Lower touchscreen - think they've missed a trick here

[fronty]

Hey all, just jumped across from the Q7 forum because I am borrowing a dealers A6 C8 Avant whilst mine's in for a couple jobs... I was keen to try out the new MMI console and dual touch screen, and I'm a little disappointed if I'm going to be honest.

One of my gripes is with the touchpad in my Q7 which was fitted to older Audi's, specifically entering destinations and numbers is painfully slow, having to swipe each letter/number and wait for the system to say back what you have written, then go back and correct... aaargh just give me a fricking on screen QWERTY keyboard/keypad!!!

So I was hoping that with the new system, they would have added the option to bring up an onscreen keyboard/keypad and then I can just type the destination/name/number etc., but no, it basically works the same way, having to painfully swipe each letter on the lower touchscreen and wait for the system to read it back before entering the next one (or correcting your mistake). It's so slow and I still end up looking at the screen... it's rubbish IMHO and I was really hoping they would have improved this system.

I know you can use voice search, which I do most of the time for nav destinations, but I attend a lot of conference calls in the car and have to enter conference numbers and pin codes etc. In my Q7 I rotate the knob with the speller function, which still requires me to take my eyes off the road, but even that is pretty slow, I just want to be able to to tap the virtual buttons on the touch screen, why can't they have the option to bring up a virtual keypad? Aaaaargh!!!!!

Something else I have noticed is that there doesn't seem to be an option to enable Google Earth on the satnav - have they removed it or maybe it's an optional extra that this model doesn't have?

And the new numbering system, this model is a 40 TDI... which means... f*ck knows! I have to go and look it up... this new system is completely indecipherable!

Sorry, this seems to have turned into a bit of a rant.

[johnsimcox]

You can change the lower screen from handwriting to QWERTY keyboard by selecting the icon on the lower left side (I think from memory) of the screen. For Google Earth you need the Tech Pack, which also gives you the Virtual Cockpit, sounds like your loan car does not have that option. New numbering system is to allow common naming of models based on power output, regardless of power type (Electric, Hybrid, Diesel, Petrol). Agree it is not intuitive though

[fronty]

You can change the lower screen from handwriting to QWERTY keyboard by selecting the icon on the lower left side (I think from memory) of the screen.

Ah yes, you have to be stationary before that option becomes available. And the keyboard disappears as soon as you start moving.

Regardless of the safety argument for doing this, they should really have that keyboard come up on the top display, seems crazy that it's down so low on the bottom display.

It's a shame it's not available when moving, the other options are hardly better or less distracting in my opinion (trying to write with my left index finger (I'm right handed) or using the jog wheel).

[Simon1234]

I also prefer the qwerty keyboard and tend to use it before I set off on a journey. When 'writing' with your finger I like the fact that you can write anywhere on the screen, over-write letters you've already written, and find it pretty accurate. That said, it'd be easier if I was left-handed or had a left-hand drive car (if Audi's were British they'd have a little touch screen on the right of the steering wheel I think ).

When I've a passenger in, none of this matters though!

This is my first Audi since an A4 Avant 2004 and it's my fave car so far. As others have said the 40tdi is a bit sluggish when puling away if not in 'dynamic'.