Infotainment in the Audi Q7: Audi, the digital future looks

"Ready for the digital future." The want to be the Audi Q7, says its manufacturer, and when the huge SUV is in motion, beautiful music was playing and the driver is looking forward to a relaxed and peaceful Tour, missing only one thing: the readiness of the navigation system, not to approach the future, but the destination input. The voice recognition is not yet so far. Engines start still faster than high-performance processors and high-tech systems.

Michael Spehr

editor in the Department "technology and Motor".

As in the Audi A8, the latest infotainment system, the Ingolstadt-based company is also part of the standard equipment, it goes by the cumbersome name of MMI Touch Response and comes out nearly without a switch and without a Controller. Mechanical controls are replaced by touch-sensitive Display, and as with the Smartphone you can personalize everything, so dozens and dozens of Shortcuts for vehicle functions, navigation destinations or telephone numbers on the Display drop.

In the instrument panel the large 10.1-inch Display with a resolution of 1540 × 720 pixels. Here, the control of Navigation, telephony, Media and vehicle settings, five virtual buttons on the left side is always in the main menus, large tiles are to the right of it with the Finger quickly away. When you tap the virtual keys, it is not enough to touch the glass surface gently, you have to exert a little pressure, so a failure will prevent operation. You can feel a click as confirmation. Other functions are triggered, when you press the virtual buttons any longer. The no-frills Design like.

A second touch-sensitive screen of 8.6 inches and a resolution of 1280 × 660 pixels on the console of the center tunnel serves to control the air conditioning and to enter text with handwriting recognition, for example for the detection of navigation targets. The text input with the male Finger is not new, here is the size of the input field, but will surprise you. Also not new, but as usual fascinating the virtual Cockpit behind the steering Wheel to a width of 12.3 inches and 1920 × 1080 pixels. You can leave the speedometer and tachometer to withdraw in favor of a panoramic map for the Navigation and the display as a second display to use.

The voice control in the Audi Q7 understands several hundred commands, regardless of the rigid menu structures and uses, where appropriate, questions. In part, the detection is performed in the vehicle, partly in the Cloud, the voice snippets are uploaded via a mobile phone. The comparison with the younger M-Bux from Mercedes-Benz, Audi, however, lose.

The data services takes over in the Q7 is the built-in cellular modem with a fixed Sim card, which also offers a Wi-Fi Hotspot for the passengers. With the data services, Premium traffic information to the vehicle, you will have to come from the community Here, in addition to Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz are involved. All of this is also included as standard equipment. As in the upper class down to the usual visualization of the traffic situation of each road show.