Prospective A6 - a few queries

[Hippogriff]

Hi all,

My first post into the A6 forum area. I've had two previous A4s and I am currently running a 59 reg. 2.0 S line with MMI 3G and various other options. Today I went into Audi Sheffield to look at the face-lifted A4, the A6 and the Q3. The face-lift of the A4 appears to be nearly wholly cosmetic so I'm losing interest in that quickly. I didn't like the Q3 at all. The A6 seems to be front-runner... it all depends on whether I can afford it.

However, in preparation (as I say), I went to the dealership to ask some questions and I've got all the brochures in front of me.

Sheffield Audi told me that no Audi, apart from the A3, allows 7 digit postcode entry. I sought clarity on this and he confirmed it for me. I didn't believe him, to be honest, and the brochures certainly indicate that 7 digit postcode is a feature - can any A6 owner tell me for sure that you can enter full postcodes into the sat. nav. system, please? I guess what I'm looking at here is Order Code WB4 (Technology Package) which is said to include PNQ (MMI+), 9Q8 (colour DIS), 9ZW (mobile phone preparation - high) and UF7 (AMI).

Linked to MMI+, it appears that you PNQ gives you MMI Touch, the ability to scrawl letters onto the keypad (Sheffield Audi told me this wasn't on their cars - again, I was baffled)... how well does this work, is it better than spinning the MMI wheel?

Finally, can any A6 owners help me with an AMI query? In my A4 today, I connect a USB HDD to the car with all my MP3s on there and this is held in the glove compartment. Obviously this only shows me music in a list format... there is no Album Cover presented to me. I would like this feature - is it something the A6's system can display - either if the MP3s had Cover images embedded in their ID3 tags, or even a folder.jpg file held in the same folder as the music files?

If these were both 'fixed', then I would be a really happy A6 owner... these are things that I was always hoping the A4 would have. Any responses are very much appreciated, as it will help me out a lot (although I expect a further trip to Audi and more conversations about potentially duff information I seem to be getting).

Oh, really finally... has anyone got first-hand experience of 7X5 (Park Assist)... as I do love the idea?

[retired99]

Sheffield Audi told me that no Audi, apart from the A3, allows 7 digit postcode entry.

Rubbish, I have a current model A6 sitting outside and only today I was able to input and navigate to a seven digit postcode. This car is fitted with the Tech Pack but I'm fairly sure that 7 digit postcode is supported by the MMI SD version.




Linked to MMI+, it appears that you PNQ gives you MMI Touch, the ability to scrawl letters onto the keypad (Sheffield Audi told me this wasn't on their cars - again, I was baffled)... how well does this work, is it better than spinning the MMI wheel?

For me this works well and is certainly quicker than spinning the wheel. I could have an advantage here in that I am left handed. It doesn't seem very fussy about the quality of the character formation so it might be ok even for right handed people.


Finally, can any A6 owners help me with an AMI query? In my A4 today, I connect a USB HDD to the car with all my MP3s on there and this is held in the glove compartment. Obviously this only shows me music in a list format... there is no Album Cover presented to me. I would like this feature - is it something the A6's system can display - either if the MP3s had Cover images embedded in their ID3 tags, or even a folder.jpg file held in the same folder as the music files?

'My' A6 has been lent to me so I've not delved too far into all the 'entertainment' features. However, it does have MMI plus which features a couple of SD card slots. I've copied some music to an SD card, one folder per album, and this plays the music and displays the album art. Don't know if it's using the images in the album folder or in the ID tag as both are present. Car also feature a HDD based jukebox (MMI Plus) which I assume will work in the same way as the SD card, although I haven't tried it.




Oh, really finally... has anyone got first-hand experience of 7X5 (Park Assist)... as I do love the idea?

No experience.

[gribbo91]

Yes standard Nav has 7 digit postcode, lot better than my 2010 which has 5 digit. don't think that AMI or even the SD supports covers on the MMI screen.

[Whippy53]

I suspect you were talking to the tea boy.

[retired99]

Your question about album art prompted me to go outside and fiddle about.

As far as I can tell ( loan car with no handbook - paper or on the HDD) when music is played from the SD card the album art is shown as part of the track playing information, this seems to be the only time it can be seen when using an SD card.

I loaded a couple of albums onto the HDD jukebox. The jukebox provides an 'album browswer' feature( not present with SD card ) which allows you to flick through the album covers ( art work) in much the same way as mobile phone /mps players often do. When a track is then selected and played the artwork is displayed with the track details in the same way as from the SD Card.

Have to say I find the user interface a bit unattractive and clumsy, but I guess you adapt to that. I suggest that you find a competent sales person and get them to demo it.

[Hippogriff]

Thank you for this... he did say he'd only worked there for just over a year, but I figured that he should still know answers to basic queries about key features. Oh well.

So, this confirmation on full postcode entry is great... it's been way too long coming to Audi vehicles (for reasons I understand, but never accepted!) and now that's all sorted, I feel more positive.

The Album Covers also sounds positive as well... it seems like it works from SD Card (I do load up tracks via SD Card, as well, often) and via the Jukebox (something I do not use often, myself)... so it will be very interesting to see if that works with a USB HDD attached. It doesn't really matter which of ID3 tag or folder.jpg it uses - just as long as the feature is there.

And, as I'm also cag-handed, the text entry via scrawling should work well for me.

Sounds positive.

I've just been trawling the brochure... is it really £515 for me to get electrically-folding wing mirrors (so that they'll fold on locking and unfold on unlocking) on an A6?

[Passatier3]

If he's only worked there for a year he's got no excuse for his poor knowledge of recent/new cars, older models yes, but not new ones!

This is my first Audi for a few years, had a few VW in between, and was lucky enough to stagger into ownership :D as I thought was going to be too expensive. I say lucky because it seems my timing was right because it's the best A6 to-date, as said has the full postcode entry etc. and is basically a great car.

As I've got the Black Edition it's got AMI which allows the connection of HDD etc. I'm using the SD card for my music (in separate albums) but haven't been able to crack the showing of album covers yet. I've got them in I-Tunes but don't know how to tag them to the folders.

If you go down the A6 route one thing to consider carefully, if you are concerned about fuel economy, is whether to go for manual or Multitronic - worth reading the thread on real world figures. Basically whilst Audi claim very similar figures it's being found that generally the manual is much better. I find that driven gently the fuel consumption is pretty good but as soon as I start putting my foot down (and I'm not talking hard) the average fuel consumption drops quite a lot, certainly compared to my previous Passat with DSG gearbox which compared very well with a manual. Multitronic is very smooth though and enhances the prestige feel of the car.

[Hippogriff]

Interesting. I'm multitronic all the way! That limits my choices re. engine, but I'm happy with that. I would not have a manual and I wasn't a personal fan of the S tronic.

I have no qualms with messing around with the MP3s, to find out how and why they get their images shown in the MMI, I tinkered enough with the A4 and MMI 3G, finding out the differences in how tracks were ordered differently in a USB-attached device and on the Jukebox - all good fun. What I'm glad about is the fact that someone has said they've seen Covers in the MMI on the A6 - that's good enough for me.

Now, as to the Black Edition - I was also very, very tempted to consider going for this... however, those 20" wheels made me apprehensive. Are they working out OK? I note that the S line is 18".

[Olio]

I've just been trawling the brochure... is it really £515 for me to get electrically-folding wing mirrors (so that they'll fold on locking and unfold on unlocking) on an A6?

No, it should be £235 if I remember correctly and if you have only the basic options (electric / memory-wise) (option 6XE)

[Hippogriff]

I hope that's right... that's a helluva difference.

6XE @ £235 = "heated and electrically adjustable and folding..." vs. 6XK (what I was looking at) @ £515 = "heated, electrically adjustable, electrically folding and auto-dimming..." so it must be the auto-dimming bit that jumps up the price, then... which I have on the A4, and I do like having. Might well get dropped here. However, I note the slight difference in "electrically adjustable and folding" and "electrically adjustable, electrically folding"... I guess I'd better find out for sure.

[Hippogriff]

Been running a few numbers... all with the A6, 2.0, multitronic... same additional options would be Heated Front Seats, Technology Pack (inc. MMI 3G and Touch, AMI, Colour DIS and Mobile Phone Prep. - High), Interior Light Pack, Folding Mirrors, Park Assist and Advanced Key... the S line comes out a bit cheaper than Black Edition.

Pros for S line... normal sized wheels.
Pros for Black Edition... BOSE, Black Styling Package (not sure whether I care about that at the moment) and Privacy Glass.

I would like to drive around in a Black Edition, will see what Audi can do for me.

[Whippy53]

I thought, just for me, the black edition looked a little to much 'pimpmobile' but then that's just me!

[Hippogriff]

I'm erring on the same... but, then, I thought to myself "If you can't enjoy a bit of pimpin'..."

P.S. - I much prefer the PQS "5-segment" wheels than the Black Edition standard PQU "5-arm rotor" wheels, maybe that would make me feel less like a pimp?

[Whippy53]

LOL, have it in white! For the extra "pimpin da ride" effect! Actually probably look quite good in white. I just don't go for the 'ugly kids' glass.

[Guest 2]

Garnet Red Black Edition yes please

http://photo.netcarshow.com/Audi-A6_Black_Edition_2013_photo_01.jpg

[Whippy53]

That certainly looks cool. Personally I think anyone who has a garnet red A6 must be a dude!

[johnsimcox]

Can't speak for how you get Album Art displayed via SD card or using an HDD attached via the AMI (as you are going down that route you might want to check your hard drive fits in the front arm rest as that is where the AMI port is on the A6) but you can certainly display it if you are using an iPod (iPod Touch 2 and upwards, plus the latest iPod Nano) or iPhone/iPad providing you have the cable with the Red Grommet (you should get two cables with the car one is USB and the other is for the iPod) but a search on another forum says that the artwork image file needs to be 800x800 or less for it to work. You can also play video (as long as the car is stationary or you have used VCDS to enable video in motion) from the iDevice and some have even managed to stream sources such as BBC iPlayer. I think you can also play video off the SD card. Unfortunately Audi do not yet do a cable for the Lightening connector as used on the latest iDevices, but if you use the genuine Apple adaptor then you still get Album artwork but not the video capability.

[Hippogriff]

Thanks for this, I did not know the USB port for the AMI was in a different place. I've currently got a 1.8" HDD so it's pretty small in size. In the A4 it's held in place in a net, inside the glove compartment which stops any rattling, I wonder if that would be an issue with the A6; I will need to take a look at it.

I'm afraid I stay well away from any Apple devices for religious reasons.

If I do plump for the Black Edition, then it will need to come in Black (it would confuse me if a Black Edition came in a colour other than Black). ;) Audi Sheffield promised me that someone would call me today with further details on my questions. I am waiting to get their final confirmation regarding 7 digit postcode and Album Covers (which I think you guys have helped me out with already)... and Audi Connect. This is my current thinking...

Different wheels, PQS
20mm Sports Suspension, 1BE
Heated Front Seats, 4A3
Technology Pack, WB4
Mobile Phone Preparation - High 9ZW, in WB4
MMI+ with MMI Touch PNQ, in WB4
Colour DIS 9Q8, in WB4
AMI, UF7, in WB4 and in Black Edition
BOSE Surround Sound, 8RY, in Black Edition
Privacy Glass 4KF, in Black Edition
Black Styling Package, 4ZD, in Black Edition
Lighting Package, QQ1
Mirrors - Electrically Folding 6XE (not auto-dimming)
Headlight Washer System 8X1, with S line
Park Assist, 7X5
Advanced Key, PGD
Standard Steering Wheel, 1XX

[retired99]

This is what the MMI Album Art looks like. One is an image of the juke box album display and the other is a track being played.

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o508/retired9/MMI/DSC01434.jpg (http://s1145.photobucket.com/user/retired9/media/MMI/DSC01434.jpg.html)

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o508/retired9/MMI/DSC01433.jpg (http://s1145.photobucket.com/user/retired9/media/MMI/DSC01433.jpg.html)

[Hippogriff]

Thank you - so very helpful!

[Passatier3]

I found it interesting that the range topping car i.e. the BE has the black trim rather than the bright trim which used to be a sign of the top of the range car! This has happened a few times over the years and just keeps on going round and round and of course with colour coding being added into the mix sometimes. :D

I didn't have any choice with the wheels etc. because it was a car the dealer already had and I think the Rotors look great with the Daytona grey. If I'd specced. the car though and was going for an SE or S I would probably have gone with the PQS, because as well as being good looking wheels, they tie in with the other silver/brightwork on the car.

But whatever one's personal choices they are great looking cars.

[Hippogriff]

At this moment in time, I am a little miffed that the promised phone call from an Audi expert on MMI, AMI and Audi Connect has not happened. Yesterday, while being told that 7 digit postcode was not available, my details were taken so that someone who was not in yesterday, but would be in today, could call me to discuss things and give me improved information.

It really is down to the A6 S line or the Black Edition, I think... or something else completely even (but I've been an Audi driver for over 8 years).

[kamza]

Is there a reason why you're still dealing with Sheffield? Why not try another centre (Doncaster, Wakefield & Huddersfield all seem relatively close by to Sheffield). I had a similar experience with my local Audi centre who are all of a 5 minute drive from me. Through a combination of poor product knowledge and general arrogance shown by them resulted in a 40 minute drive to the next dealer where the difference couldn't have been greater!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Hippogriff]

Well, Sheffield Audi is a mere 1.3 miles away from my house... so it's laziness on my part, really.

While I do not mind someone saying "I don't know, but I'll find out..." or "I don't know, but I'll get someone to tell you..." I do mind someone adamantly telling me incorrect information and someone not following-up on their commitment.

[belly buster]

There's a useful thread here Use of SD cards for music (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?139752-Use-of-SD-cards-for-music&p=764365#post764365) which has some info on album art etc.

The SD card slots work with up to 64GB cards, but 32GB is much easier to get working.

[Hippogriff]

Nice, so it looks like it will work with either folder.jpg or embedded ID3 tag images, as long as they're not beyond a certain size, which is fine - because most of my Album Covers are 500 x 500 pixels (seems to be a size that Amazon frequently holds) and my PC-based program (HMusicCentre - HMusicCentre (www.hmusiccentre.org.uk)) grabs Covers for its collection right from Amazon's web service... I'll just re-use those Covers for putting stuff into the car. I listen to music by album, usually, so I'll probably try folder.jpg as I'd prefer that.

[Passatier3]

Is there a reason why you're still dealing with Sheffield? Why not try another centre (Doncaster, Wakefield & Huddersfield all seem relatively close by to Sheffield). I had a similar experience with my local Audi centre who are all of a 5 minute drive from me. Through a combination of poor product knowledge and general arrogance shown by them resulted in a 40 minute drive to the next dealer where the difference couldn't have been greater!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You really would think with Audi being a premium brand that there would be a more consistent and high quality of customer service from Audi dealers?

I had a mixed experience with my dealer - face to face fine, once I demanded a sales guys attention, but when ringing calls were mainly not returned and weak excuses made. I started e-mailing which got a better response initially but then they weren't answered.

I still haven't got my AMI leads after 6 weeks, though after my last e-mail which questioned the sales guys attitude once he'd made a sale and got his attention, I should be getting some action? Are these leads rarer than rare stuff or something!

[Hippogriff]

It's been this way forever.

I've had two A4s over 8 years - a 54 1.9 TDI Sport and a 59 2.0 TDI S line - they've both had to go into Audi for various reasons, e.g. rattles, suspension squeaks, wheel clicks, MMI "now turn left" nonsense and, most recently, the advanced key sensors in the handles just stopping working. I remember one time, I was there at 08:00 to hand over the car, stood in a queue, and the guy behind me said "they really make you feel like dirt here, don't they?" - I couldn't agree more, I replied "yeah, but they actually make good cars" and we both agreed.

With the wheel click episode, everything went wrong and I was without the car for much longer than expected and one of the Service people lied to me about something, I knew it was a lie, so I called it out and I 'lost it', then Audi gave me leave to go for a meal with my girlfriend and they paid for it.

And I'm still going back. Sucker for punishment. I like the cars..!

[retired99]

I have discovered, I think, that when using the HDD album art needs to be stored within the ID tag. Had a few that didn't work and doing this fixed it.

You might well be aware of this but if you have MMI+ and BT High in order to use the data services (Google Maps, traffic, WiFi hotspot) you need either to have an BT RSAP capable phone or put a SIM card in the car slot.

If the phone is connected to the car via RSAP then call history and texts during the time the phone is connected will not be stored on the phone, ( or at least they're not on mine).

If you use a separate SIM card and connect the phone via BT HFP then the phone will work as a normal BT connected phone but will not be taking advantage of the better reception afforded by the external aerial. If you want to do this you will need two SIM cards.

[Hippogriff]

My plan was this (tell me if this sounds bonkers)...

I would get a similar T-Mobile (EE) £10 (think it's £7.50) per month MiFi plan to do the same as I already do for my roaming around (and I find very effective). This allows up to 1GB per month, but it doesn't cut you off or charge you extra after that, it just stops you playing videos and stuff (which I'd never be doing anyway). I would plan to take that SIM and stick it into the car.

I would then connect my current phone (a pretty aged Blackberry) to the car via Bluetooth just as I would do today in the A4.

I'm expecting (hoping) that I can still dial numbers that are stored on the phone, like I do today... via either selecting them via the UI, or by shouting at the car!

My reading of the brochure certainly implies this is feasible - pg. 74 - "2. A separate SIM card which can be inserted in the included SIM card reader. When a separate SIM is used, hands free phone calls are possible using the SIM card or by connecting a different mobile telephone via Bluetooth Hands Free Profile." - what I don't want is the car to think I want to make calls using the SIM I've put into it, as that SIM would be only data enabled.

[retired99]

That's my plan; so let's hope it works.

My car will be delivered in the next few weeks and will be a MY14 car, unlike the car I'm using at the moment which is model year 13. In MY13 cars if a SIM card is installed it refuses any BT HFP connection; I've tried with a data only SIM.

