2015 New York Auto Show – Best of Audi

By Kris Hansen - April 19, 2015

April means 2 things for those of us in the Northeast – Winter is hopefully nearing an end, and it is time for the New York International Auto Show. Without hesitation we headed deep into Manhattan, to check out what Audi brought out to show off.

Normally on press days, when a manufacturer is releasing a model, or holding a press conference, their display floor is largely made up of chairs, not cars. As exciting and informative as those things are, it’s so much nicer to just spend time with the cars.

As luck would have it, Audi had no reveals or press conference planned, so their display floor was nothing but cars! And what cars!

For starters, Audi had the all new TT coupe, and roadsters on display. As with every new model, we never really know how well it looks till we see it in person, and even though we liked the way the TT looks in photos, seeing it in the metal was a treat. The lines are perfect, reminding us of the original TT, and picking up where the previous TT left off. The new front end treatment is more aggressive than the previous version, but in person, it looks fantastic.

The new TT interior is pretty spectacular in its clean design and ultra high tech equipment. The relative minimalistic approach and driver-centric design is highlighted by the fact that the MMI screen is incorporated into the fully digital instrument cluster. It’s the latest and greatest version of MMI, and it is awesome. The response is instantaneous, and the graphics are crisp and colorful.

The vents double as control buttons AND display locations. Incredibly cool.

For us though, the most anticipated vehicle on the Audi stand was the all new Q7. This is also a model that was desperate for a refresh, and as the TT did, the Q7 leapfrogged the whole line with all new MMI system, and new multifunction HVAC controls, beautifully integrated into the console.

The exterior appearance of the new Q7 has been similarly polarizing as the new TT, with many who aren’t sure about the new front end treatment. After spending time with the car in person, we’ve decided we really like the design, it is fresh and modern, and while quite a bit edgier than the outgoing model, certainly not overly so.

The interior of the Q7 benefited most of all from the refresh. All new MMI controls, which features a very large touch pad on the console. The Q7 also has a new gear selector, which appears to be a completely new approach to the automatic transmission selector, with P in the middle, D one down, and R 2 up. Park is selected via pushbutton. We’re not at all sure how this will work in the real world, but it seems to make sense. The selector lever is also in a perfect location to be used as a wrist rest for using the MMI system.

Overall, the interior of the Q7 is decidedly more car like than the outgoing model, with the lower sleeker dash design. Audi also fitted the Q7 with the digital dash, allowing for full nav functions in the instrument cluster, in addition to the pop up screen atop the dash.

Audi put a lot of thought into the various cars they put on the stand this year, with many featuring Audi Exclusive treatment. This SQ5 had a very cool interior color scheme, with blue stitching throughout the cabin.

We also got our first glance at the facelifted A6 and A7, which in addition to the new front and rear lights, new shift knobs and a few other very subtle tweaks find their way onto the car.