CarPlay / Android Auto standard or option?
 

Just viewed Audi videos for CarPlay and Android Auto for the new Q7. I assume it will be similar for the A4. Very impressive.



The irony is that when you use CarPlay or Android Auto, you really are not using the Audi MMI telephone and navigation features. So the question is do you need to purchase MMI Navigation Plus in order to have the CarPlay and Android Auto features? Or is it standard with the base MMI system?

The US order guide lists "USB Audi music interface w/ Audi smartphone interface" as part of the Premium package implying that CarPlay and Android Auto are standard with and without Navigation Plus. The Online configurator only mentions the Audi Music Interface but I was advised by my sales guy to trust the order guide more than the online configurator.

That is great. Given the power of the smartphone interface, I would think most folks will not upgrade to MMI Navigation Plus given the navigation and music streaming capability. I would have to think hard why I would want to take the upgrade. Virtual Console might be the reason.

I agree that it's nice that the Smartphone Interface is standard. On the other hand do cars without MMI navigation have the monochrome (white text on black background) DIS only. Cars with MMI Navigation will get the color DIS, the Technology Package also adds the VC. The color DIS alone makes the dashboard feel way more "premium".

Even if the DIS/VC are installed, they may not be able to show the navigation map or guide if the smartphone is used for navigation. The MMI navigation would continue to work in the background and be displayed on the DIS/VC if the smartphone is used for audio. Using the MMI Navigation will also allow displaying directions on the HUD and use predictive data for ACC and route guidance. After more than 10 years of driving Audis I see the navigation guide on the DIS (or even better on the HUD) as one of the main advantages of a built-in navigation system.