This has been the cause of much complaint ( if you search you'll find some long threads about this)and, I sincerely hope, has been remedied in the MY14 cars. The wording suggests it has. Perhaps someone with a MY14 car can confirm, assuming some have been delivered.

[belly buster]

My plan was this (tell me if this sounds bonkers)...

I would get a similar T-Mobile (EE) £10 (think it's £7.50) per month MiFi plan to do the same as I already do for my roaming around (and I find very effective). This allows up to 1GB per month, but it doesn't cut you off or charge you extra after that, it just stops you playing videos and stuff (which I'd never be doing anyway). I would plan to take that SIM and stick it into the car.

I would then connect my current phone (a pretty aged Blackberry) to the car via Bluetooth just as I would do today in the A4.

I'm expecting (hoping) that I can still dial numbers that are stored on the phone, like I do today... via either selecting them via the UI, or by shouting at the car!

My reading of the brochure certainly implies this is feasible - pg. 74 - "2. A separate SIM card which can be inserted in the included SIM card reader. When a separate SIM is used, hands free phone calls are possible using the SIM card or by connecting a different mobile telephone via Bluetooth Hands Free Profile." - what I don't want is the car to think I want to make calls using the SIM I've put into it, as that SIM would be only data enabled.

I hope this is not bonkers as I plan to do exactly the same! Except I will probably get a three 12 month / 12GB PAYG SIM (about £60) as their 3G network is the best IMO.

[belly buster]

It's been this way forever.

I've had two A4s over 8 years - a 54 1.9 TDI Sport and a 59 2.0 TDI S line - they've both had to go into Audi for various reasons, e.g. rattles, suspension squeaks, wheel clicks, MMI "now turn left" nonsense and, most recently, the advanced key sensors in the handles just stopping working. I remember one time, I was there at 08:00 to hand over the car, stood in a queue, and the guy behind me said "they really make you feel like dirt here, don't they?" - I couldn't agree more, I replied "yeah, but they actually make good cars" and we both agreed.

With the wheel click episode, everything went wrong and I was without the car for much longer than expected and one of the Service people lied to me about something, I knew it was a lie, so I called it out and I 'lost it', then Audi gave me leave to go for a meal with my girlfriend and they paid for it.

And I'm still going back. Sucker for punishment. I like the cars..!

This is why I decided to use a broker (DTD/ OW etc). Do your research here and then save yourself the hassle of dealing with Audi sales and save a bit of money too.

[belly buster]

Thanks for this, I did not know the USB port for the AMI was in a different place. I've currently got a 1.8" HDD so it's pretty small in size. In the A4 it's held in place in a net, inside the glove compartment which stops any rattling, I wonder if that would be an issue with the A6; I will need to take a look at it.

I'm afraid I stay well away from any Apple devices for religious reasons.

If I do plump for the Black Edition, then it will need to come in Black (it would confuse me if a Black Edition came in a colour other than Black). ;) Audi Sheffield promised me that someone would call me today with further details on my questions. I am waiting to get their final confirmation regarding 7 digit postcode and Album Covers (which I think you guys have helped me out with already)... and Audi Connect. This is my current thinking...

Different wheels, PQS
20mm Sports Suspension, 1BE
Heated Front Seats, 4A3
Technology Pack, WB4
Mobile Phone Preparation - High 9ZW, in WB4
MMI+ with MMI Touch PNQ, in WB4
Colour DIS 9Q8, in WB4
AMI, UF7, in WB4 and in Black Edition
BOSE Surround Sound, 8RY, in Black Edition
Privacy Glass 4KF, in Black Edition
Black Styling Package, 4ZD, in Black Edition
Lighting Package, QQ1
Mirrors - Electrically Folding 6XE (not auto-dimming)
Headlight Washer System 8X1, with S line
Park Assist, 7X5
Advanced Key, PGD
Standard Steering Wheel, 1XX

Nice spec. Curious on your thinking on the advanced key. The A6 comes with a keyless go start button as standard.

[Hippogriff]

In MY13 cars if a SIM card is installed it refuses any BT HFP connection; I've tried with a data only SIM.

Ouch!!!

[Hippogriff]

Nice spec. Curious on your thinking on the advanced key. The A6 comes with a keyless go start button as standard.

No worries.

I think that the real convenience, after several years with Advanced Key on the A4, is not the Start / Stop button but also the ability open the doors and lock them without having to get hold of the key-fob and press buttons on it. I don't think this is just aimed at ladies who might keep the key in their handbag... it is something I very much appreciate, being able to just have the key in my pocket all the time. That's not to say I don't value the Start / Stop button, I do. I value both Start / Stop button and keyless entry.

With my A4 door sensors being broken at this moment in time, I know what it's like to have just the Start / Stop button functionality (which still works) and I want it back.

[johnsimcox]

http://i1145.photobucket.com/albums/o508/retired9/MMI/DSC01433.jpg (http://s1145.photobucket.com/user/retired9/media/MMI/DSC01433.jpg.html)

Browsing with Album Art is only available with MMI High. If you have the Standard SD card based Sat Nav then this is not available (or can someone tell me how to get this!!)

[retired99]

Browsing with Album Art is only available with MMI High. If you have the Standard SD card based Sat Nav then this is not available (or can someone tell me how to get this!!)


That's correct, only works with the HDD.

[retired99]

No worries.

I think that the real convenience, after several years with Advanced Key on the A4, is not the Start / Stop button but also the ability open the doors and lock them without having to get hold of the key-fob and press buttons on it. I don't think this is just aimed at ladies who might keep the key in their handbag... it is something I very much appreciate, being able to just have the key in my pocket all the time. That's not to say I don't value the Start / Stop button, I do. I value both Start / Stop button and keyless entry.

With my A4 door sensors being broken at this moment in time, I know what it's like to have just the Start / Stop button functionality (which still works) and I want it back.

IMHO the Start / Stop button on its own offer no advantages that I can see. If I've got my key in my hand when I get in the car I need to decide where to put it; might just as well put it in an ignition key slot.

My previous car (BMW F11) also had the Start / Stop button but BMW had recognised my problem and provided a slot to store the key; with a bit of effort the could develop this slot into a device for starting and stopping the car.

Not sure what advantage this is supposed to offer. Seems to be the latest fashion.

Advanced key, clearly a useful feature.

[Passatier3]

IMHO the Start / Stop button on its own offer no advantages that I can see. If I've got my key in my hand when I get in the car I need to decide where to put it; might just as well put it in an ignition key slot.

My previous car (BMW F11) also had the Start / Stop button but BMW had recognised my problem and provided a slot to store the key; with a bit of effort the could develop this slot into a device for starting and stopping the car.

Not sure what advantage this is supposed to offer. Seems to be the latest fashion.

Advanced key, clearly a useful feature.

:biglaugh:

I quite often get into the car (particularly after driving my wifes) and go to put the key into the dash - and particularly as my previous Passat had the very device that you referred to :D

If I can't get the key in my pocket I just put it on the passenger floor! Progress, huh! :D

[Teflon]

I'm really amazed you've had a poor experience with Audi Sheffield.

In the days not so long ago when they had another name, different showroom, I had some very poor times with both the Audi and VW arms and would avoid them like the plague. But on a string of recent visits to investigate a new A6 estate I thought the service was excellent and the salesman was both knowledgable and very accomodating. They also had the best discount I could get, short of going the DriveTheDeal route.

I didn't order one in the end 'cos the Audi price list is an excercise in overcharging for stuff that ought to be standard on a premium vehicle (like folding mirrors) and by the time I'd specced it up to what I want it looked overpriced and I went for another marque. But I was happy with the dealer and as others have hinted, I think you might have been dealing with one of the old crowd who used to raise my ire so badly.

[Kieron Mullan]

Browsing with Album Art is only available with MMI High. If you have the Standard SD card based Sat Nav then this is not available (or can someone tell me how to get this!!)

Has this been absolutely confirmed or just an assumption, or is it just another hidden feature in VCDS? I have SD card based system and can get Album Art for the song playing - just waiting red cable to activate. I would have thought if you can get it for the song playing on SD, I can't believe the AMI coding for Scrolling Album Art would be different.

After adding so many features to my previous A5 Sline Cab with VCDS that I would have had to pay Audi extra for as an option, I suspect it's highly likely to be the same case here.

Cheers

[Hippogriff]

I'm really amazed you've had a poor experience with Audi Sheffield.

I have written in to the manager this morning, politely revisiting what happened on Saturday (with the incorrect information, some of which was corrected through me reading the brochure and some of which has been clarified through help from folk on this forum - and the lack of promised follow-up to discuss queries on Audi Connect) so we will see if I get a response.

Them knowing everything is not expected, but I would at least expect all sales people to read their own brochure and be able to recall facts from it, or even refer to it for clarity on customer questions, right there and then... just saying "only the A3 has full postcode capability" and then standing by that bad information is just wrong.

[Hippogriff]

Response back from Sheffield Audi, they are going to ensure someone calls me to discuss Audi Connect in the MY 2014 A4, and then help me understand the differences between this feature in the A6 and A4.

[Whippy53]

I'll hold my breath shall I? Same thing at Newbury, simply not interested, how they make a living God knows. Went to another Franchise and chalk and cheese couldn't do more. the guy that brought the test car round had only been there a week, asked him how to dial up the various options on the dis and he was straight on it. Impressive.

[Hippogriff]

Audi called me and we had a really good chat about the A4 and Audi Connect. From what I picked-up, there an update around Build Week 38 that will allow navigation to take you to the nearest fuel station, or the cheapest. He talked about the car being able to geo-tag pictures taken on your phone and uploading them, somewhere.

It was confirmed that the data-only SIM not working in harmony with a Bluetooth paired phone will go away in MY 2014 A6s. We talked about the services the car offers, weather and suchlike - possibly Twitter, Facebook - being restricted in the "walled garden" of the car, but any other device (up to 8, interestingly - so more than standard MiFi devices (5), but less than some MiFi devices that provide 10 - maybe 2 of the total 10 IP addresses are used by the car itself?) that connects to the car's wi-fi hotspot will then have unfettered access to the Internet, which you'd expect.

We talked about the challenge of leaving Google Maps on all the time, it uses data all the time as the car moves around (again, no surprise) so make sure you get an unlimited data plan. On the topic of MP3 Album Covers, he wasn't sure if it was embedded ID3 tags or the folder.jpg route, but that doesn't matter as this forum has already helped out loads.

He'd not driven the A6 Black Edition on its big wheels yet, but said he understood my concern about ride quality... however, the offer is there for me to try it in July if I would like to do that.

Good chat.

[Bash D Bishop]

Audi dealers amaze me. I took a car for a test drive from Edinburgh Audi. Gave lots of buying signals and asked salesman to see what was available from stock and to call me the next day. That was 5 weeks ago and I'm still waiting for the call. In the meantime I went to Drive the Deal and secured more than £10k off list for an A6 Allroad 245. The dealer they used was excellent and very helpful.

If I was you Sheffield would not get a penny of my money. DtD and Orange Wheels will give you huge discounts and not not just on stock cars. I'll never deal direct with a dealer again.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

[belly buster]

Audi dealers amaze me. I took a car for a test drive from Edinburgh Audi. Gave lots of buying signals and asked salesman to see what was available from stock and to call me the next day. That was 5 weeks ago and I'm still waiting for the call. In the meantime I went to Drive the Deal and secured more than £10k off list for an A6 Allroad 245. The dealer they used was excellent and very helpful.

If I was you Sheffield would not get a penny of my money. DtD and Orange Wheels will give you huge discounts and not not just on stock cars. I'll never deal direct with a dealer again.

Sent from my ASUS Transformer Pad TF700T using Tapatalk 2

I agree. I went in, got the test drive, told them I wanted a custom build and was happy to wait a few months as I wanted a MY14. The salesman just ignored this and tried to sell me a MY13 off the list of cars in stock. Arrrgggh!

[Hippogriff]

I think that I'm slowly starting to err more towards the S line over the Black Edition now.

This is because I'm concerned about those 20" wheels on our roads and the Privacy Glass is probably only useful for when I finally become a chauffeur. I've always been happy with standard Audi speakers, so I'm wondering what the BOSE system could do extra with my 320kbps CBR MP3s... not that much is what I'm currently guessing. I haven't finished my deliberations yet, but this is my current thinking.

[Passatier3]

Decisions, decisions!! :D

I'm with you with regards to the Bose. Glad I've got it but as long as a system sounds good the extra spec. generally isn't warranted unless you like music really loud!. My view has always been to spend enough to get good quality but over that it's debatable. The B & O would definitely be debatable! :D

I was never a fan of dark glass either but have to say that when the car is viewed as a whole, along with the Rotors, black trim etc. then it looks very good and different to the S/SE - almost like a different car. Maybe the BE look suits the Avant better? My old 80 Sport was the same compared with the 80.

[Whippy53]

I think that I'm slowly starting to err more towards the S line over the Black Edition now.

This is because I'm concerned about those 20" wheels on our roads and the Privacy Glass is probably only useful for when I finally become a chauffeur. I've always been happy with standard Audi speakers, so I'm wondering what the BOSE system could do extra with my 320kbps CBR MP3s... not that much is what I'm currently guessing. I haven't finished my deliberations yet, but this is my current thinking.

My thoughts exactly.

[Audiholic Dave]

Im with you there, but I am going to add the 20 inch wheels as the 18 whilst are nice, the car needs a larger wheel to look balanced IMHO, I also think the BE Titan wheels look well with all the black trim but I am going for the 5 spoke segment to match the chrome strip around the windows which I think looks better on the s-line agin IMHO!

Dave

[Hippogriff]

Do you mean that you will add PQS to an S line at a cost of ~£1,500, but not actually get the Black Edition? Or do you mean the A6 needs 20" wheels and that's why you'll go for PQS, as the other choice offered, but with the Black Edition?

[Audiholic Dave]

I would opt for an s-line with the PQS but I am adding later but it is a matter of taste and money, I don't see the value in blacked out windows, I'm not a fan of Bose the s-Line unit is fine to my ears and a proper upgrade would be the b&o or better still if there was a b&w option, I like a little chrome accent and all black is again a choice. It's very much horses for courses but I do think that the 18 inch alloys look a little small for this size of car and 1 month in, it is the only thing I am unhappy about and about to change. I have driven the A6 with 20 inch wheels and I don't believe the ride quality is compromised but again its very much about personal choice the £2350 premium for me was not worth the extras but I'm sure plenty will disagree! So £1500 for me to have the car look more balanced is worth it and now I am having to suck up the extra cost for 20" rims. The BE looks good but only if that's the look you want I personally prefer the s-line Spec for the money.

Regards

Dave

[retired99]

The car I’m currently driving while awaiting delivery of my new car is a 2.0 TDI S line Avant Multitronic. It’s got 19” wheels and I would guess it doesn't have the extra 10mm lowered sports suspension.

The ride is pretty good most of the time and only suffers a bit over poor surfaces. Even then it doesn't crash around like my previous BMW F11 SE did. I find this wheel / suspension combination just a little too hard, but only a little. Having said that ride is a subjective judgement and I would definitely get some demo rides to compare and contrast the different options. There is a bit of tyre roar which varies quite a lot depending on the surface, varies from very quiet to noticeable. The car I have on order is an Allroad so comes with the air suspension, but even if I’d gone for a non Allroad I’d have specified the air suspension as it gives a degree of choice in how the car rides. Dynamic ( about an S Line) when you feel like a bit of fun, Comfort for those ‘Driving Miss Daisy’ moods and auto somewhere between the two. Air also has the advantage that the car rides pretty much the same irrespective of the load.

My loan car is fitted with standard sound set-up. I’m no audiophile and spend a fair amount of time listening to talk radio as well as music. For me the sound system is ‘good enough’. Once again try to get in a car to compare the systems.

[Whippy53]

Just out of interest Mr retired but what mpg are you getting out of that at present?

[Wuffles]

I would opt for an s-line with the PQS but I am adding later but it is a matter of taste and money, I don't see the value in blacked out windows, I'm not a fan of Bose the s-Line unit is fine to my ears and a proper upgrade would be the b&o or better still if there was a b&w option, I like a little chrome accent and all black is again a choice. It's very much horses for courses but I do think that the 18 inch alloys look a little small for this size of car and 1 month in, it is the only thing I am unhappy about and about to change. I have driven the A6 with 20 inch wheels and I don't believe the ride quality is compromised but again its very much about personal choice the £2350 premium for me was not worth the extras but I'm sure plenty will disagree! So £1500 for me to have the car look more balanced is worth it and now I am having to suck up the extra cost for 20" rims. The BE looks good but only if that's the look you want I personally prefer the s-line Spec for the money.

Regards

Dave

Surely though you still own the original rims which ought to be worth something to someone?

[Audiholic Dave]

I will be putting winter tyres on the 18s and use them from November to errr November given our wonderful climate!!

Dave

[Wuffles]

Right on. Understood.

[retired99]

Just out of interest Mr retired but what mpg are you getting out of that at present?

I've been using the car for local trips on mainly 'A' and 'B' roads, round trips of , say, 15 to 20 miles driving quite conservatively and not stuck in traffic. The 'short term memory' says I'm getting about 37 to 39 mpg on these trips. Certainly haven't broken 40 mpg. Bear in mind that these trips will usually feature a cold start ( in the morning) or several near cold starts after the car has been parked for a few hours. Mr previous car was a BMW 535D which would deliver about 33 mpg in the same circumstances, so not that impressive.

[Audiholic Dave]

1 month in and careful 100 mile round trip I managed 52.7mpg in a 2.0 ltr multi. Whooo Hooooo!! Mainly motorway and A roads.

Dave

[Whippy53]

I wonder why the disparity?

[Audiholic Dave]

I did have a lot of beans?!

