cgiard

Thank you for pointing that out, I had completely overlooked that it said Wireless CarPlay. That just made my day, as I won't have to take the phone out of my pocket for short trips now.

BlackOptic

1. Black Optic
2. NO WALNUT - carbon or piano, please.
3. Black headliner.

BlackOptic

BeachRat

1st Audi Owner

If my understanding of how it functions is correct, one pushes the tab on the center armrest towards the front of the vehicle to put the transmission into reverse and pushes the tab towards the rear of the vehicle to put the transmission into "drive." To me, this is counter-intuitive and an accident waiting to happen. I should prefer the opposite: pushing the tab toward the front of the vehicle to go forward and pushing (or pulling the tab, if you prefer) towards the rear of the vehicle to go backwards. I wonder how many parking attendants will find themselves suddenly and without warning traveling in the direction opposite to the one they intended?

Is anyone aware of an international standard regarding this type of "gear shift" as there is for the "P R N D" pattern?

rccoleman

That's how the non-electric Audi gearshifts work (forward for reverse, and back for drive), and I've heard the same criticism about them. The biggest adjustment for me was not pushing the gearshift all the way forward for park, but I adjusted to the new pattern in about a week. Not really a problem for owners, but I get the concern about valet.

1st Audi Owner

Thank you for this information. I will be a first time Audi owner when my e-tron quattro is delivered and to this date I still have not driven an Audi. Except for a 1961 Corvette with two-speed PowerGlide (one speed forward and one speed for reverse), if I remember correctly all of my cars over the years have had the standard P R N D pattern. I did not know that Audi uses a different pattern.

cgiard

1st Audi Owner

It just goes to show how behind the times I am. All my vehicles have had the old-fashioned mechanical shift lever with the P R N D pattern. The e-ton will be my first vehicle with an electronic gear changer. I might even be tempted to trade-in my flip phone for a smart phone. Well, maybe not.

1st Audi Owner

Sorry not to have thought of this in my last post. I believe you are right about BMW, but unlike the e-tron where shifting is done by moving a small tab on the side of the center armrest, I believe BMW uses a lever that mimics the "old fashioned" mechanical lever--forward (or up) for reverse, back (or down) for drive. This makes sense. But, in the e-tron, there is no simulating the look of the traditional mechanical lever. When "Park" is at the top of the pattern as in my Cadillac SRX (which I will not miss even for a second), instinct is to pull the lever all the way down to get into "Drive." No so with the tab on the side of the center armrest.