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Everyone knows the Virtual Cockpit uses Google Maps virtually everywhere in the world, but I want to understand and see what the experience is like specifically in Canada.
Things I've heard:
Google Maps not licensed in Canada
Audi Connect not available in Canada
Those two points may greatly diminish the cool factor of the virtual cockpit. So anyone in Canada have a new Audi with a virtual cockpit and can share your experience?
Bonus question: Can you use CarPlay and data from your phone to feed map info to the virtual cockpit?
I test drove a new Q7 today and got the answer for myself. In a nutshell it's not as nice as Google Maps, but it is definitely quite decent, including 3D buildings in more downtown areas.
Also my dealer rep said Audi is trying to finalize getting Google maps setup for Canada and are working on setting it up on one of the A4's. Apparently it's just a software change, so it's probably going to happen and be retroactive... but it's not a sure thing yet.
Also I was able to use CarPlay with my iPhone and use the phone's navigation system. I don't have the google one installed, but it would use my phone's data, so either way, I think we're in pretty good shape. Attached is a photo.
I'm not in Canada, but I can add to this and clarify a few things. I'm currently driving a 2017 A4 loaner with the Virtual Cockpit and the works.
The MMI doesn't use Google Maps. The maps are NavTeq maps stored on the system itself. With Audi Connect you can superimpose Google Earth satellite images on top of the NavTeq maps. They are just satellite images and not actually digitized map data. The map data comes from the car.
As shown above, w/o Audi Connect you get the standard maps in the Virtual Cockpit, but you don't get traffic data. Traffic is no longer via Sirius Traffic. It is now supplied by INRIX over the car's data connection, so without Audi Connect, no data connection and hence no traffic and dynamic routing.
Apple Car Play and Android Auto can only be used on the center display and not the Virtual Cockpit. Apple Car Play is also limited to Apple Maps, which in my opinion still blows big time. I've been playing with Car Play on this loaner and I like it less and less. It's half baked at best. I don't see the point of it, because all third-party apps are media apps, Apple doesn't allow third-party mapping and messaging apps currently. I find Apple Maps horrendous frankly, but unfortunately for you Canadians if you currently want dynamic routing based on traffic you gonna have to use Car Play or Android Auto until Audi offers Audi Connect in Canada.
Thanks, that's really useful information. I'm not too bothered by Apple's map solution, as it generally works really well. I think what makes phones generally better at navigation is that they are way more current and update very frequently (cloud). While car navigation systems are generally limited to the data onboard, which may update once a year or sometimes even for a fee.
I think eventually cars will simply defer to CarPlay and no longer need to provide dedicated proprietary map information, but clearly there's some overlap right now and it hasn't quite been worked out. It could be changed, given it's basically a computer now running software.
It seems like services like Audi Connect aren't really needed anymore, even though they are currently forced for certain things such as Google satellite imagery. Everyone has a cellphone, why have a separate service that you are paying for too? Carplay should allow Google Maps and the data should come from the phone. That would be perfect and ideal in my books.
One major downside of using phones for navigation is that they stop working if you lose cell reception. At least Google Maps has limited offline capabilities. I frequently travel to parts of the USA with limited or no cell reception. When traveling internationally I use HERE maps as it can download the maps for an entire continent onto the phone. Neither of which works with Car Play.
I think car manufactures such as Audi will continue to provide a superior infotainment system despite Car Play and Android Auto. Once you sit in a car with the Virtual Cockpit, especially once you guys get Audi Connect and can use Google Earth, Car Play as limited as it currently is feels like a hobby project. The immersive nature of having the maps and navigation instructions right in front of you in the instrument cluster is just so superior to having Apple Maps on the center display, it's not even a comparison. Once phones can truly power the kind of experience that the Virtual Cockpit currently provides, then I agree with you. But we are years away from that. Then there is also the HUD. Just think about it. A fully loaded A4 or Q7 has three displays, but Android Auto and Car Play can only power one of them.
Apple Maps over Car Play is severely dumbed down by the way. It's even worse than using it on the phone itself. It really is pretty bad in my opinion. In detail mode it doesn't show traffic conditions for example. You have to go to Overview mode to see traffic conditions. Siri is also very limited, because of the lack of an API, so third-party apps such as Pandora etc. can't be controlled with voice control. Apple Car Play got really bad rating in a recent study about how much current Infotainment/Navigation systems distract the driver. Apple Car Play distracted the drivers the most and I can definitely see why now. It's a clunky, half baked solution and needs a lot of work and Siri is the worst digital assistant from the three major ones (Google Now, Cortana and Siri) I tried to have it give me directions to an Ethiopian restaurant today and it pulled up anything but Ethiopian restaurants. This was mentioned in the study, that Siri is the worst at performing what the driver wants in one attempt taking away the drivers focus like when talking to a child that doesn't understand what you mean.
Android Auto is actually better. It even integrates with the MMI's touchpad. Car Play does not.
Last edited by superswiss; 04-17-2016 at 08:48 PM.
... and looking into the future, the next step for in car navigation is augmented reality. Car makers are already experimenting with that. The car will use it's cameras and then the navigation system will project the navigation instructions directly onto the real world, probably with holograms eventually in the future generations of HUDs, but even on the car's display. I don't think Apple and Google will be able to keep up with this unless they start building their own cars.
Last edited by superswiss; 04-17-2016 at 08:51 PM.
That's great, again thanks for all the insights. I admit, I did not have a chance to test out CarPlay while driving it, so I didn't know about the limitations you pointed out.
I do have faith that these are basically computers now and are subject to software updates, so things like CarPlay should get better over time.
I do not like that these systems are separated so much, but the future is going to prove quite interesting.
If I were designing this thing, I would allow the car to be able to download data from my cellphone instead of having Audi Connect. That would solve all the problems except possible data overages.
... and looking into the future, the next step for in car navigation is augmented reality. Car makers are already experimenting with that. The car will use it's cameras and then the navigation system will project the navigation instructions directly onto the real world, probably with holograms eventually in the future generations of HUDs, but even on the car's display. I don't think Apple and Google will be able to keep up with this unless they start building their own cars.
04-07-2016, 11:35 AM
Virtual Cockpit in Canada