Very gentle acceleration and smooth driving, it does take a lot of concentration and not sure I could be bothered all the time. I had time to kill and wanted to see what I could get, however most of my driving would be 38-45ish!

Dave

[retired99]

I wonder why the disparity?

One is relatively short 'A' and 'B' road trips during which there is a need to start, stop, speedup, slowdown etc and the engine is not at optimum temperature for a fair bit of the journey.

The other is almost completely the reverse, assisted by being careful.

[pitch3110]

Hey Hip, how's it going, been a long time.?

I was looking at A6's but really fancied an A5 and given how gorge the coupe looked and felt and that last kiddie at home is young it was now or not for a long time.

Looked through the thread in the main and to comment.

HDD is great and being an iPhone user I have the normal probs. having said this I have a data only SIM that I pop in when I need to use online searching but that is not that often. The google maps remain loaded so even when the SIM is out you get the nice looking display.
As said seven digit post code is fine and unlike many MyAudi works absolutely fine in the A5.

As you know my previous A4 was multi and I thought manual would be a real drag but its fine and MPG is far better. The car roles all g all day at 50+ and 60+ on runs is achievable.

I would strongly consider ACC. It is fantastic and makes long journeys on all roads a great deal nicer. I would not be without this now and will always tick the box.

For me BE's are the way forward. I think it is the nicest trim on all models and with Daytona Grey it is amazing and just maintains the clean car look when even dirty.

Good Luck mate

Pitch

[Hippogriff]

Hey Hip, how's it going, been a long time.?

Hey - yeah - the A4 has been well-behaved for quite a while, since "now turn left" and apart from the advanced key losing its advanced bit (keyless entry) twice.

To be honest, I would still stick with a new A4 if it had all the features I wanted - and it seems to have most, 7 digit postcodes, Audi Connect with Google Maps and all that, but I can't get past the fact it's really a facelift of the same B8 car I have today... so that's the main reason I started to contemplate the A6.

You know me, I'm saloon and multitronic all the way... might try and add a bit of "sportiness" to it with S line, but that's probably about my limit. The BE seems like it might be one step too far.

I'm interested in your comment about ACC - expensive(!) - so, in practice, how do you find it? I see what it offers, but you seem enthusiastic about it and no-one else seems to have mentioned it as a thing to have.

[Hippogriff]

Also, one other question, before I start to actually sit in and drive these things... can anyone comment as to whether the SDS (Speech Dialogue System) has improved at all (if, indeed, it is this feature that tries to read out road names properly - SDS might well be the interaction part?), or does she still sound like someone with a speech impediment when speaking a road name?

[johnsimcox]

Also, one other question, before I start to actually sit in and drive these things... can anyone comment as to whether the SDS (Speech Dialogue System) has improved at all (if, indeed, it is this feature that tries to read out road names properly - SDS might well be the interaction part?), or does she still sound like someone with a speech impediment when speaking a road name?
Navigation instructions are much better than they were in my facelift C6 with the DVD based 3G Navigation. There are a few laughable errors in pronunciation as is the case with any system that relies on building full words from partial words but in the main it is good

[JohnEx]

Hippo
I was in a similar situation to you. Previously I had a really high spec A4 which was one of the B8 launch cars. It was a 2.7 TDI SE but with loads of extra S line stuff like xenon and LEDs, sports suspension, 18” 5 spokes etc. Now in an A6 black edition (OK it’s white).
As far as the AMI is concerned, the cable and fitting is identical so hang on to your cable. I use an external USB drive for the main music source. Like you say, it fits in the sliding tray in the A4’s AMI. In the A6 it’s not quite as neat. The cable plugs in in exactly the same way as the A4 but I have the drive across the front of the compartment which sort of wedges it in. The biggest problem that I have with it is that it’s visible from the outside unless you have the armrest all the way down. It worked straight away and is a lot faster in caching the files and starting up. Also, it remembers where you were when you last unplugged it better than the A4 as it doesn't always start from the top of the file tree. The display is similar to the A4 but upgraded, as for album art, provided that the album art is embedded in the mp3 files tag it displays. There is a maximum size for the artwork but I can’t remember what it is, above that size it doesn't display. You only get the iTunes type album browser from the jukebox, not from the external HDD. There is also a search function which activates when you “spin” the MMI control. Difficult to describe but it’s better that having to scroll through the entire folder list. One thing though, the Bose in the BE is good and I did compare it with the standard set up and found it better, but it’s not as good as the B&O that I had in the A4. That was the best car audio system that I have ever heard and I still miss it.
For the connectivity / Google maps, I have a Galaxy S3 and it just connected with rsap the day I picked the car up and it’s been fine ever since. As far as the data is concerned I haven’t had a problem with it. I have a 750Mb monthly limit and do keep an eye on it but the map side doesn't seem to use that much. Using searches and the other Audi Connect stuff does seem to use a bit more though although in my experience, not excessive. The navigation is a step up from the A4, the instructions are better and you get a choice of routes although the speech system’s pronunciation can sometimes be a laugh, especially contact names.
Finally, the wheels, yes those rotors generate more noise although on a smooth surface (like there are any of those around anymore) they are fine. The ride is good and in fact better than the A4 on 18’s.
Apologies for the length of this post but I think it covers most of your A4 to A6 questions.

[MFGF]

Also, one other question, before I start to actually sit in and drive these things... can anyone comment as to whether the SDS (Speech Dialogue System) has improved at all (if, indeed, it is this feature that tries to read out road names properly - SDS might well be the interaction part?), or does she still sound like someone with a speech impediment when speaking a road name?

Hi Hippo - delighted to hear you're considering joining the A6 gang after so long in an A4! :-)

SDS is where you talk to the car and it interprets your commands. Seems to be more comprehensive now than it was with MMI 3G HDD in my facelift C6. The enunciation of street names by the navigation-robot-woman is just as comically bad, though. "Birmingham" comes out as "Brmgchm" and makes me laugh out loud every time! :-) Also, you absolutely MUST hear how she pronounces my colleague Colm Kenneally when I voice-dial him! Truly hilarious! :-)

I think it adds to the car's character and makes every journey an adventure into what names and places she will mangle next :-)

MF.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Hippogriff]

Hi Hippo - delighted to hear you're considering joining the A6 gang after so long in an A4! :-)

Well, I'm a captive Audi customer now, it seems. I couldn't even get my head around the BMW options list... it feels like they're both intentionally so complex that you stay with the same manufacturer just for an easy life.

[kiwilester]

Hi Hippo - delighted to hear you're considering joining the A6 gang after so long in an A4! :-)

SDS is where you talk to the car and it interprets your commands. Seems to be more comprehensive now than it was with MMI 3G HDD in my facelift C6. The enunciation of street names by the navigation-robot-woman is just as comically bad, though. "Birmingham" comes out as "Brmgchm" and makes me laugh out loud every time! :-) Also, you absolutely MUST hear how she pronounces my colleague Colm Kenneally when I voice-dial him! Truly hilarious! :-)

I think it adds to the car's character and makes every journey an adventure into what names and places she will mangle next :-)

MF.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

You should hear the car try to manage the Maori place names here in New Zealand - Ngaruawahia is a case in point :-)

[Olio]

Are we talking about text-to-speech? Or is that also the recognition of spoken commands (a la Siri)

My friend's Range Rover has a neat system where you press a button on the steering wheel and say "navigation home", and the satnav kicks off and shows you the way home. Does the C7 HDD based satnav (part of tech package high) do that?

[Kieron Mullan]

Yup :D

Cheers

[Hippogriff]

My A4...

Me: "NAVIGATE TO... HOME"
Her: "Navigate to hrrmnn, private address; would you like to start route guidance? BEEP"
Yes: "YES!" (enthusiastically)
Her: "Starting route guidance..."

Or sometimes:

Me: "NAVIGATE TO... HOME"
Her: "Cancel"

[Rhyddin]

Hi,

Further to your questions, which I'm pretty sure you've had answered now anyway but here goes!

I have the tech pack and the postcode entry is exactly what you need it to be. It will recognise every postcode that I've thrown at it. And, yes, I enter those postcodes with the fantastic MMI touch.

The artwork comes up just fine from SD card and the hard drive but not always from my iPod via the link cable.

Self parking is pretty cool but it parks perpendicularly in a lot of turns so you feel like a bit of a fool if there's people waiting. For parallel parking, when you want to protect those 20" rotor wheels, it is brilliant! Quick and always a safe distance from the kerb. The 20" wheels look great, by the way, and really complete the look of the car by going a long way to filling the wheel arches but they do make some noise and can be firm. Personally, I thought it was worth the trade off - but I've not had to replace any tyres yet!!

Regarding other notes that have come up in the 8 pages of answers, the mirrors really are that much! I paid for them as I like them folding up but the £235 versions do not electronically fold away or they are only that price if specced with the tech pack advanced. I got taken by surprise by that. The salesman was surprised too though and knocked a bit more off the car to compensate.

Finally, all the talk of phones. Once you put a sim in the car then a phone can not also connect. Any calls will be made from the SIM. What I did, to avoid the issue, was dumped my beloved iPhone and went with a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 (which I have actually grown to like more), because it can handle remote sim access (RSAP), while the iPhone can't. The car now connects to the phone via bluetooth and, essentially, becomes the phone, leaving the handset largely useless. Signal is boosted and sound is awesome. However, I then realised that I could connect the phone to the car's Wifi hotspot to allow it do everything else that required data. Kind of odd that it is tethered onto it's own SIM via the car but it works! You need mobile prep high for all this to work though.

Hope this all helps.

[Olio]

6XF is...
Exterior mirrors – heated, electrically adjustable and electrically folding, with automatic kerb view function which
tilts the passenger mirror downwards towards the kerb when reverse gear is engaged. Includes memory function.
Only available in combination with electrically adjustable front seats (PV3/PS8)

While

6XE is

Exterior mirrors – heated and electrically adjustable and folding, with automatic kerb view function which tilts the
passenger mirror downwards towards the kerb when reverse gear is engaged.

Both at £235.

I've spec'd the latter but I seriously expect both of them to be electrically folding, otherwise I won't be a happy bunny.

[Hippogriff]

6XF will be electrically folding, that's true, but not auto-dimming (which I would also want)... and needs to be ordered with special seats.

6XE I do not believe is electrically folding.

I think I am going to have to plump for 6XK for £515.

[Rhyddin]

6XE definitely do not electrically fold and 6XF are, as you correctly said, only available in combination with the tech pack advanced. Sorry Olio!

I went through all this as I absolutely wanted electronically folding and, because I did not have the tech pack advanced, had to pay the £515 for 6XK. Had I added the advanced pack then the difference between 6XF and 6XK was £45, which paid for the auto dimming, which is actually pretty good.


6XF will be electrically folding, that's true, but not auto-dimming (which I would also want)... and needs to be ordered with special seats.

6XE I do not believe is electrically folding.

I think I am going to have to plump for 6XK for £515.

[Olio]

Isn't kerb view something you can add via vcds? without needing the option?

I'm a bit annoyed as I electric folding is the reason I went for the option in the first place...

[belly buster]

Isn't kerb view something you can add via vcds? without needing the option?

I'm a bit annoyed as I electric folding is the reason I went for the option in the first place...

There was another thread on this: Folding mirrors (http://www.vwaudiforum.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?138945-Folding-mirrors) although I've re-read at and am still none the wiser!

[Olio]

OK. I might try and cancel the option then... the car should be built week 29, so in just under 2 weeks. Hopefully still doable...

I would have thought kerb view would be possible for both mirrors at the same time as well. Is it?

[johnsimcox]

OK. I might try and cancel the option then... the car should be built week 29, so in just under 2 weeks. Hopefully still doable...

I would have thought kerb view would be possible for both mirrors at the same time as well. Is it?
Unlikely to be able to change the spec so close to the build date, but no harm in asking. I think I have read on this (or another forum) that it is possible to enable mirror dip for both mirrors the kerb view function is activated by the mirror adjustment knob, so you can only select left or right not both at the same time.

[Olio]

I can see the online configurator at Audi.co.uk could be to blame here.

When looking at options for folding the wording is the same for 6xe and 6xf apart from the memory seats?

[Olio]

On Audi configurator, I have selected this: Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, folding and heated

and the complete list of options is...

- Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
0.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, folding and heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
235.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, folding and heated
235.00 GBP (mine)

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable and heated
275.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable, and heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
275.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable, folding and heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
515.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable, folding and heated
515.00 GBP

It really looks like the option I selected (which Audi then translates as 6XE) is the one that makes sense if the only feature you're interested in is the electric folding!

Will contact the sales guy to get confirmation.

[johnsimcox]

On Audi configurator, I have selected this: Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, folding and heated

and the complete list of options is...

- Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
0.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, folding and heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
235.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – electrically adjustable, folding and heated
235.00 GBP (mine)

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable and heated
275.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable, and heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
275.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable, folding and heated with memory function (with front electric seats of comfort seats)
515.00 GBP

- Door mirrors – auto-dimming, electrically adjustable, folding and heated
515.00 GBP

It really looks like the option I selected (which Audi then translates as 6XE) is the one that makes sense if the only feature you're interested in is the electric folding!

Will contact the sales guy to get confirmation.
On the basis of what you have written above then I would have to assume that 6XE does have electric folding and that is what the £235 is for as the mirrors are electrically adjustable, heated and manually fold as standard

[Olio]

That's pretty much what I wrote in the email I sent earlier.

In particular, the first option has no mention even of folding, while manual folding is a standard feature.

[Olio]

Just got a call from my Audi rep following my email.

He confirmed 6XE has electrically folding mirrors.

(also said car was "locked down" 2 weeks ago, so no change would have been possible)

[Hippogriff]

Sadly, for me, I still need 6XK. Electrically folding and auto-dimming.

Sadly, for Sheffield Audi, they don't seem to have the ability to let potential purchasers go out in their cars alone and for extended test drives. Why they think it would be acceptable for me to have a "Sales Executive" sat there with me while I drive an A6 around for 5 minutes is beyond me. A few years ago Audi weren't as difficult, but nor were they as easy-going as Ford was - I did try a Mondingo Titanium X at the time and Ford just gave it to me for the weekend and said "not to worry about fuel" although I did top it back up anyway. After receiving the email detailing the reasons why it's impossible to just let me have an A6 on free rein, I will now politely decline Sheffield Audi's kind offer of an accompanied (monitored) test drive.

[retired99]

Sadly, for me, I still need 6XK. Electrically folding and auto-dimming.

Sadly, for Sheffield Audi, they don't seem to have the ability to let potential purchasers go out in their cars alone and for extended test drives. Why they think it would be acceptable for me to have a "Sales Executive" sat there with me while I drive an A6 around for 5 minutes is beyond me. A few years ago Audi weren't as difficult, but nor were they as easy-going as Ford was - I did try a Mondingo Titanium X at the time and Ford just gave it to me for the weekend and said "not to worry about fuel" although I did top it back up anyway. After receiving the email detailing the reasons why it's impossible to just let me have an A6 on free rein, I will now politely decline Sheffield Audi's kind offer of an accompanied (monitored) test drive.

Try another dealer.

I know they're not local to you but Epsom Audi gave me a car for the day without any discussion, proves it is possible, and were good on price. Phone around other dealers in your part of the world.

One dealer I spoke to wanted to sign a form agreeing to an insurance excess, £250 I think, for an accompanied drive. Some dealers just don't deserve to stay in business.

[Allroad_2013]

Sadly, for me, I still need 6XK. Electrically folding and auto-dimming.

Sadly, for Sheffield Audi, they don't seem to have the ability to let potential purchasers go out in their cars alone and for extended test drives. Why they think it would be acceptable for me to have a "Sales Executive" sat there with me while I drive an A6 around for 5 minutes is beyond me. A few years ago Audi weren't as difficult, but nor were they as easy-going as Ford was - I did try a Mondingo Titanium X at the time and Ford just gave it to me for the weekend and said "not to worry about fuel" although I did top it back up anyway. After receiving the email detailing the reasons why it's impossible to just let me have an A6 on free rein, I will now politely decline Sheffield Audi's kind offer of an accompanied (monitored) test drive.

If another dealer isn't helpful, try emailing Audi's marketing or sales department asking for an extended test drive. I had a similar response from a Seat dealer some years ago, so I got on to Seat sales trough their website and the next thing the same dealer is phoning me saying I could have the car as long as I wanted!

[Hippogriff]

I'm currently taking a few moments looking at Jaguar's website, looking at the XF variants... just seeing if I can tempt myself with anything on there. Might be hard...

[Olio]

Didn't pick the XF for other reasons, but engine + equipment / price ratio is very high.

They are good cars and good deals. And the list of options is a lot smaller than Audi's!

[gilbert frog]

I've just changed from an XF to an A6.
THe XF is a brill car...esp in its 3.0 V6 diesel guise.....but this A6 2.0 is still lively...and much more fuel efficient....the sat nav in the A6 is better too..in my opinion...the only thing is the seats...I think the XF's were more comfortable...therefore why not try a test drive....Jag need to sell cars too...!!!!
I had the XF for 3yrs but am pleased I changed.

[Hippogriff]

Well, I certainly couldn't go for the 3.0, I'd need to go with the 2.2 - but the Sport variant seems to have 200ps vs. the A6 2.0's 177, I think. Anyway, as you say - just as I have the chance, I've kicked-off a request for a test drive. Nicer seats are always a good thing to have. ;)

[MarkTM]

I looked at an XF (as have had jags and generally pleased).

Chose instead a C6 quattro for the following reasons

AWD - only being launched for foreign markets, jags are ok on snow ice but a quattro is far better
80lt tank as opposed to the 64l one in the Jag, my C6/A6's managed 950 miles on a tank that wouldn't be possible in the 3.0D Jag

[sofaspud]

I have the ACC and love it. Just makes driving so easy. Your doing 70! on the motorway in the fast lane and the traffic slows, you don't have to do anything but the car slows you down and then speeds up again. In traffic it brakes you to a full stop. Would definitely not be without it now. Have to say 75% of my driving is with ACC on.

