next was the Autocross and it was so much fun. After the Prize(s) of Unspeakable Value are handed out and the group pictures taken, everyone heads back to the Biltmore parking lot to return your borrowed ST and head over to the Biltmore house for the tour. Overall and amazing experience that I would highly recommend to everyone that can do it.
A few quick things:
- Always have your drivers license with you, even at the dinner on the first night
- Your swag bag is given out at the dinner and has more awesome stuff than just the emblems in it
- You can't go wrong with the Pecan Waffles and Bacon for breakfast
- The second part of the Parkway drive is a little more intense so plan for that if you get car sick
- Only one person gets to do the skid car from each "couple", that bummed out several people in our group, the other only gets to do the parallel parking assist
- There are not a ton of bathroom break opportunities, so take them when they are offered
- Trust the car and the instructors, they are great and really know what they are talking about
- The drive back from the fairgrounds only takes about 20-30 minutes, you do not take the parkway back
- Don't forget about the Roadkeepers, try to remember to turn it on every time, and don't forget it records audio too.
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