Fithian

T-Mobile gives free data in Europe for iPhones, but it is only 2G. If I use TomTom Europe with it everything should be ok. Traffic is an option as well. TomTom maps are loaded into the iPhone, not online.

Fithian

BMW and Mercedes load European maps and then change to US maps when sent to US. Porsche loads European maps for $250.

bsd107

It is really a shame that Audi does not do like BMW and Mercedes. It seriously cannot be that big a deal to change the map software.


I did a Euro Delivery on a 1999 BMW 540 with nav (yes, no typo, 1999), and having the Euro CD-ROM so that I could use the car's nav was a great experience. (It is funny to think what a quantum leap today's nav systems are over the v1.5 system my car had at the time. Back then it was a marvel that almost nobody, including the dealer, had ever seen....)

bsd107

I HIGHLY recommend that folks bring their smartphones as a navigation backup. As a previous poster mentioned, I have a Windows Phone with Nokia HERE Maps, and it is fantastic for international travel. The navigation software is fantastic, and most importantly it allows for complete download of offline maps. This is not the limited "save what I see on my screen for 30 days" feature that Google Maps has - you can download entire countries permanently to the phone. I have used this with great success in North and South America. You can do then navigate with NO data charges, as the phone simply connects to GPS and does not need actual cell data service to do the nav.


Best news is that Nokia now offers HERE Maps for free, for both Android and iOS. Same functionality, and same optional full downloading of maps for offline use.


So, this is a great option for pretty much any smartphone user.


(Technically, they also have a Windows 8 version, too...)

Fithian

Back from Europe after 36 days with pickup of 2016 A6 and 3200 miles traveling. I brought my iPad with Tom-Tom Europe installed. My iPhone is T-Mobile and that works with free data in Europe, so I tethered the iPad to that. Tom-Tom works without a connection, but better with it, and Traffic requires a connection. Also had the Audi Garmin connected. At some T-intersections, the Garmin said to go left, and Tom-Tom said to go right. I followed the Tom-Tom most of the time. A6 speed was off about 3%.

gforaker

Checking my speed last October in my wife's S4 against the supplied Garmin was spot on.

RIAUDI

We have traveled almost 1000 mile this year and 1500 miles last year using the Garmen loaner gps that is provided when you do European delivery with Audi we are in Berlin now with 1200 miles to go. We had absolutely no problems last year and minimal problems using it this year. My wife and I are very familiar with Garmin products and I think this helps dramatically. The gps is slightly out of date but no more than your average gps would be in the us in a car a year or 2 old. We after this trip will have visited the following European countries with out any major problems.
Germany, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, France, Italy , Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg, Czech Republic, Bratislava Slovenia,
There might be a need for some patience with the GPS unit but overall it works fine. Get a grip it is a tool to assist not a replacement for stupidity. Common sense helps a great deal and some sort of sense of direction doesn't hurt either.

4SallyPat

Thanks for this tip!

visuar

I did the same, had T-Mobile for free data in Europe and then installed TomTom Western Europe on my iPhone 6+ that we used for navigation.

I declined the GPS loaner unit, so I didn't have to worry about it getting lost (stolen) or damaged or whatever and was fine without it.

jimdolian

Just returned from six weeks in Europe including four weeks with my new SQ-5 which I picked up in Ingolstadt on 8/31. Started out using the loaner Garmin GPS, but quickly discovered that the database was very out-of-date, particularly in Italy. Switched to Navigon Europe on my IPad which IMHO is far superior to the loaner. After 2,500 miles in Italy, Switzerland and Germany, Navigon was nearly flawless.