If you drive a lot the extra concentration from constant braking and accelerating you may do can really tire you out but with ACC it's not an issue.

[Hippogriff]

I'm going to drive an XF 2.2 Sport today. I sat in it at the dealer yesterday and there were things I liked - touch screen, gear selector, dials, seats etc. - and things that I really wasn't that impressed by - cheaper looking silver coloured plastic, navigation nag screen (really disliked), no MP3 cover art capability, very wide centre console. I shall report back on my thoughts.

One thing I'm wondering if someone could help me with is... I noticed the Technology Pack (WB4 in the current brochure) changed and reduced by £100 - is there a place you can download the brochure prior to the current one, that is valid from May 2013? I would just like to see if they've reduced any option prices, but increased the base model price - doing homework == knowledge being power, hopefully. On Audi's site, I can only see an A6 brochure from Jan 2011 (apart from the current one). Does anyone have the previous PDF to-hand?

[johnsimcox]

I'm going to drive an XF 2.2 Sport today. I sat in it at the dealer yesterday and there were things I liked - touch screen, gear selector, dials, seats etc. - and things that I really wasn't that impressed by - cheaper looking silver coloured plastic, navigation nag screen (really disliked), no MP3 cover art capability, very wide centre console. I shall report back on my thoughts.

One thing I'm wondering if someone could help me with is... I noticed the Technology Pack (WB4 in the current brochure) changed and reduced by £100 - is there a place you can download the brochure prior to the current one, that is valid from May 2013? I would just like to see if they've reduced any option prices, but increased the base model price - doing homework == knowledge being power, hopefully. On Audi's site, I can only see an A6 brochure from Jan 2011 (apart from the current one). Does anyone have the previous PDF to-hand?
I do have the version from October last year. It is a 9mb pdf so probably not something that can easily be uploaded here. Send me a PM with your e-mail address and I will e-mail it to you or suggest an alternative place to put it that you can access (Dropbox or similar)

[Hippogriff]

Thanks, I've dropped you my email address in a PM.

[Olio]

Previous tech pack on previous brochure at £1600 included park assist (7X5). I have the hard copy.

Altogether it had PNQ (MMI nav +), 9Q8 (colour DIS), 7X5 (park assist) and Audi interface (UF7)

[Hippogriff]

Thanks for the brochures, guys.

I've returned from my test drive of the XF 2.2 Sport. Being familiar with Audis for many years (A4s only, really) I'll provide some thoughts here from that perspective, by that I mean that I can't really compare the XF against an A6 yet - and only if Audi Sheffield ever let me drive one!

Screen, Navigation and Media - the screen in the A4 B8 is angled towards the driver. Yes, it is lower than an A6, but the XF loses out because its screen is also low, but also seems angled straight-on, not towards me, so I felt like I had to lean over to look at it. The navigation colours in the XF were also unfamiliar to me and they looked a bit cartoon-ish. I liked the display of road names, but I don't recall the navigation voice attempting to speak them. The touch screen was good. When I took my USB HDD out of my A4 (just got MP3s on it) and connected it up to the XF, it didn't work. An iPad connected fine over Bluetooth for audio streaming, though. The buttons you would want to press on the screen seemed to jump about a bit, sometimes being on the left, sometimes on the bottom right, sometimes on the top right - I was confused, but this was my first time using it. The girlfriend also commented that the music didn't sound as good as in the A4. The voice commands are more "polite" in the XF, but not as comprehensive. The USB socket is in the armrest compartment... like the A6... I can't figure out why the A4 glove compartment net idea did not take off - it's brilliant. The navigation "nag screen" was a real turn-off!!! Last thing, the DIS equivalent has a huge analogue clock taking up a lot of the screen space (who needs that?) so I asked the sales guy whether I could get a digital speedometer, which I could with a few tweaks of the left stalk, but it was only a small digital speedometer in the bottom-right of the DIS, the huge analogue clock remained... not to my taste at all (maybe you can configure this, but he seemed to be saying you couldn't).

Outer Appearance - both are very good looking cars. But I do prefer the Audi DRLs. I also prefer the Audi wheels. The girlfriend liked how it looked from the outside, but agreed the A4 and A6 is better looking.

Controls - the XF gear selector is very, very cool. The air vents are an OK touch. The centre console area lacks a lot of physical buttons because of the soft buttons on the touch screen, therefore the centre console felt really wide and seemed to just have loads of storage places. It's probably no wider than an A4 / A6 in reality, but an Audi has lots of buttons placed there. The touch lights were also quite good. The rear parking camera was quite good and something I've not tried before.

Seats - quite comfortable, helped by the suspension of the car, I suppose. Also are electrically adjustable on the Sport XF. No lumbar support, which is something I don't use that often on the A4.

Drive - the road noise was noticeably less than in the A4 S line. The ride wasn't 'bouncy' but nowhere near as rigid as any Audi I've driven. I was worried about the gearbox (loving the multitronic) but I've got to say that it was fine... yes, you could tell when it needed to change gear, but a lot of it was done very smoothly indeed. On a variety of roads the XF felt more refined than any Audi Sport or S line. It certainly had some speed to it, but I didn't get above 70mph.

Overall - the girlfriend described it quite well, she said "it didn't give me the wow factor" and "I think it should cost less than an Audi, not more" - but who knows what the final outcome will be?

I didn't get to try things like Stop/Start etc., as I forgot, and it wasn't automatically kicking-in as I was driving around. Finally... customer service was good.

[belly buster]

Good update. You're doing the right thing - cars are expensive purchases and you have to live with your decision for a few years.

TBH I had ruled out BMW and Merc just on personal taste. The XF is a serious contender, but after looking through the brochure I was convinced the A6 was right for me, and I didn't get a test drive; maybe this was a mistake.

Anyway, good luck with your purchase - I don't think there is a "bad" choice here.

[Hippogriff]

I have just made a discovery. One that had completely passed me by before. The A4 also has Audi Connect functionality (Google Maps, Internet access, wi-fi hotspot) if you specify option 9ZW - "Mobile telephone preparation high - with Audi Connect" and it then has the same description as 9ZW in the A6 brochure. Namely, it states "When a separate SIM card is used, hands free phone calls are possible using the SIM card or by connecting a different mobile telephone via Bluetooth Hands Free Profile."

This implies, to me, that the A4 has the exact same capabilities as the A6 in this respect... and is not limited in the way we know the previous A6 was, whereby you could not have a Bluetooth-connected phone making and taking calls while a data SIM was placed into the car itself. Does anyone know if I would be correct in thinking along these lines?

Does anyone know where the SIM physically goes in an A4? Audi's website seems to be reluctant to provide information. I didn't notice it when I was sat in one the other week. I don't recall seeing a slot for it near the SD card readers.

[fernar]

My previous car was a XF (2.7d) - I did like the car a lot - but I like my Audi A6 better.... some of the items that were better in the XF were

- reversing camera - these worked better in the dark than the one in my Audi - XF had a much clearer image - the Audi image has a lot of grain is not very clear.

- B&W (XF) vs Bose (Audi) - the B&W sounded much better that the Bose system - better bass.

- Automatic gear box - was in my view better than the multi-tronic on my A6 - especially when trying to crawl up a slight incline- I hate the way the Audi revs for no real reason as far as I can tell - the car have more than enough power

However where the Audi scores above the XF are:

- Ambient lighting (Audi) vs Mood lighting (XF) - there is no lighting at the back of the XF - it's all in the front only...

- Quality of finish - Audi has a much better fit and finish. Where the XF does score is the fact that there is leather on the dash and the small items like the door handles are leather by default - vs having to pay extra in the Audi

- Sat nav - the XF sat nav was slooooow - dont know if they have improved this on the newer models. Where the sat nav was better on the XF was the pronunciation of the street names - I laugh at the attempt that the Audi system makes sometimes.

- I also hated the 'nag screen' - I mean really - do they really need to show it EVERY time the sat nav was used... and I agree with you on the XF's DIS screen - Mine showed the clock and the gear that the car was in (D or 1,2,3, etc) - Jag really needs to update this.

- MPG - Much better in the Audi - I am getting anaverage of 43 MPG in 3.0TDI Audi Avant (204HP) vs the best I could get in the XF of 32ish MPG. I understand that the new XF 2.2 is better - and give about 42 MPG in real life.

- Phone (I have a Samsung S3) integration is much better in the Audi. Google maps, etc - brill. Although I was able to make/receive calls in the XF without any problems

- space in the back seat - this is where the Audi wins by miles - there is just so much more space in the Audi vs the XF (in fact more space in the Audi A6 then Merc E-class or BMW 5). And to add, the seats are more comfortable than the XF. (I would say on par with BMW and Merc)

[Hippogriff]

You've reminded me of one thing... on a shallow upwards incline, the XF did not seem to want to crawl. I was told by the Salesman that it probably would just come to a standstill and that's what it seemed to do when I took time to test that. I'm used to (and I do like) my A4 crawling up much steeper inclines. My girlfriend's Suzuki Swift eventually goes backwards!

[Hippogriff]

If anyone has a MY14 A6 with 9ZW or WB4, basically giving you Audi Connect, can anyone clarify exactly what on-line features are available now and those that are promises but not here (yet or at all)? I believe I've read about stuff like Google Maps, on-line destination searching, Facebook, Twitter, weather, fuel prices, news, email reading and music streaming - there's probably more, but I'm not sure what is real and what is, well, chartware.

Maybe different services are available with Audi Connect in different countries, so I'm curious about the UK.

[Hippogriff]

Just got back from test driving a Lexus IS 300h F Sport... there are some very cool things going on in that car. The main dials are gone, just one single dial, that has a digital speedometer, that can slide across to the right to show other menu items and it changes colour when you go into Sport mode. Sure, the interior wasn't anywhere near as nice a place to be as even an A4, but it wasn't terrible by any stretch of the imagination. The seats were good (with heating and ventilation), all electric, with 3 memories... the steering was electrically adjustable, it had keyless entry (front doors only, strangely), rear parking camera, USB sockets, the navigation system seemed a bit lacklustre (aged" I would describe it as) and the voice control seemed to hear me ask for "nearest Chinese restaurant" when I was really wanting to "suspend guidance" (?)... in terms of the outside I think the overall styling is very good... from the front it looks like some kind of angry wasp or maybe a snake, but I like that... very distinctive. I did not like the gearstick, I prefer the simple forward-and-back gearstick in my A4, rather than one where you have to follow a route down from P to D. The steering wheel felt quite nice, similar to an Audi S line.

I liked the fact that the navigation system had speed camera alerts, a quick "beep-beep" when coming down a dual carriageway.

But it was the hybrid aspect of this car that really impressed, coupled with the CVT gearbox. I very much enjoyed driving it. The changeover was seamless and there was plenty of power when it was required. The F Sport variant does seem to have an even harder ride than an A4 B8 S line, though.

Inside, I judged it to feel a little smaller than my A4. When the seats were raised at the height I wanted them, my head was brushing the roof. The finish was good, but not in the same class as Audi. There was a rather anachronistic analogue clock stuck right in the middle of the dashboard... felt really out of place to me.

Enjoyable. Impressed me more than the Jaguar XF... a real shame about the navigation and voice control, but maybe those are things you'd get used to over time. In the end, it seemed to be "it's very nice, but it's not an Audi". More to come on this, I think... no problem in just hopping into the car today and no problem from the dealer about me potentially wanting an extended test drive. Audi Sheffield could certainly learn from that.

[Hippogriff]

Hokay, I had to go into Sheffield Audi today to get my Advanced Key working again (it failed in March, they fixed it - apparently) it failed shortly afterwards, I've left it until now to have the car go back in again. So, while I was in there for 4 hours, I spent some time sat in an A6 and an A4 on the showroom floor. I made some notes.

In the A6...

MMI Touch works really well. I worked out it's there for replacing the top-hat on MMI 3G systems as well, so you use it to scroll around the navigation map and set the audio fading - intuitive. Using it for keying in full postcodes was a breeze - really good at detecting my scrawl and a quick '-' forwards for space and a '-' backwards for delete was second nature. If you tap the MMI Touch area, then a dialogue pops up titled Radio with options 1 to 6 displayed, I didn't figure out what pressing any of these actually did.

Really good to have media skip buttons near the volume control. Also good to see a dialogue pop-up on the screen when you alter the volume.

The cup holder cover seems superfluous to me... in fact, I prefer the cup holders in the A4 (might be familiarity). The arm rest space is very small now that the bottom bit will be more or less reserved for connecting a device to AMI. Another stab at a proprietary connector here - why not USB? Frustrating that this hasn't been corrected.

The A6 had BOSE and I tried DAB radio - I genuinely couldn't tell if it was any better than normal speakers and normal radio that I get in the car I have today. Maybe I expected too much? The BOSE trim on the speakers is very nice... understated but not hidden. The dash media slot cover for the SD cards and SIM is very dinky on the A6.

The large colour DIS was very nice indeed and it has a really good clock location.

Tinkering with the MMI system, I saw Audi Drive Select and options like Engine / Gearbox, Steering and Engine Sound - what is the Engine Sound feature?

As Alan Partridge would say "nice action" on the MMI screen pop-up and retract.

This was a Black Edition with the PQS wheels - if you look at them at an angle, the spokes seem to be curved - but if you look at them on the level, you can see they are not. I thought this was an interesting optical illusion (for me).

The A6 headrests are extremely fat / thick.

In the A4...

The MMI surround buttons are now metal, I actually didn't like this as I thought they looked out of place.

There is a volume indicator in this car too, in fact, the MMI system appears to be nearly the same as the A6, with the top level menu and the Car menu - I thought it would cut-down, but it doesn't seem to be.

On the volume control physical button, this now rocks side to side, so you can skip your media tracks. I liked this.

The S line cloth / leather seats surprised me. The cloth is really awful... rough and cheap feeling. I suppose it isn't cheap, but it's not like the alcantara / leather mix I have in my 59 B8 S line - that felt vastly superior to me.

Seat headrests were a more normal thickness.

The A4 had B&O. It also had DAB. Again, when I played a DAB station on this car, I just wasn't able to notice anything special about it. This is a real worry for me, as I'm sure the same would be said of 320kbps CBR MP3s in either the A6 or A4 (for me)! However, the B&O system was more hidden and less in your face than the BOSE on the A6, very nice speakers in the dash and the parcel shelf. I think there was a sub-woofer in the ceiling of the boot as well.

Overall...

The A6 has a much larger-feeling cabin as you'd expect, much more spacious. A much nicer place to be. The S line seats on the A4 disappointed me a lot. Both had plastic behind the rear seat drop-down armrest... I should check if this is the case on my A4 (for some reason I thought it was leather-lined - but that shows how often I use it). My conclusion is that the A6 is what I aspire to, for sure, but the A4 is actually something more than a simple facelift over the version of the A4 that I'm driving today - there is more on offer with the new A4 than I had originally thought, and you can specify Audi Connect now as well and it will have a SIM card reader and be able to do the things an A6 can do - it just won't have MMI Touch (which is a nice thing to have).

With all this said, I had another atrocious experience with Audi Service. I've been sat there from 08:00 to midday and when I turned-up no-one knew who I was (even though they gave me a courtesy call yesterday to remind me of my appointment), I was told I would be given up update within an hour, but I wasn't spoken to until 2 hours had passed. I had a disagreement over whether this was a failed repair back in March (obviously) or a whole new issue (obviously not). I was promised a second update within 15 minutes of kicking-off, but I wasn't contacted again for 40 minutes. I am growing more and more frustrated by my Audi cars having these various issues and the way Audi deal with them. It took me 3 visits in 2011 to get them to accept my right front wheel was clicking at full lock and finally repair it. I feel like a moaning-minnie, but I just want my Audi to give me a number of years of good driving, not for it to be repeatedly going back in for work. Maybe there is another way...

[EvilPostIt]

If you tap the MMI Touch area, then a dialogue pops up titled Radio with options 1 to 6 displayed, I didn't figure out what pressing any of these actually did.

These are your first six stations stored in memory.


Tinkering with the MMI system, I saw Audi Drive Select and options like Engine / Gearbox, Steering and Engine Sound - what is the Engine Sound feature?

You must have been sat in a Bi-TDI version. This has an "actuator" which makes the exhaust sound like a V8!

[Hippogriff]

Thank you. I did press the MMI Touch buttons 1 through 6, but the station didn't change... weird.

The Lexus IS 300h F Sport has an 'engine noise maker'... not remotely the same thing, I'm sure, but I thought "what a crock"... would be turned off on day 1, never to be turned on again. Comical.

[ukgroucho]

Sounds like you need to find a different Audi dealer... my experience with my local dealer (Stratford Audi) has always been exemplary so there are good ones out there.

Some comments on your A6 notes.

Tapping MMI touch area brings up radio and numbers 1 to 6 - these are fast access radio memories, either touch one to select a memory or touch and hold to store. You can also change the order of the stored stations in the MMI by 'dragging' left and right.

"Audi Drive Select and options like Engine / Gearbox, Steering and Engine Sound - what is the Engine Sound feature?" - well in a BiTDi is specifies whether the exhaust sound actuator emits 'quiet' sound or the v8 grumble (so called "dynamic"). I assume you were sat in a BiTDi... cannot believe they would leave that option exposed in all of the MMI systems as I can't see what it would do in the non-BiTDi vehicles.

[EvilPostIt]

They probably didnt have any stations programmed.

With regard to the "engine noise maker" i have it on mine and love it. Especially through tunnels :biglaugh:, although I am basically a child when it comes to gadgets like that. One to many episodes of top gear perhaps!

[Passatier3]

Interesting observations there Hippogriff.

As regards the DAB not sounding any different I'm not really that surprised as unless you are listening to a non-DAB radio in a poor reception area then quality will be about the same - as I understand it DAB, being digital should give you satisfactory quality even when the signal is weak and of course provides you with additional programme/song information but other than that it will be down to the amplifier and speaker quality.

