Lighter, more efficient and full of high-tech – The new Audi Q7

The optional MMI navigation plus with MMI all-in-touch brings along a rich array of equipment. It includes a DVD drive, two card readers, a flash memory, the Audi sound system, the Audi music interface with two USB ports, a Bluetooth interface and the 8.3-inch high-resolution monitor. The MMI navigation plus with MMI touch provides access to the smartphone voice control, displays emails from the cell phone and reads them aloud, and allows five free online updates for the navigation map at six-month intervals. It cooperates closely with many assistance and safety systems in the new Audi Q7.

Connecting to the internet with LTE: Audi connect
Another component of the top system is the hardware module Audi connect. An LTE/UMTS module establishes a super-fast connection to the internet with up to 100 MBit/s download speed. An integrated Wi-Fi hotspot allows passengers to surf and email freely with their mobile devices. For the driver, the online services from Audi connect come on board. They are unlocked free of charge for the first three months, after which Q7 customers can enter a three-year subscription for a fee.

The range of services from Audi connect is impressively diverse: It ranges from navigation with Google Earth and Google Street View through traffic information online and parking space searching to the social media Twitter and Facebook, which are prepared for use in the car. In online media streaming, the versatile Audi MMI connect app affords access to the services Aupeo! and Napster. Music data are then transmitted by Wi-Fi from the smartphone to MMI navigation plus and from there to the sound system.

The market launch of the Q7 presents a new item in the connect portfolio from Audi: The new Audi smartphone interface brings Apple Car Play and Android Auto on board. If the driver connects an iOS or Android mobile phone to the USB port (iOS from version 7.1; Android from version 5.0 Lollipop), the relevant environment opens in the Audi smartphone interface. The core content here is online music; the system gives access to the enormous range of music from Google Play Music and iTunes. In addition, both platforms offer navigation functions, missed call and appointment reminders.

Both Apple Car Play and Android Auto are integrated in the Audi operating philosophy – the applications can be controlled by voice, the rotary/push-button control and the multifunction steering wheel. The offer will continue to expand through so-called 3rd party apps like Pandora, Spotify and WhatsApp. The free smartphone app MMI connect provides further services in the new Audi Q7. Goals from Google maps, points of interest (POI) and the dates from the City Events service can be transferred from the cell phone to the car.

Shortly after the market launch, the Audi Q7 will include another new feature, “Audi connect safety & service”. Its features include emergency calling, online roadside assistance and the Audi service request. With the latter, the car sends at the customer’s request service-related data via an Audi server to the customer’s preferred workshop. These services may be used free of charge for ten years.

Comfortable and informative are the functions of the Audi connect vehicle control system (free of charge for three years). They include a vehicle status report, remote control locking and unlocking, information about the park position and remote control of the optional auxiliary heater. Operation is easy using the MMI connect app.

Multimedia: The infotainment modules
An entire system of modules completes the multimedia portfolio in the new Q7. The standard MMI radio plus brings the Audi sound system, voice control, the Audi music interface with two USB ports and a Bluetooth interface on board. The power-retractable MMI monitor has a seven-inch diagonal. The large rotary/push-button control forms the center of the MMI terminal. Eight freely programmable favorite buttons complete the unit.

On request, Audi supplies a DVD changer as well as two tuners for digital radio and digital television. The Audi phone box – another option – utilizes near-field coupling to link smartphones wirelessly to the vehicle’s antenna and enables charging via a USB port. Shortly following the market launch, wireless charging according to the Qi standard will be available – here the current flows inductively from a coil in the bottom of the box to the receiver coil in the smartphone. The Audi phone box is integrated in the center armrest.

A new listening experience: Audio systems with 3D sound
For sophisticated Hi-Fi fans, the new Audi Q7 optionally offers a choice between two systems from Bose and Bang & Olufsen, respectively. Both offer the new 3D sound. Two (Bose) or four (Bang & Olufsen) additional speakers in the A-pillars provide the spatial dimension of height, lending the music an airy quality, as if played in an open space from a large virtual stage.

The 3D technology, now often used in cinemas and living rooms alike, generates a hitherto unknown sound experience in the car. An intelligent program calculates from conventional stereo or 5.1 recordings the information for the third dimension and prepares it for the speakers in the A-pillars. While Bose uses its own algorithms (Bose Advanced Staging Technology), the Bang & Olufsen system employs a procedure developed by Audi together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits (IIS) in Erlangen.

The heart of the Bose 3D sound system is a 558 watt 15-channel amplifier. The innovative Bose algorithm analyzes the components of a piece of music and positions them perfectly on the virtual sound stage. For this purpose, it actuates 19 speakers, some of which have LED light guides in their covers. The Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System with 3D sound integrates 23 speakers. Their aluminum covers feature a new design and are also illuminated in the door areas. A subwoofer with a 25 cm (9.8 in) diameter generates a powerful bass, while two acoustic lenses made of solid aluminum emit the treble tones. They extend from the instrument panel when the system is started. The high-efficiency amplifier provides 1,920 watts of power.

Clever Rear Seat Entertainment: The Audi tablet
The Audi tablet with its high-resolution 10.1-inch screen (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) is a newly tailored and flexible infotainment system. Connected to MMI navigation plus via Wi-Fi, it affords access to the Radio, Media, Navigation and Car Functions menus. The data transfer runs in both directions – for example, the rear passengers can send a planned route to the driver, and conversely the driver can start a radio or media program for them from MMI navigation plus . The sound output occurs through the on-board sound system or headphones.

The Audi tablet, which uses the Android operating system, supports NFC technology (NFC = Near Field Communication) for transmitting data from the smartphone by proximity. It has 32 gigabytes of internal memory and can be expanded by a microSD card for additional memory. The technical core is the new, super-fast Tegra processor 40 from NVIDIA.

A click on the “more” button in the start menu provides access to the Internet – to approximately one million apps and games, movies and music, audiobooks, eBooks and office applications. The integrated full HD camera can be used to make a video call via Skype. After the trip, the user can take along the Audi tablet from the car for operation offline or in an external Wi-Fi network.

The Audi tablet reveals its high-quality character through a chassis milled from solid anodized aluminum. Together with its rechargeable battery, it is logically designed for use in the car. It can also handle high or very low temperatures without problems; the tilt-adjustable bracket on the back of the front seat is collision-proof and removable if required. The Audi tablet is available individually or as a set of two.