I know that the DAB is Bose and should therefore be better quality but unless you listen at fairly high levels the difference is barely noticeable.

I'm into my home Hi Fi and appreciate good quality but in the car don't play music that loud and agree that the difference between Bose and standard is negligible but it is nice to have.

[Hippogriff]

Sounds like you need to find a different Audi dealer... my experience with my local dealer (Stratford Audi) has always been exemplary so there are good ones out there.

I know! Sheffield Audi is 0.6 miles away from my house... the next closest is Doncaster Audi, at 20.3 miles distant.

That said, I had actually thought they might be universally rubbish.

[Whippy53]

Not so, my dealer (Basingstoke) have been superb.

[johnsimcox]

Interesting observations there Hippogriff.

As regards the DAB not sounding any different I'm not really that surprised as unless you are listening to a non-DAB radio in a poor reception area then quality will be about the same - as I understand it DAB, being digital should give you satisfactory quality even when the signal is weak and of course provides you with additional programme/song information but other than that it will be down to the amplifier and speaker quality.

I know that the DAB is Bose and should therefore be better quality but unless you listen at fairly high levels the difference is barely noticeable.

I'm into my home Hi Fi and appreciate good quality but in the car don't play music that loud and agree that the difference between Bose and standard is negligible but it is nice to have.
The other considerations regarding DAB is that you get significantly more stations than is possible with AM or FM and the probability is that at some point in the future we will all be forced to switch over to DAB anyway as we were with the move to Digital TV, although the date is not yet defined. One of the arguments for delaying the switchover was the limited number of cars with DAB and manufacturers are now trying to address this by making it standard. As to whether it is better or not is somewhat of a mute point with 2014 models as it is now standard so you have no choice whether you take it or not. Also I believe but I am not certain that cars with DAB get TMC data via that channel rather than FM and this delivers more traffic info to the Sat Nav.

[Hippogriff]

Not so, my dealer (Basingstoke) have been superb.

Sounds like I should consider moving closer to a less frustrating Audi dealer.

[Hippogriff]

As to whether it is better or not is somewhat of a mute point with 2014 models as it is now standard so you have no choice whether you take it or not.

As I didn't have any media with me, all I could test was DAB, and my main point (I suppose) was that the BOSE and B&O installed in those two cars didn't blow me away. I don't know what I was expecting... I just thought it might be noticeable. My ears are getting old nowadays.

As far as DAB itself goes, I'm completely supportive and completely glad that it's standard.

[johnsimcox]

Sounds like I should consider moving closer to a less frustrating Audi dealer.
.... or Walton Audi. Salesman called me this morning 13 months after I took delivery to check everything was OK with the car. A rare example of someone actually caring about the customer (and even remembering who they are!!).

[Passatier3]

The other considerations regarding DAB is that you get significantly more stations than is possible with AM or FM and the probability is that at some point in the future we will all be forced to switch over to DAB anyway as we were with the move to Digital TV, although the date is not yet defined. One of the arguments for delaying the switchover was the limited number of cars with DAB and manufacturers are now trying to address this by making it standard. As to whether it is better or not is somewhat of a mute point with 2014 models as it is now standard so you have no choice whether you take it or not. Also I believe but I am not certain that cars with DAB get TMC data via that channel rather than FM and this delivers more traffic info to the Sat Nav.

Good additional points John. I'd forgotten about the additional channels - probably because I stick to only one or two! :D

With DAB I'm surprised we aren't further down the road (! :D) as it's been out for a few years now, as regards it being standard on all cars. Sounds as though we are getting there now though.

[ukgroucho]

One other comment with regards to the quality... It's a digital stream and the radio can do some work to reconstruct an audio stream even in poor reception areas without it being 'crackly'... the quality will still suffer but it will probably sound 'complete'.
Listening inside the showroom probably means a poor signal... car showrooms are often steel framed.. akin to a Faraday cage.

Having said that.. UK DAB is broadcast at (only) 128Kbps, which will give (technically) inferior reproduction compared to a strong analog FM signal - although, as always, it's down to the ears of the listener to judge.
They should really be cranking DAB at 192Kbps or even better 224Kbps to provide 'near CD' quality...

[JohnEx]

I'm finding that the DAB actually sounds better than FM. On several occasions I've noticed that it's on FM probably due to signal loss but switching it back to DAB seems to reveal more detail almost like moving something from in front of the speakers.
I must admit I didn't realise that DAB is only 128 Kps. This makes me feel even more irritated with my Bose system as the DAB sounds better than the MP3's coming off my USB hard drive at 320 Kps. I admit that I'm a bit of a hi-fi nut so maybe what I'm expecting isn't available without spending £6000 on the B&O system.

[Hippogriff]

I like my hi-fi, but I never expected too much from my car system. I try to give it the best chance I can, using 320kbps CBR MP3s. I would consider FLAC or WAV, I think (depending on what's supported) because disk space is cheap and, with the MMI 3G, I was limited to 4,000 tracks anyway (by a system limit) and my 120GB 1.8" HDD was not full (about 30% capacity). I guess (hope) those system limitations are no longer in place with the new generation(s) of MMI.

I remember four years ago, after I kicked-off, Audi gave me a 250GB Audi Centenary Hard Disk (from Audi Accessories) free of charge because they had been told that this would not suffer from Track number limitations imposed by MMI 3G - it did; of course it did. I sold it for £30 at the time.

[JohnEx]

I think my biggest gripe is that the B&O in the A4 was everything I expected, and more. It was brilliant. The Bose in the A6 seems a significant step down. Plus the AMI HDD tray in the A4 was a better and neater solution than in the armrest. Maybe I need to take my happy pill today?

[Hippogriff]

Plus the AMI HDD tray in the A4 was a better and neater solution than in the armrest.

The AMI netting in the A4 glovebox was a really elegant solution... safe, hidden, compact, no rattles, no jarring. The A6 feels retrograde, to me, in this respect. My experience is that the device you connect to the AMI is something I leave for very long periods of time, not something I plug and unplug all the time. When I want to listen to new Albums or change things around, I use the SD cards. The music I know I want access to all the time goes on the HDD connected to the AMI, so it's left where it is for months at a time... I don't need easy access to it in the armrest.

[ukgroucho]

For reference... Digital Audio Broadcasting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Broadcasting) - It's a wiki article so accuracy may or may not be complete but it seems well written based on other research I've done.

Relevant text..
"Audio quality varies depending on bitrate used and audio material. Most stations using a bit rate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit_rate) of 128 kbit/s or less, with the MP2 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MPEG-1_Audio_Layer_II) audio codec, which requires 160 kbit/s to achieve perceived FM quality. 128 kbit/s gives better dynamic range or signal-to-noise ratio than FM radio, but a more smeared stereo image, and an upper cutoff frequency of 14 kHz, corresponding to 15 kHz of FM radio, tutti.[4] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Broadcasting#cite_note-4) However, "CD sound quality" with MP2 is possible "with 256..192 kbps".[5] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Audio_Broadcasting#cite_note-5)"

So the implication is that DAB will give better dynamic range (so should sound 'better' depending on your ears) but stereo separation will be more limited - which is not really a huge deal in a car as you're limited by speaker separation and driver placement (plus it's more of a 'surround' rather than 2 speaker plus sub setup)

[Hippogriff]

Sounds like you need to find a different Audi dealer...

Wakefield Audi - I wrote them an email from the Contact Us section of their website just before 09:00 this morning. I got an email back, saying they could assist me with an A6 test drive, but asking me for a contact number - I gave them my mobile and I received a call at 10:30 from John, we talked about what I wanted, he said he would look into it. John phoned me back at 12:55 saying he had an A6 2.0 multitronic Black Edition I could take overnight (on a weekday) - all that he would need is my driving licence and a recent utility bill. Sure, this demonstrator doesn't have Audi Connect, but that would have been hoping for too much.

The massive difference between this and Sheffield Audi is a real surprise to me. Assuming all goes well, I would happily report back that Audi Dealers are not universally rubbish.

[Passatier3]

Didn't do a back to back comparison with the SD card (will do on the way home) but played a CD on the way in this morning and have to say the quality with the Bose is very good and I reckon still better than the SD card even though I imported at 320kbps. Wish I'd got a 6 CD player like I had in the Passat really.

Does FLAC or WAV provide better quality and is it supported by the AMI? And if so, does it need special software to import from CD's?

Finally, what HDD do you guys use/recommend?

[Hippogriff]

FLAC is compressed, but it's lossless - so you hear what you should hear, just like a CD for example, or something even better quality (24-bit for example). WAV, if taken at the right settings (44.1KHz, stereo, 16-bit, I think) should then be an exact copy of your CD... however, it's not compressed, so it will also take up the same space as it did on a CD - so around 700MB per Album.

I'm not actually sure what the AMI supports today... manual, research or test I'd suggest (it would surprise me, in a good way, if FLACs were usable in the newer cars).

When I got my A4, I got a Samsung S1 Mini 120GB Portable Hard Drive 1.8" - that was back in 2009, though. It's a very snug fit in the A4 netting and draws less power than some of the 2.5" HDDs.

All that said, all my stuff is MP3.

[JohnEx]

I'm pretty sure that FLAC and WAV aren't supported. That's why I use 320 Kps MP3s - I think it's the highest quality that the AMI supports.
The drive I use is a good few years old now, it's a Western Digital Passport 250 Gb. I picked it up in PC World around 4 years ago on the offchance that it would work and it did.
It's got all my CD's and a few DVD's ripped to it and music and video plays perfectly (firmly touching wood here). Get a few funny looks if I'm watching a movie in a supermarket car park with the sub woofer doing it's stuff.

[Hippogriff]

Just ran through the A3, A4 and A6 (all Saloons) on the Audi Configurator, adding all the options I would want to each (not an exact match of optional features across the range as that's simply not possible - and in the A3 I took the opportunity to add B&O to 'match' the B&O and BOSE in the A4 and A6 Black Editions respectively; they all have reversing cameras, they all have Audi Connect, they all have alcantara split with leather seats, they all have Advanced Key, they all have Heated Front Seats, they all have auto-folding and dimming wing mirrors, they all have the Interior Lighting Package and they all have their variant of the Technology Package (WB4 / WB7). They all end up with a Colour DIS, they all end up with Cruise Control, they all end up with solid paint, they all end up with auto wipers and headlights (you have to specify this in the A3), they all end up with TPMS, they all have Xenons. The A3 and A4 have f[l]at bottomed steering wheels. The A3 has 18" wheels, the A4 has 19" wheels, the A6 has 20" wheels.

I found these results interesting, but not surprising:

A3 - 1.8 TFSI S line S tronic 180PS 129 g/km @ £34,240 ROTR
A4 - 2.0 TDI Black Edition multitronic 150PS 127 g/km @ £36,010 ROTR
A6 - 2.0 TDI Black Edition multitronic 177PS 132 g/km @ £40,175 ROTR

Biggest discounts are to be had on the A6, right?

This might come down to which DRLs I prefer the look of... crikey.

[daycartes]

WAV is definitely supported in the SD card. Average track size is 40-50 MB. I would choose this method over MP3+BOSE as the signal input from the source is of a much greater quality. I do not put all of my 400 or so CDs on to my SD cards as I would need to do about 400 million miles to listen to everything. I think that I can get about 20 albums on a 16Gb SD card. I listen to the radio every so often as well. Oh and BTW 128kB isn't a standard for DAB. Some DAB stations emit a paltry 64kB and some of those in mono. I think that Radio 3 emits at 192 from time to time. DAB definitely does not live up to its expectations.

[daycartes]

A3 - 1.8 TFSI S line S tronic 180PS 129 g/km @ £34,240 ROTR

A6 - 2.0 TDI Black Edition multitronic 177PS 132 g/km @ £40,175 ROTR

.

We have both the 1.8TFSI A3 (8P) manual and the C7 A6 2.0litre TDI manual. We chose the A3 for short journeys so that we have no DPF problems and the A6 for longer intercontinental journeys for the fuel saving.
What has amazed us is the frugality of the petrol. A spirited 250 mile round journey with the roof down returned an amazing 43mpg. I reckon that with the roof up it could get near 50 which, considering the slight disparity in the costs between petrol and diesel, could mean that it gets used for overseas trips. Not only that but there is ample room in the A3 for four people.

[Hippogriff]

I did something I never thought I would do today, I went into a BMW dealer.

I sat with a sales guy and I explained what I was thinking of - technology platform and gadgets is important to me, I want a saloon, but I'm not overly concerned about the size of the car. He then showed me a 3 Series and a 5 Series.

I was pretty disappointed. The interior looked really aged to me - nowhere near as good as any Audi. I can't believe BMWs still have a real handbrake. They also have the little push-down buttons on the top of the main door part to lock the door - I thought they had disappeared in the 90s.

The gear stick was very nice. The DIS wasn't as impressive as in the Audi. The nav. screen seemed to just sit there, high up in the middle of the dash, with no way to retract it - not sure if that's true, but it certainly seemed that way. The main set of buttons had a big 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 included - reminiscent of a CD changer control; I am sure it could be used for radio channels as well ;) When configuring-up a 320i M Sport Saloon it seems that I have to go full leather (which I'm not a fan of) and the CO2 was rated at 141 (just noticed on the printout they gave me) so BMW's reputation for frugal cars mustn't be obtained from this one.

My girlfriend said "...the best thing in there was the cup of tea".

The sales guy didn't know whether BMWs had keyless entry, but at least he went and asked someone and confirmed they do. There doesn't seem to be an option where you can get a wi-fi hotspot, but the other connected services appear quite cool. Although I think the idea of a live Concierge service where the car calls someone up and they text instructions to the car for a navigation destination seemed overkill. The additional option of "Internet" for £95 (the one that shows the Google screen in the brochure) seemed too cheap to be true... I asked whether there were any data limits on that, but it wasn't clear.

That said, the BMW has a SIM embedded somewhere in the car for those online services, and you can pair up a Bluetooth phone no problem... and use it as you'd expect to. :D

Anyway, the whole style was not for me, not at all. I didn't think the driving seat was that nice a place to be. I think my ranking of interiors (completely subjective, right?) so far is 1) any Audi, 2) Jaguar XF, 3) Lexus IS 300h F Sport and 4) the BMWs I've seen... still can't get over the huge retro handbrake.

[Wuffles]

Until the button that controls the handbrake breaks as has been known to happen.

[Hippogriff]

Does FLAC or WAV provide better quality and is it supported by the AMI? And if so, does it need special software to import from CD's?

With an upgraded sound system in the car, maybe someone would want to try audiophile digital music? The kind found at www.hdtracks.com (https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=9624albums) ? Of course, you can't get this stuff from your CD as you can't make something from nothing. But 24-bit digital files, at 88KHz or 96KHz or higher, might really show off the system. Selection is limited, but WAV (as a format) is available for download. You don't have to buy the whole album.

If CD > MP3 and WAV (44.1KHz / 16-bit) = CD then WAV (>44.1KHz / >16-bit) > CD.

[fernar]

I have the BOSE system in my car, and I am using WAV files stored on a ipod (the classic model) - with a 120 GB of capacity, I can hold a lot of music. However be aware that you cant get album art from the ipod classic.

[Hippogriff]

I've never tried this format, myself, but I seem to recall that WMA is a) lossless, b) supported by the AMI and c) can have tags. In the absence of FLAC support, could this be a way to proceed for those with higher quality sound systems in their car? Might be worth an experiment, especially if you're dissatisfied with MP3s.

[Bigswede]

I've never tried this format, myself, but I seem to recall that WMA is a) lossless, b) supported by the AMI and c) can have tags. In the absence of FLAC support, could this be a way to proceed for those with higher quality sound systems in their car? Might be worth an experiment, especially if you're dissatisfied with MP3s.

WMA (Windows Media Audio) is not lossless per se. There are several WMA codecs which most of them are lossy. I Think the first version of the lossless was called WMA 9 Lossless.

[Hippogriff]

Correct - you should ensure you are using the right method to get your lossless WMA files. I could even give this WMA support a go myself on my A4, I think, but I have no improved sound system in the car and no ability to see whether album cover art is seen with the MMI 3G. At least I would be able to see if a file was actually played.

Seems like WMA beats FLAC because it is supported by the car.
Seems like WMA beats WAV because it can be the same as the CD and supports tags.
Seems like WMA beats MP3 because it can be lossless and not limited to 320kbps.

However, MP3 is more ubiquitous and ultra-convenient (in my view). If I had a choice of what I'd like the car to support, coupled with an improved sound system, then I would want FLAC.

[jbaker]

I have tried WMA Lossless format, and my A6 2014, said that the files were corrupted. The WAV files and high bit rate variable MP3 also worked.

[pitch3110]

I did something I never thought I would do today, I went into a BMW dealer.

I sat with a sales guy and I explained what I was thinking of - technology platform and gadgets is important to me, I want a saloon, but I'm not overly concerned about the size of the car. He then showed me a 3 Series and a 5 Series.

I was pretty disappointed. The interior looked really aged to me - nowhere near as good as any Audi. I can't believe BMWs still have a real handbrake. They also have the little push-down buttons on the top of the main door part to lock the door - I thought they had disappeared in the 90s.

The gear stick was very nice. The DIS wasn't as impressive as in the Audi. The nav. screen seemed to just sit there, high up in the middle of the dash, with no way to retract it - not sure if that's true, but it certainly seemed that way. The main set of buttons had a big 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 included - reminiscent of a CD changer control; I am sure it could be used for radio channels as well ;) When configuring-up a 320i M Sport Saloon it seems that I have to go full leather (which I'm not a fan of) and the CO2 was rated at 141 (just noticed on the printout they gave me) so BMW's reputation for frugal cars mustn't be obtained from this one.

My girlfriend said "...the best thing in there was the cup of tea".

The sales guy didn't know whether BMWs had keyless entry, but at least he went and asked someone and confirmed they do. There doesn't seem to be an option where you can get a wi-fi hotspot, but the other connected services appear quite cool. Although I think the idea of a live Concierge service where the car calls someone up and they text instructions to the car for a navigation destination seemed overkill. The additional option of "Internet" for £95 (the one that shows the Google screen in the brochure) seemed too cheap to be true... I asked whether there were any data limits on that, but it wasn't clear.

That said, the BMW has a SIM embedded somewhere in the car for those online services, and you can pair up a Bluetooth phone no problem... and use it as you'd expect to. :D

Anyway, the whole style was not for me, not at all. I didn't think the driving seat was that nice a place to be. I think my ranking of interiors (completely subjective, right?) so far is 1) any Audi, 2) Jaguar XF, 3) Lexus IS 300h F Sport and 4) the BMWs I've seen... still can't get over the huge retro handbrake.

Hello Mate,

I may have been through this before but I nearly headed to the dark side prior to settling for the A5 and found the same having spent time looking at the 5 (to big) then 3 (oh dear).

Handbrake - How is a brand newly designed car fitted with one of these aged bits of kit.
Internet - Yes cheap, but when you try to use it you know why. It is like using compuserve 20 years ago.
Speedo - No digital readout unless HUD spec'd

It will have to be a saloon next for me and the A6 still ticks the boxes especially the model and colour as my A5.

Ta
Pitch

[Hippogriff]

I have tried WMA Lossless format, and my A6 2014, said that the files were corrupted. The WAV files and high bit rate variable MP3 also worked.

That's a shame... I should try it with my A4. I'll do it from scratch, so I'll just have to dig out an actual physical CD to rip something from... where are they again??? :confused:

[Passatier3]

I have the BOSE system in my car, and I am using WAV files stored on a ipod (the classic model) - with a 120 GB of capacity, I can hold a lot of music. However be aware that you cant get album art from the ipod classic.

I think I read on another thread that someone thought that music from an I-Pod wasn't as good as from a SD card? Both with 320kbps MP3. Thinking being that with the SD card the files are being read directly rather than going through the I-Pod and being degraded.

Where do you get your WAV files from? Is it a choice via I-Tunes?

[Hippogriff]

I think my ranking of interiors (completely subjective, right?) so far is 1) any Audi, 2) Jaguar XF, 3) Lexus IS 300h F Sport and 4) the BMWs I've seen... still can't get over the huge retro handbrake.

I really should not quote myself, but I wanted to make a point of the subjective nature of my comment, as my girlfriend ranked the interiors in the following manner 1) any Audi, 2) Lexus IS 300h F Sport, 3) BMWs and Jaguar XF in a tie for last. She's really got a downer on the XF for some reason.

[jbaker]

If you have windows vista or higher you can use media player to rip the CD into wma, wav and mp3.

I use dbPower which can rip CD and convert most audio formats to/from each other. It can convert multiple folders at once. It tool about 2 hours to convert 9500 wma lossless files into mp3 format.

[dmcconachie]

I'm looking at replacing my C6 with a MY14 C7 S-Line. Adding Adaptive Lights seems to remove Rain and Light Sensor from the equipment list, I presume they are still included?

Really wishing I could stretch the budget to include the tech package but looks to be a little beyond what I can justify unfortunately.

[neil s]

The rain and light sensor is part of the standard equipment. I've not looked at the equipment list but I spec'd adaptive lights for my C7 and that didn't affect the sensors.

Neil.

[Whippy53]

I'm looking at replacing my C6 with a MY14 C7 S-Line. Adding Adaptive Lights seems to remove Rain and Light Sensor from the equipment list, I presume they are still included?

Really wishing I could stretch the budget to include the tech package but looks to be a little beyond what I can justify unfortunately.

Hi, You're gonna love it when you get it!!

[Passatier3]

Yeah, did a run to Grantham from Warwick (friends were picking a 1969 Singer Chamois up) then across to Derby and then back home. Mixture of roads from motorways to single track and the car was superb. If you hit a pothole etc. you get a bit of a crash, but that's true of most cars, but on fast undulating A roads it was superb. Suspension was just right, controlled yet soaking up the undulations and the steering felt good.

The more I drive it the more I like it, and of course it looks great!

[Hippogriff]

I spent most of Sunday driving an A6 Black Edition around. This was helpfully supplied by Wakefield Audi - I would like to comment that Wakefield Audi is a complete revelation when compared to Sheffield Audi - it was worth the extra miles to get there and I ended up with extra smiles - unlike at Sheffield Audi, where I always (every single time!) end up frustrated. Whereas I once suspected they were all much of a muchness, I now think that Sheffield Audi is simply broken.

So, the A6 was a Black Edition, but with nothing extra but heated front seats. This meant it had the monochrome DIS (still large, widescreen) and the SD-based sat. nav. and the standard graphical display for parking assistance.

BOSE - my girlfriend didn't like the BOSE sound system, we pumped up the volume a bit and she actively said "no" and I must admit that I couldn't tell if it was any better than a standard system (320kbps CBR MP3s).

AC - this car is weird. I want a digital display that tells me what temperature I've set - or something on the MMI screen. Where is this in the A6? There's separate dials with temperature increment indicators in steps of 2 only (I'm sure that doesn't mean the temperature setting jumps in increments of 2)... neither of us liked that at all. The current A4 is better.

Voice Control - trying to enter a postcode in Leeds that started "LS3" didn't seem to go very successfully at all (there must be a trick to it) because it kept saying "postcode is not unique" so I had to resort to the dial to enter something like "LS3 1XX".

DIS - I liked this a lot, you get more information on there and that is a good thing.

Speed Limit - I thought that you needed to get the camera-based option to get speed limit display on the MMI screen, but you don't because it pulls them from its database. The camera would only spot street signs and override the internal database, if I understand things correctly. It was a pleasant surprise to have the current road speed limit shown in the bottom-right of the MMI screen.

Road Noise - yes, it was increased. It was expected, but it was definitely noticeable.

Stop / Start - I love it! I wasn't prepared for it the first time it engaged and I jumped, but my confidence it in built quickly. Very cool indeed. While many say they don't like it - I'm a big fan. I just wish it engaged all the time, even if I have my AC on.

Cup Holders - these feel like they're in the wrong place - they're in a better location in the new A3.

Gear Stick - this is a bad example of human-vehicle interaction in my opinion. The movement of the gear stick doesn't match the indicators at the side. It does in my A4 - when the car is in D, the gear stick is level with the D indicator, when in P it is level with the P indicator - this doesn't happen in the A6 because the indicator space is much shorter than the distance the gear stick travels. Very odd.

AMI - I filled up an SD card with MP3s and put that into the car's second SD slot (first one occupied by nav. SD card - yuck!) and it showed Covers on the MMI screen - which was great. I'd done some testing and 170 x 170 covers showed fine, 262 x 262 covers showed fine, 500 x 500 covers showed fine, but 550 x 550 did not.

The car didn't feel too big to me. I enjoyed the time spent with it. But I've got to admit that it didn't blow me away. The build quality, ride, plushness wasn't massively different in my opinion. Everything was very nice, but most Audis are. If I'm objective, then I think the A4 is probably the perfect sized car for me... but we also spent some time looking at and sitting in the A3 Sportback and that has a very nice interior - the MMI screen is cool, the MMI wheel is great (will incorporate MMI Touch in the top), the air vents are funky and very tactile, the flat-bottomed steering-wheel is nice, there seems to be plenty of space - the only bad things seemed to be 1) the DIS was small, like the A4, and 2) it's an A3.

I'd used the Configurator to spec. up three cars - an A3, an A4 and an A6 - all with the same options (as close as you could get) and asked the Audi saes guy to give me some indicative numbers for PCP... just to get my head around things.

The A3 has the most expensive monthly payment. The A4 has the lowest.

The A3 has no sales campaign going for it - apparently - so there's no pleasing APR, no discounts, no 'contributions'... whereas the A6 has quite a lot in this space. I wasn't fully convinced, but it was an interesting set of numbers. The A4 is probably the lowest because it's so long in the tooth nowadays.

After we took the A6 back, we popped into Mercedes. We didn't stay for long... ugly things (and they still - even the new E-Class - have the push down buttons in the doors to lock your car!)... I wouldn't want anyone to think we didn't have an open mind, but we spent less than 10 minutes at Mercedes.

P.S. - performance of the A6 didn't feel really any different to my A4 - in fact, I actually commented that it felt slower to pick up when cruising on the motorway and wanting to overtake... I'd not say "sluggish" at all... but maybe "ponderous", which surprised me as my car is 143ps and this was 177ps. Is an A6 still heavier than an A4, even though a lot has been done to reduce the weight?

[auroan]

P.S. - performance of the A6 didn't feel really any different to my A4 - in fact, I actually commented that it felt slower to pick up when cruising on the motorway and wanting to overtake... I'd not say "sluggish" at all... but maybe "ponderous", which surprised me as my car is 143ps and this was 177ps. Is an A6 still heavier than an A4, even though a lot has been done to reduce the weight?

Depending on model there isn't that "much" difference

Base model A6 saloon is 1575 Kg
Base model A4 saloon is 1535 Kg

your feeling of ponderousness might be more attributable to the auto box.

[neil s]

I also thought the aircon controls in the new A6 were a bit of a step down from the previous model (and current A4) and originally thought I'd upgrade to the 4-zone system to get the digital displays, but after a test drive in the car with the basic 2-zone system I decided it really wasn't worth spending the extra £600 on the upgrade. I'm more concerned that I'm comfortable in the car, regardless of what the temperature is, then having a fancy little display telling me what the temperature is.

Besides, 99% of the time the only people in the back of my car are my kids (3 and 4 years old) and I didn't really want to give them more controls to break!!

Neil.

[Whippy53]

quick response,

BOSE, agreed

AC, it deserves the digital system, maybe worth the £400 upgrade although I don't have a massive gripe with it.

Voice control, you actually expect this to work?

DIS, standard is good, colour is better

Speed limit, agree, but it isn't 100% accurate all the time. Be wary.

Road noise, well you are on 20" rims

Stop start, agreed

cup holders, I use mine to hold coins and keys

Gear stick, dunno, never noticed!

It sounds like you would really prefer the A4 end of day. It's just that the A6 is a different 'kind' of car, thats all.

[johnsimcox]

Glad you found a better dealer, it makes all the difference.



AC - this car is weird. I want a digital display that tells me what temperature I've set - or something on the MMI screen. Where is this in the A6? There's separate dials with temperature increment indicators in steps of 2 only (I'm sure that doesn't mean the temperature setting jumps in increments of 2)... neither of us liked that at all. The current A4 is better.

If you spec the 4 zone system then you get the digital display, but I agree having had an A4 followed by 3 A6s over the past 16 years it seems strange that they have reverted to the manual system, but they did that with the C6 and then about 2 years into its life changed to digital display so they may do that with the C7



Voice Control - trying to enter a postcode in Leeds that started "LS3" didn't seem to go very successfully at all (there must be a trick to it) because it kept saying "postcode is not unique" so I had to resort to the dial to enter something like "LS3 1XX".

With the SD card system the voice control is not much short of useless when entering a postcode as it only takes the 4/5 digits (up to the 1st digit of the second part) and then asks you to select the desired code from a list which could be many screens long. The HDD system is better apparently



Speed Limit - I thought that you needed to get the camera-based option to get speed limit display on the MMI screen, but you don't because it pulls them from its database. The camera would only spot street signs and override the internal database, if I understand things correctly. It was a pleasant surprise to have the current road speed limit shown in the bottom-right of the MMI screen.

The camera based option takes the info from the signs on the road and does not depend on the accuracy of the Tele-Atlas database an it displays it in the DIS not on the MMI. The camera based option is also obviously more accurate, there is a road near me that has a 40 speed limit but the sat nav claims it is 30 in one direction and 40 in the other. Also near my mother's house the road was changed to 40mph a couple of years ago but the Sat Nav still claims it is 60



Stop / Start - I love it! I wasn't prepared for it the first time it engaged and I jumped, but my confidence it in built quickly. Very cool indeed. While many say they don't like it - I'm a big fan. I just wish it engaged all the time, even if I have my AC on.

Stop/Start only works when there is no excessive load on the engine. In the summer if the car needs significant cooling, or in the winter if the interior needs waming or you have the lights on and the heated rear window on then it will not cut in



AMI - I filled up an SD card with MP3s and put that into the car's second SD slot (first one occupied by nav. SD card - yuck!) and it showed Covers on the MMI screen - which was great. I'd done some testing and 170 x 170 covers showed fine, 262 x 262 covers showed fine, 500 x 500 covers showed fine, but 550 x 550 did not.

The SD card is not part of AMI and is standard on all A6s. The AMI uses a cable in the front centre arm rest

[Hippogriff]

It sounds like you would really prefer the A4 end of day. It's just that the A6 is a different 'kind' of car, thats all.

I think that's correct - I'd prefer the A4, but an A4 with a new technology platform. The A4 is still sitting 3rd of 3 Audi models in my mind right now.

I thought I'd read something about the voice control being much improved? Something about it handling whole sentences and suchlike? Maybe I expected too much - but I'm also convinced I just need to be 'trained' as to how it works - I mean, do you verbalise a "space"?

I would add one other thing and a strange observation... the voice prompts sound a lot better in the A6; now the weird thing.

We know that town names are speech synthesised, right? I can guarantee you that the car spoke "Ilkley" pronounced "ilk-li" (right?) in different ways at different times. One time it said "ile-kli" and one time it said "ilk-lee" - the passengers noticed this 'cos we'd just been laughing at it saying "Leeds" as "lids".

I didn't realise the AC got a digital readout if you bumped up the spec. (£620 for 9AQ); so the current state of affairs is cost-cutting, seemingly. Might be worth deluxe AC then - it got on the nerves of both me and the other half.

[Hippogriff]

The SD card is not part of AMI and is standard on all A6s. The AMI uses a cable in the front centre arm rest

Thanks. Sorry, yes - I know this - I was using AMI term as I was talking about specific music features, namely covers, but you're 100% correct, a slip of the tongue.

[Hippogriff]

With the SD card system the voice control is not much short of useless when entering a postcode as it only takes the 4/5 digits (up to the 1st digit of the second part) and then asks you to select the desired code from a list which could be many screens long. The HDD system is better apparently

This is very useful to know. I should try to sit in an A6 with WB4. I am going back up mid-August to see an A3 Saloon they will have in there for a short while.

[retired99]

AC
Drove a loan A6 with 2 zone a/c for a few weeks and was never really happy with the temperature control. I was a bit too warm so turned it down a notch, followed by feeling a bit too cool and turning it back up a notch. Either I wanted a setting in the middle or the maintenance of the set temperature wasn’t good.
Dropped off the loan car and collected my new A6 which has 4zone a/c which I can pretty much set and forget.


Speed limit display
My car has the map only speed limit display and I have to say I don’t trust it at all; several roads I frequently travel are wrong, usually, but not always, giving a higher figure than the actual limit.
My previous car (BMW) had the addition of a camera. This improved the accuracy a bit, but still not good enough to trust. Basic issue was signs obscured by other traffic, the clutter of road signs you get in some places or foliage. When the signs were clear it worked reasonably well. The other issue, which happened mainly in Europe, was when travelling on a motorway. If there was a road parallel to the motorway, such as a slip road, the camera would detect the sign on the slip road and report, say 60kmh, as the limit when in fact it was, say, 120kmh. It worked in simple situations, to trust it I needed it to work in more difficult situations.

As far as I remember to add speed limit camera you need to add all sorts of other expensive stuff I didn't want, so decided against it. If it had been a couple of quid I’d probably have gone for it.

[ukgroucho]

And if you get the technology pack to get the HDD based nav you also get the touchpad... writing postcodes or phone numbers is remarkably easy even though it is not ideal that you have to operate left handed (unless you ARE left handed or get your co-pilot to do it). You also get the color DIS which is 'lovely'.

The 4 zone aircon gets you all the pop-up stuff in the main screen so you can see what you've set for vents, fan speed and temp. You can also sync the rear two zones with the front if you need to. One other thing is that if you go for heated front seats then once you've spec'd the 4 zone aircon the 'upgrade' to get heated rears as well is quite low cost.. £150 if I recall.

[Hippogriff]

As you know, I am in a bit of decision-paralysis at the moment. I have an A4, but would like a new (new platform) one, I've tried the A6 and I like it, I'm waiting to see the A3 Saloon in a week or so. Well, something happened yesterday that put grave doubts on me having an A3... someone asked me to move a whiteboard for them. I got to their place and saw how big it was - I was unconvinced it would even fit into the A4 with the seats down. We measured it and the car and we thought that we'd give it a go.

It fit! It was very, very snug (and it had to be angled)... but it got in there.

It would not have fit into an A3.

While driving the whiteboard around, I started to think of other things I've wanted to put into the A4 in the past... for example, a door - yes, you can fit a full sized door in your A4, if you're willing to sit with your head firmly against the windscreen, that is. But, that's not the point, the point is that a proper sized door fit into my car. That wouldn't be possible with an A3. This whiteboard would not have been possible. There are other examples... but it all helped me reach the conclusion that A3 is probably not for me (despite it being something I'm very interested in for other reasons, like newness of platform, best gadgets etc.).

At the same time as all this driving and thinking, I wrote a little poem...

You really can fit a door
Into your cavernous A4
But it wouldn't be
Possible in an A3

I'm here all week.

[Hippogriff]

The 4 zone aircon gets you all the pop-up stuff in the main screen so you can see what you've set for vents, fan speed and temp.

Thanks!

I thought I was being odd when I concluded I didn't even see the slide-on graphic on the MMI screen for altering temperature. I thought I must be wrong, or I would have mentioned it in my feedback. In the A4 I get a digital readout and the swizzy slide-on / slide-off graphic on the MMI screen... the A3 definitely has a digital readout (I assume it also has the MMI graphics)... in the A6 I would have to pay £620 to get that (and some other stuff I don't want). I think that's a bit cheap to be honest.

It's things like this that would bug me for the years I had the car... it's the things you use every day that you can't get over if you think they're badly designed or you think you missed ticking an option box you then regret not ticking.

[Whippy53]

Let me know what you think of the 3 after you've had a look. Thinking about getting the saloon for t'missus.

[Hippogriff]

This is my current thinking... I will probably add to this.

21836

[Johnny31]

This is my current thinking... I will probably add to this.

21836
You Sir are my new idol!!!

[Saablover]

This is my current thinking... I will probably add to this.

21836
Lol, my priorities are very different from yours but I do agree about the AC vents. The A6 ones look like BL's circa 1985.

[Hippogriff]

Seems like such a small thing, but when you notice how it (the AC) compares to other cars, it's a bit of a let-down. That said, all that was cool about the XF was the fact they rotated and the Lexus IS 300h F Sport's are just as boring (while still managing to be "in your face"). The A3's are the best, even if they are a little bit girly in design.

[Passatier3]

As you know, I am in a bit of decision-paralysis at the moment. I have an A4, but would like a new (new platform) one, I've tried the A6 and I like it, I'm waiting to see the A3 Saloon in a week or so. Well, something happened yesterday that put grave doubts on me having an A3... someone asked me to move a whiteboard for them. I got to their place and saw how big it was - I was unconvinced it would even fit into the A4 with the seats down. We measured it and the car and we thought that we'd give it a go.

It fit! It was very, very snug (and it had to be angled)... but it got in there.

It would not have fit into an A3.

While driving the whiteboard around, I started to think of other things I've wanted to put into the A4 in the past... for example, a door - yes, you can fit a full sized door in your A4, if you're willing to sit with your head firmly against the windscreen, that is. But, that's not the point, the point is that a proper sized door fit into my car. That wouldn't be possible with an A3. This whiteboard would not have been possible. There are other examples... but it all helped me reach the conclusion that A3 is probably not for me (despite it being something I'm very interested in for other reasons, like newness of platform, best gadgets etc.).

At the same time as all this driving and thinking, I wrote a little poem...

You really can fit a door
Into your cavernous A4
But it wouldn't be
Possible in an A3

I'm here all week.

Hippo - I take it's not a requirement of your job to move a white board around and it's not for an establishment/company who are paying for the car? And how often have you felt the need to carry a door in your car?!!!! :D

Given this, I would just go for the car that you really want. On the rare occasions that you want to carry doors etc. hire a van, buy a trailer (with the potential saving) or get it delivered.

I wouldn't carry a door in my A6 anyway! :D Moved some quite bulky stuff for my son for his flat but the car was well protected with cushions and sheets etc!

PS. Like your matrix in your later post. Very good way of weighing up the pros and cons of the different models and specs./options.

[Hippogriff]

While it's admittedly rare that I want to carry something extra large around, moving the whiteboard the other day helped me to remember various other things, like the door, over the last few years - a big mirror etc.. I definitely don't want to go to the hassle / expense / inconvenience of hiring a trailer. I don't even want to use a trailer, or even a van. The "man with a van" type of service usually costs £25, and that's local distances... I've used that service when I found I couldn't strap a solid wooden pub bench to the roof of my A4. :(

It's OK you recommending a trailer... you've got a cavernous A6 Avant - you could get 3 doors in that... with handles. :p

The A4 is looking like a more serious contender, even in its aged B8 guise... but I may just wait until the new B9 model comes out. Still, testing the Lexus next weekend - that's got an even smaller boot!

[Passatier3]

While it's admittedly rare that I want to carry something extra large around, moving the whiteboard the other day helped me to remember various other things, like the door, over the last few years - a big mirror etc.. I definitely don't want to go to the hassle / expense / inconvenience of hiring a trailer. I don't even want to use a trailer, or even a van. The "man with a van" type of service usually costs £25, and that's local distances... I've used that service when I found I couldn't strap a solid wooden pub bench to the roof of my A4. :(

It's OK you recommending a trailer... you've got a cavernous A6 Avant - you could get 3 doors in that... with handles. :p

The A4 is looking like a more serious contender, even in its aged B8 guise... but I may just wait until the new B9 model comes out. Still, testing the Lexus next weekend - that's got an even smaller boot!

:D Not hiring a trailer, buying a trailer! I've actually got one! Bought it for carrying stuff for DIY, including doors (!), for my trail bike and taking stuff down the tip etc. As with a shed every man should have a trailer! :D

Used to tow it with my Passat and was going to have a tow-bar fitted to the A6 but will probably have one fitted to the Stilo instead.

[Hippogriff]

:D Not hiring a trailer, buying a trailer!

Ah, that's worse than I originally misread... I don't want to be a farmer!

[Passatier3]

:D Mine's an Ifor Williams trailer just like farmers etc. use!

Mind you, mine's so immaculate I don't think I'll be mistaken for a farmer! :D

[Hippogriff]

On my RAG table, I have MMI screen down as "boring" / red for the A4, but I am reading reports of the MMI screen on the A6 juddering, not coming out in a timely fashion and generally being a bit unpredictable. Maybe there is a positive in the A4's "boring" - fixed in place - MMI screen. More moving parts just equals more that can go wrong. Maybe I should move it from red to amber.

I never wanted to get into an Alan Partridge "nice action" kind of scenario anyway.

I initially started this journey saying I did not want a 'new' A4 because it was basically the same as my current A4 with a minor facelift. However, research has really debunked that - it has the cosmetic new DRLs and shiny bits on knobs and dials, for sure... but it also has a 150ps and 177ps engine variant, it has Stop / Start, it has Audi Connect, it has those 7-digit postcodes, it has DAB.

Maybe I was just too hard on / expected too much of the old A4.

[johnsimcox]

On my RAG table, I have MMI screen down as "boring" / red for the A4, but I am reading reports of the MMI screen on the A6 juddering, not coming out in a timely fashion and generally being a bit unpredictable. Maybe there is a positive in the A4's "boring" - fixed in place - MMI screen. More moving parts just equals more that can go wrong. Maybe I should move it from red to amber.

I never wanted to get into an Alan Partridge "nice action" kind of scenario anyway.

I initially started this journey saying I did not want a 'new' A4 because it was basically the same as my current A4 with a minor facelift. However, research has really debunked that - it has the cosmetic new DRLs and shiny bits on knobs and dials, for sure... but it also has a 150ps and 177ps engine variant, it has Stop / Start, it has Audi Connect, it has those 7-digit postcodes, it has DAB.

Maybe I was just too hard on / expected too much of the old A4.
Fully understand your thinking, however remember for every post about a problem with an MMI screen there are many more of us who have no problems with it at all. It is unfortunate that forums tend to highlight the problems but posts saying "another day and nothing went wrong" don't tend to appear an would be seen by many as boring.

[Hippogriff]

Yeah, these forums are often used for moans and grumbles (I'm a past master). I'm weighing-up the A6 vs. the A4 in great detail now and there's some things I don't even like about the A6 - AC dials, gear-stick and indicators, BOSE, 20" wheels - and I'm starting to feel I'd been thinking of the A6 in rosy terms because of a few things - 1) the fact that I figured I wanted to 'upgrade' to an A6 from having 2 A4s and 2) the fact that I misjudged the current A4 as being rather retrograde. I'm now thinking the A4 has Audi Connect and it has 7-digit postcodes (these were key for me) and it has a better AC system, it would come with 19" wheels, everyone(?) seems to be of the opinion the B&O is better than the BOSE... maybe I need to get with the programme and admit I'm an A4 man (or a Lexus IS 300h F Sport man?).

That said, if I got an Audi with a very swish moving MMI screen, the first time I pressed the button to operate it... it would probably explode.

[Hippogriff]

Helpers ;),

I wanted to relay the fact that I'm ever-so-slowly erring back towards the A4. While I realise it's quite an old platform and there's a new one right around the corner, it's not lacking in features as much as I had feared. It has Stop / Start, it has 7-digit postcode, it has Audi Connect, so it's more than a visual facelift over my current B8. I have really given other cars a fair crack of the whip, including test driving the Jaguar XF, the Audi A6 BE and the Lexus IS 300h F Sport and it was really only the Lexus that got me thinking hard (a right old curveball, for sure).

The ride in the A6 2.0 TDI BE 177ps has confused me... it felt less powerful than my current A4 TDI with 143ps. I'm sure it can't be the case, but it's got me thinking about the two A4 variants - the 150ps and the 177ps. Can I assume that the engine in the A4 TDI 177ps is the exact same engine that you find in the A6 TDI 177ps?

[gribbo91]

Can I assume that the engine in the A4 TDI 177ps is the exact same engine that you find in the A6 TDI 177ps?

Yep its the same engine, its a different beast when in "Dynamic" Mode via Drive Select

[MarkTM]

140kg between A4 & A6 which is 7% difference between 177 and 143 = 20% so technically power/weight should be 13 better

Appreciate an A6 is more upmarket/opulent so may not feel as urgent than your A4.

[Hippogriff]

The new A4 is 150ps or 177ps... so maybe an A4 with 177ps could be the best of all worlds, but I might need to consider specifying Audi Drive Select if I want it to feel the best it can be (which I'd not considered before).

[Passatier3]

Can't remember if you've ever said that there is a time when you have to change your car? But if not, and given your leanings at the moment wouldn't it be prudent to wait until they bring out the new A4 before you make a final decision?

You'll be right hacked off if the new car really moves on the game and is not only better than the existing A4 but also the other cars you are considering. Bit of a risk really. And if it doesn't deliver you will have the benefit of picking up an existing model at a bargain price.

[Hippogriff]

'tis a good point, I have no fixed changeover date in mind but I also have no fixed dates for this new A4 B9 being released, though... just "early 2014" is what I've heard.

Has anyone got the inside track?

I also remember waiting for the A4 B8 with MMI 3G in 2009... I waited, and I waited... when it finally came it was crap and it was full of bugs / limitations. There's a part of me that wants latest-and-greatest (I'm too obvious with that) but there's also part of me that has wasted enough time sitting in Audi dealers waiting for things to be looked at. I guess there's a bit of risk with a brand new car release.

[belly buster]

Helpers ;),

I wanted to relay the fact that I'm ever-so-slowly erring back towards the A4. While I realise it's quite an old platform and there's a new one right around the corner, it's not lacking in features as much as I had feared. It has Stop / Start, it has 7-digit postcode, it has Audi Connect, so it's more than a visual facelift over my current B8. I have really given other cars a fair crack of the whip, including test driving the Jaguar XF, the Audi A6 BE and the Lexus IS 300h F Sport and it was really only the Lexus that got me thinking hard (a right old curveball, for sure).

The ride in the A6 2.0 TDI BE 177ps has confused me... it felt less powerful than my current A4 TDI with 143ps. I'm sure it can't be the case, but it's got me thinking about the two A4 variants - the 150ps and the 177ps. Can I assume that the engine in the A4 TDI 177ps is the exact same engine that you find in the A6 TDI 177ps?

I have a 143ps A4, and had a 177ps A4 on loan while in for a service. The 177 did feel a lot more willing, esp in the slightly higher (for a diesel) rev range 2,500 to 3,500. I found I was needing to change down less for an overtake etc. I think you would definitely notice an improvement for the better.

[belly buster]

Hippo how many miles do you do a year? I think the A6 may be better if you do a lot (25k+), it's a nicer place to be if you have a long journey ahead.

Less than 25k a year the A4 would be fine.

Or split the difference and go for an A5 :D:D:D

[Hippogriff]

Lots less than 25,000 per year.

[belly buster]

Lots less than 25,000 per year.

Right well I think an A4 would be bob on. If you do a LOT less you may better off with a petrol as well.

[johnsimcox]

'tis a good point, I have no fixed changeover date in mind but I also have no fixed dates for this new A4 B9 being released, though... just "early 2014" is what I've heard.

Has anyone got the inside track?

I also remember waiting for the A4 B8 with MMI 3G in 2009... I waited, and I waited... when it finally came it was crap and it was full of bugs / limitations. There's a part of me that wants latest-and-greatest (I'm too obvious with that) but there's also part of me that has wasted enough time sitting in Audi dealers waiting for things to be looked at. I guess there's a bit of risk with a brand new car release.
Don't know if this will help your processor not but last week's Autocar states that the new A4 will come to the UK in April 2015. Here is a link to the same story on their website Next-gen Audi A4 scooped | Autocar (http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/green-cars/next-gen-audi-a4-scooped)

[Hippogriff]

Blinkin' 'eck! It does help... it's ages away.

[Passatier3]

Well at least you can rule that option out now!

[Whippy53]

Unless he wants a teknic, Audi are going to spec that up to promote sales.

[Hippogriff]

Holy cow! What does this even mean? I see the SE Technik in the brochure today... what are they going to do with it? I need Xenon headlights... ;) ...which I figured was included in S line and above only.

I've just done something I've never done before... I've sat here contemplating the 170ps 1.8TFSI multitronic due to the comments received above. Maybe diesel is not the only way.

[Whippy53]

They are adding more goodies I believe, I will check and come back later with the changes. You mean you don't read Audi Driver?? sheesh!

[Whippy53]

Right, it's got 18" 10 spokers, metallic paint, and if you order tecknik premium its gone down from £1350 to £1000.

[Hippogriff]

It looks like I'm heading back to an A4. Just with more goodies... but the right ones. ;)

Sorry, should say - QZ, 4A3, PQ6, WB7, 9ZW, 4F2, QQ1, 6XK, 7X8 (but could be removed), 7Y4, 7K6. :1zhelp:

The URL detailing what Whippy53 just educated me on - Options list gets even shorter for upgraded Audi A4 SE Technnik models < Latest news < About Audi (http://www.audi.co.uk/about-audi/latest-news/options-list-gets-even-shorter-for-upgraded-Audi-A4-SE-Technnik-models.html)

[belly buster]

Noddy's guide to pros for Diesel/Petrol. Feel free to improve.

Pros for Diesel:

Better mpg (but fuel more expensive)
More torque at lower reves
Engines last forever
Better residuals (maybe?)
Better for higher milages

Pros for Petrol:

Purchase price tends to be cheaper
Fuel cheaper (but worse mpg)
Servicing cheaper
More power at top end
Engine sound nicer
No getting slimed at the filling pump
Better for lower mileage
Better for shorter trips
No DPF SNAFUs

[Hippogriff]

I don't do that many miles. I have still had two TDI A4s over the last nine years. I like the way it pootles along somewhere between 1 and 2 on the rev dial even at 70 to 80mph. Otherwise I don't look at that dial. Don't like the idea of losing torques, but like the idea of 170ps for less money.

[Hippogriff]

Question - does fuel type influence auto-crawl at all? My TDIs have both crawled very well, even up rather steep hills.

[johnsimcox]

Question - does fuel type influence auto-crawl at all? My TDIs have both crawled very well, even up rather steep hills.
If by Auto-Crawl you mean moving without touching the accelerator then my experience (manual gearbox) would be that it is easier (due to lower compression ratio) to get a petrol engine moving with no acceleration that the diesel but once it is moving the better torque of the diesel means it is probably better able to keep moving, even up hill. When I first got a diesel I was forever stalling as I tried to pull away in second (coming up to a junction and not quite stopping) when the car needed to be in first.

[Hippogriff]

So, I'm talking multitronic and, yes, how the car crawls forward, even up hills, when you've taken your feet off both pedals (and the handbrake is off and you're in D). I'm wondering if that is a feature of the multitronic gearbox itself, or whether it could be a different experience depending on fuel, that's all.

P.S. - I don't think I've changed a gear in the last five years.

[Passatier3]

I only do average mileage circa 12k. and considered petrol for my last Passat estate. Apart from the residuals being worse for petrol for that type of car (diesel is expected) I think that the diesel is a better choice for that type of car and therefore the larger Audis. I also like the increased torque and relaxed way they can be driven, especially at high speeds on motorways etc.

If I was going for a more sports orientated car or did a particularly low-mileage then I would definitely go for petrol. Diesels have come on in leaps and bounds but petrol are smoother, quieter, rev higher and are just happier when exploring the higher rev range.

Talking auto-crawling - my first diesel was a VW Vento 1.9tdi, it was a very good car and I was able to pull away and change up through all the gears without touching the throttle! If I'd tried that in my manual Passats I reckon they would have stalled.

[AGW82]

It is generally perceived to be a "feature" of an automatic box that you get "creep", as John has said you can also get a manual to do the same thing but you have more control. The nature of an auto box no matter if it's CVT, Full Auto or robo-mechanical (DSG, S-Tronic etc) means the car will creep petrol or diesel, so as soon as it's in D and you take your foot of the break the car will start moving.

[Hippogriff]

OK - good. Well... I'm going for a petrol A4.

Nowhere near where I started out, for sure.

[AGW82]

As long as you get what you want and what's right for you that's all that maters.

Have you driven the petrol? Coming from a diesel it might be worth a test drive to make sure your happy with the petrol engine characteristics.

[Hippogriff]

No, not yet :( as it means a trip to Wakefield Audi... I won't go back to Sheffield Audi. But I might get around to it.

[newA6]

Can't speak for how you get Album Art displayed via SD card or using an HDD attached via the AMI (as you are going down that route you might want to check your hard drive fits in the front arm rest as that is where the AMI port is on the A6) but you can certainly display it if you are using an iPod (iPod Touch 2 and upwards, plus the latest iPod Nano) or iPhone/iPad providing you have the cable with the Red Grommet (you should get two cables with the car one is USB and the other is for the iPod) but a search on another forum says that the artwork image file needs to be 800x800 or less for it to work. You can also play video (as long as the car is stationary or you have used VCDS to enable video in motion) from the iDevice and some have even managed to stream sources such as BBC iPlayer. I think you can also play video off the SD card. Unfortunately Audi do not yet do a cable for the Lightening connector as used on the latest iDevices, but if you use the genuine Apple adaptor then you still get Album artwork but not the video capability.


i used iTunes which has all artwork for music and copied the music tracks to mp3 and moved these folders to a separate folder and copied them so SD card, so music on AMI looks like my iPod and displays album art work on display, but only in track display mode.

[belly buster]

No, not yet :( as it means a trip to Wakefield Audi... I won't go back to Sheffield Audi. But I might get around to it.

So you haven't really decided :D

There a new BMW 4 series coming out soon. :biglaugh:

[Hippogriff]

I took a look on their website, where it says "Sit at the centre of driving pleasure" in "image 3" I still see the daft little 80s buttons on the doors for locking the car and, in the other two pictures (it seems quite hidden, and rightfully so) I think that I spied a whopping-sized handbrake. :confused:

P.S. - hoping that's the current one? I don't really know...

P.P.S - looking again, I don't think it is, I think it's the new version.

[Wuffles]

I think if that's the kind of thing you'd take issue with, you should just stick with an Audi.

I'd much rather have a handbrake and I recall my E46 auto-locked the doors when moving, regardless of any 80s button on the door.

[Hippogriff]

I agree - stick with Audi. My girlfriend definitely got it right when we were discussing our time in BMW. She said "the best thing in there was the cup of tea". She can be right, sometimes.

P.S. - just deciding whether to have Audi Active Lane Assist in an A4. Trying to figure out whether it makes driving corrections for you. The Audi Glossary for "Audi Lane Assist" clearly says "Audi lane assist does not actively intervene in the driving situation", but the brochure for Audi Active Lane Assist clearly says "continuously helps the driver stay in lane with steering impulses which centre the car in its lane". Maybe the word "active" is added?

Petrol A4, ey? Who'd'a thought?

[belly buster]

Sorry Hippo I was just trying to wind you up suggesting the beemer (sounds like it worked - for a short while at least).

It is well know that most people tend to stick with a brand, either through loyalty or psychology.

Definitely take the petrol for a test drive. I remember getting a 2.0 petrol Peugeot 307 having had diesels; it didn't suit my use/preference and I would never go back to petrol (except maybe an R8).

[Hippogriff]

Hey, no worries - I have been suffering from decision paralysis... can you elaborate on "it didn't suit my preference" (if anything more than the more expected set of differences)? I can understand the "use" angle. I am hoping that with my low mileage and desire for cost savings (with a slight desire for some more ps), that a petrol is going to be the right thing for me, but - as for a driving experience, I am hoping there will be little (read none) noticeable difference. 9 years in TDIs leaves me with zero knowledge of whether the petrol A4 will be any different, or not.

I certainly do take your point re. test drive, but I'm almost test-drived out. I don't think my other half will be dragged along to another, for sure. Although she only really comments on the tea.

[belly buster]

Hey, no worries - I have been suffering from decision paralysis... can you elaborate on "it didn't suit my preference"? I can understand the "use" angle. I am hoping that with my low mileage and desire for cost savings (with a slight desire for some more ps), that a petrol is going to be the right thing for me, but - as for a driving experience, I am hoping there will be little (read none) noticeable difference. 9 years in TDIs leaves me with zero knowledge of whether the petrol A4 will be any different, or not.

I certainly do take your point re. test drive, but I'm almost test-drived out. I don't think my other half will be dragged along to another, for sure. Although she only really comments on the tea.

I thought it would be lightning fast compared to diesels I had owned previously, except it wasn't. You had to rev it pretty hard to get any decent performance out of it, and the engine sounded pretty rought at high revs. It also killed the mpg - I averaged 29-30 over the lifetime. 70mph in top (5th) was about 3,200 revs which was pretty noisy as well. I expect the Audi petrols are better though.

I prefer the power delivery of the TDis and the better torque.

Strong recommendation would be a test drive to make sure you can live with this.

[Hippogriff]

I really like my A4's low revs (between 1 and 2 on the dial) at motorway speeds... and its calmness / serene nature.

[Olio]

I've gone from a 110 bhp HDI to a 115 bhp FSI as I wasn't doing to mileage to justify it anymore. The difference is enormous. And not in favour of the seemingly more powerful engine.

I'm now going back to TDI even though still not doing the mileage, for retention of value, cheap running costs, and massive low rev torque. And they don't do the A6 petrol ;-)

Joking aside, petrol means very little torque at low rev which means you can trundle along but can't do anything else without changing gear, dropping likely 2. If you sit higher in the revs you have more noise and the economy is rubbish.

The last improvements have helped but petrol is still not the best in my opinion for town driving and motorway driving. I spend many miles on straight-ish b roads in 5th with hardly any opportunity to overtake. The TDI eats the FSI for breakfast in that case as well for comfort an economy.

My 2 cents...

[Hippogriff]

Illuminating, if slightly depressing. Thanks.

[AGW82]

I agree - stick with Audi. My girlfriend definitely got it right when we were discussing our time in BMW. She said "the best thing in there was the cup of tea". She can be right, sometimes.

P.S. - just deciding whether to have Audi Active Lane Assist in an A4. Trying to figure out whether it makes driving corrections for you. The Audi Glossary for "Audi Lane Assist" clearly says "Audi lane assist does not actively intervene in the driving situation", but the brochure for Audi Active Lane Assist clearly says "continuously helps the driver stay in lane with steering impulses which centre the car in its lane". Maybe the word "active" is added?

Petrol A4, ey? Who'd'a thought?

It will indeed make corrections for you. There are 2 settings, early and late. Early will try and keep you in the middle of the lane and late will allow you to wonder right to the edge of the lane before taking action. What it does get upset about is if you rely on it too much or you take you hands off the steering wheel, you will get a warning and the system will deactivate until you move the steering wheel at which point it re-activates. The system will deactivate whilst you are indicating so you you can move lanes without it interfering, if you don't indicate the system will try and correct you back into your lane and will vibrate the steering wheel slightly, you can over power this action, but the correction puts resistance on the steering wheel. It is also only active from around 40 Mph

[Hippogriff]

What it does get upset about is if you rely on it too much or you take you hands off the steering wheel, you will get a warning and the system will deactivate until you move the steering wheel at which point it re-activates.

Hmm, don't like the sound of that... so, coupled with ACC, it's not that close to semi-autonomous motorway driving?

[AGW82]

I would say it is quite close to being semi-autonomous, it does make life a lot easier IMHO, I didn't realise how much I'd started to rely on the systems until I was driving the other halfs A1 at the weekend..

I have a feeling the deactivation is purely a legislation/safety thing, there's no doubt the car would drive its self as long as it could see the lines on the road. At the end of the day you are supposed to be in full control of the car at all times, the technology is just a "driving aid" that's why Audi have to dumb it down..

[Hippogriff]

OK - it really took me ages - but I've finally gone for a new A4.

A4 2.0 TDI Black Edition Multitronic with A2 paint (Brilliant Black), N7K seats (Alcantara), QZ upholstery (Black with grey stitching), 4A3 (Heated front seats), 5TL (Piano black inlays), PQ6 (5-spoke wheels, not rotors), WB7 (Technology Package), 9ZW (Phone with Audi Connect), 4F2 (Advanced Key), QQ1 (Interior Light Pack), 6XK (Auto-folding and auto-dimming mirrors), 7X8 (Audi Parking System Advanced), 7K6 (TPMS).

Nice spending time with you A6 boys... à bientôt. I might not get the A6 plushness, but I do get the flat-bottomed steering wheel, the B&O instead of BOSE, the digital temp. readouts... sadly, I do miss out on MMI Touch, the swish MMI screen and the big DIS but, gladly, I miss out on 20" wheels.

P.S. - most importantly, I get my 7-digit postcodes and Audi Connect, which is what I'd been hankering for.

[Passatier3]

Jolly good, looks like a very good specification. Agree on the wheels, I would have done the same with a black car. Whilst I love the rotors with my Daytona Grey car I think that black and grey are too close in colour terms but not the same and don't look quite right to me - just my personal observation and preference obviously! And think that a contrasting colour is better.

When you get it will be interested in your views on ownership.

[Hippogriff]

Maybe in time for Christmas... you never know.

[ScottyA6]

I've gone from a 110 bhp HDI to a 115 bhp FSI as I wasn't doing to mileage to justify it anymore. The difference is enormous. And not in favour of the seemingly more powerful engine.

I'm now going back to TDI even though still not doing the mileage, for retention of value, cheap running costs, and massive low rev torque. And they don't do the A6 petrol ;-)

Joking aside, petrol means very little torque at low rev which means you can trundle along but can't do anything else without changing gear, dropping likely 2. If you sit higher in the revs you have more noise and the economy is rubbish.

The last improvements have helped but petrol is still not the best in my opinion for town driving and motorway driving. I spend many miles on straight-ish b roads in 5th with hardly any opportunity to overtake. The TDI eats the FSI for breakfast in that case as well for comfort an economy.

My 2 cents...

This was pretty much my impressions going from an A6 C6 2.4 V6 Petrol to an A8 D3 3.0 TDI Quattro. The 2.4 was a lovely little engine that would howl its head off all day, it revved freely and sounded great as well. The problem was in that big car it had to be wound up to give a decent turn of speed and at motorway speeds was not as 'long legged' as even my ancient Scimitar GTE Overdrive so economy suffered. The TDI on the other hand was all about the low down power and could easily carry high gearing in top so it was back to that relaxed high speed cruising. In my early days I confidently said I would rather pedal the damn thing than drive an oil burner but the new car I'm getting on Wedneasday next week is another 3.0 TDI (Avant, 245 Quattro). Love em.

[daycartes]

Don't know whether you have ordered your A4 Hippo, but I've just today received notification from DTD who are offering many A4/6/7 at bargain basement prices.

[Passatier3]

This was pretty much my impressions going from an A6 C6 2.4 V6 Petrol to an A8 D3 3.0 TDI Quattro. The 2.4 was a lovely little engine that would howl its head off all day, it revved freely and sounded great as well. The problem was in that big car it had to be wound up to give a decent turn of speed and at motorway speeds was not as 'long legged' as even my ancient Scimitar GTE Overdrive so economy suffered. The TDI on the other hand was all about the low down power and could easily carry high gearing in top so it was back to that relaxed high speed cruising. In my early days I confidently said I would rather pedal the damn thing than drive an oil burner but the new car I'm getting on Wedneasday next week is another 3.0 TDI (Avant, 245 Quattro). Love em.

I've been posting on motorcycle forums lately about the effect that the ever stricter emissions regulations are having on motorcycle engines and I guess that is also the case with petrol engines in cars. They have to run so lean (and the 2016 regs. for bikes call for another 50% reduction! Don't know if it's the same for cars) that you wonder how the poor old engines run at all and it's no surprise that they seem to be lacking in power compared with diesels.

I've had 105 and 130 BHP cars in the past (and fairly heavy ones at that) that really used to fly. Whereas my wife has had Mini Coopers with allegedly 120BHP engines that felt nothing like that and made worse by the feeling that when you put your foot down (FbW throttle etc.) that there was a committee deciding if you really wanted to do that! :(

She now has a Cooper S which is supposed to have 175BHP but at least it goes better than the Cooper and is nicer to drive as well.

Whilst I've driven diesels for years I've always believed that a petrol engine was the better unit with it's smoothness, wider rev range, sound etc. but with the A6 I've had to change my viewpoint. OK the rev range is still less (though not needed) but it is so smooth and powerful.

Apart form my wife's car I've not driven a modern petrol, I'd probably be disappointed, but for a sports car I still reckon petrol is the choice?

[ukgroucho]

Define 'sports car' .. and exactly how you would preserve your license on our camera and car infested roads.

My view is that overall you will be stuck in traffic or surrounded by cameras. The best you can hope for is a few stretches of un-watched-over road and also the chance to be able to snatch an overtake and drive at the speed limit or a bit for a while.

Paying for a pure sports car seems like lunacy.. unless you do track days - or live in some very special part of the country.

I'm happy with great MPG and ballistic overtaking (and the occasional razz) ... in an everyday car... cos I really only have time and money in my life for one car. (I have drive space for several.. just don't want to swallow all the associated tax and insurance and maintenance stuff). In an ideal world I'd have an R8 V10 Spyder also but the lotto has not laid a golden egg for me yet.

A really good diesel ticks all the boxes without being a huge drain and liability... and I say this having observed my neighbour who has a Caterham 7. It is a lovely toy.. but apart from track days (££) it's risky to drive on the road because it is primarily fun when you are thrashing it. And it draws attention.

Buy a car that gives you most of what you want and accept that unless you are minted you probably will not see the 'other' few percent.

[dmcconachie]

Are the adaptive lights worth it? Just added them to my configuration as a nice-to-have but it edges me through my budget! Trying to weigh up if I'll wish I'd got them vs thinking "meh" about them a year down the line!

[jbanfie]

If I'm right adaptive lights bring the cornering light (or Turning Light), which is one of my favourite features, it uses the sat nav to know if you are approaching a junction and throws light out toward the sides and front to illuminate where you will turn. As the nights are drawing in again, I've just remembered how good this is!

[Wuffles]

Yes, the turning thing is quite cool, but the high beam assist isn't. Search high beam assist and you'll see me moaning about it on this forum. Search my name you'll see me moaning about everything mind.

[ukgroucho]

If I'm right adaptive lights bring the cornering light (or Turning Light), which is one of my favourite features, it uses the sat nav to know if you are approaching a junction and throws light out toward the sides and front to illuminate where you will turn. As the nights are drawing in again, I've just remembered how good this is!

Don't know if it is satnav based or speed based with your indicator on, or a combination. The reason i say this is it activates as I turn into my driveway and i don't think the satnav (even HDD based) has that level of detail...

[jbanfie]

I thnk is a combination, but it definitely knows about junctions because when you approach a t-junction it comes on but if you just slow down it doesn't. Agreed that if you turn the steering at low speeds it comes on.

[Hippogriff]

Jolly good, looks like a very good specification. Agree on the wheels, I would have done the same with a black car. Whilst I love the rotors with my Daytona Grey car I think that black and grey are too close in colour terms but not the same and don't look quite right to me - just my personal observation and preference obviously! And think that a contrasting colour is better.

When you get it will be interested in your views on ownership.

Unconfirmed build week 46... might have a chance of landing with me mid-December.

[dmcconachie]

Just been given an estimated delivery of January 20th for mine, ordered last weekend. :(

[Hippogriff]

Apparently, it's been built and released from the factory... it is hitching a ride over here as I type.

What I found interesting is the following... I am told when it reaches its Preparation Centre in the UK, it goes through a Quality Check. I'm assuming that's like a Final Quality Check to make sure everything is OK after its long journey... not the Quality Check, as you'd expect most of that is done in Germany. After all, that's where you can identify things and do something about it, properly.

[Passatier3]

Don't know of any quality check when it reaches our shores until it gets to the dealer and undergoes it's PDI (Pre-Delivery Inspection) where the protective film etc. is removed, transit bracing/packaging is removed, fluids are checked and it's given the once over, cleaned and any paint protection applied etc. in readiness for the lucky customer.

[Hippogriff]

It's said to be here on the 25 Nov... I am trying to pick through the list of registrations... I have a pretty long list, but it seems like slim pickings. Currently I can see RX63 EHS being "SHERX" which is quite appropriate for me, or RO63 MLE being "ROMEL" in honour of Rommel, the Dessert (sic) Fox. I missed out on "SEXER" by one letter. Boo! Easily can see "SURER" but what fun would that be?

[Hippogriff]

OK, well the new car arrived on Friday and I've had a few runs it it... compared to my pre-facelift B8 there are a number of pleasant changes. I popped a SIM in and everything is working there (figured out how to remove the data connection nag screen after I realised it was going to ask me each time) - also Bluetooth phone is working fine as well - this was all really simple.

I am currently running with Google Earth images and traffic indications (seems I got some kind of licence until Nov 2016 - will have to see how useful that is, everything's been indicated as being green at the moment). Google Earth view is a little busy, I think, so I might only use that when I need to be able to see buildings.

What is really working well is a) full postcode input (thanks!) and b) online destination search... today I was driving towards Sheffield and figured I wanted to go look at walking boots... I asked the other half to try "online destination", and suggested the "Go Outdoors" shop... she put in "go outd" and I said "just hit OK and see what happens"... it found "Go Outdoors" straight away and let me navigate to it just by clicking - that was really cool!

Is Audi Connect worth it? Just for this, yes! I've also tried the fuel prices (cool, sure it'll be used) and the find empty parking spot (definitely will be useful on my travels).

I believe the MMI screen has a higher resolution than the previous version. If not, then they're making better use of the screen real-estate - when playing music tracks now, you can see the folder tree you've navigated down, so if you're in Artist -> Album -> Tracks, you see both Artist and Album up at the top, previously it was just the highest level folder.

I like my flat-bottomed steering wheel... the previous S line had the nicest steering wheel I'd ever grabbed hold of with my sweaty hands, this one is even nicer.

I like the new cool white digital readout of temperature settings.

I don't like the 3 stage seat heating... preferred the 6 stage one on the pre-facelift B8 with an MMI indication.

I love the fact that an "entertainment volume" indicator now comes on the MMI when altering volume via the steering wheel, also "spoken cues volume" as well.

I set up the in-car wifi hotspot in no time and had both an Android tablet and iPhone connecting to the Internet via the 3G SIM.

I like Stop / Start... still getting used to it.

I love my PQ6 wheels, instead of the standard BE Rotors.

Not a fan of the new gear lever, but I'll get used to it. Don't like the big silver MMI buttons, but I'll also get used to that.

My rear parking camera is OK... need to figure out exactly how it'll help me park better, need to figure out the visual guides etc..

My folding wing mirrors seem much noisier than on the previous car, which had the same... but were quieter.

I will be completely honest and say that I'm not noticing any major difference with the B&O over standard audio, yet... but I intend to keep trying it. ;)

The car does not crawl in the same way as the previous B8. It has even gone forward slightly when reversing on a slight driveway up incline. I'll need to get used to this.