playadude

Believe it or not, I'm comparing a 2012 Honda CRV to the Audio Q5. About $10,000 apart in price.

Obviously, the Q5 blows the Honda away in all aspects, except, bluetooth. The base (LX) CRV blows away the Q5 with Bluetooth. I was driving the CRV (base, LX model) today, listening to all of my music, answering calls, with excellent screen navigation and steering wheel controls.

The Q5 can't stream my iPhone music with bluetooth? Seems crazy to me.

What am I missing?

(Plus, I gotta pay $1,000 for bluetooth connectivity in the Q5?)

come on .... that doesn't seem right.

stevedusa

Well this has been discussed for many times. Audi seems just don't want you to be distracted while driving, let it be phone or whatever you have. Why do you think they have such a short i-device cable that came with the car? They want you to leave your device in the glovebox and drive instead of playing with them devices.

However if you WANT to get Bluetooth stereo audio (A2DP profile) to work, there are some work required. Long story short, you will need to get a modified cable (DIY or purchase existing from someone) and a Bluetooth stereo receiver to receive the audio.

You can get some information here from another forum: http://www.a5oc.com/forums/a5-s5-top...o-via-mmi.html

HarmsWay

Or trade the Q5 in on an A6 where Audi has the A2DP profile enabled. By the way there is a rumor that the Q5 bluetooth hardware is capable of A2DP.

Lyth

Why not just buy the A2DP bluetooth dongle that plugs into the AMI??

http://www.iamaudi.com/audi-music-in...tooth-adapter/

**EDIT**
it looks like this only works with older versions of the MMI. No go on the 3G... and I almost bought it.

radman2020

Steve, not that I don't appreciate all of your helpful insights but this argument that Audi just doesn't want you to be distracted doesn't hold water. The control systems for this car are the most complicated and multistep of any car I have ever driven. It is a case study in distraction.

They would rather have a sophisticated multistep process to select (not set) a radio preset rather than a row of buttons. To pick your favorite radio station, you must go through multiple steps, necessarily taking your eyes off the road.

They would rather have a fancy dial that is activated to different functions by 4 separate buttons rather than separate heat, seat, and fan dials that can be worked without looking and concentrating. They have a bluetooth system that won't let you say: "Call John Smith, home" Rather, you say Call John Smith and you get John smith listed as many times as he has numbers (eg, cell, work, home. Then you have to look at the screen and randomly guess which one and say "line 1" and when that isn't the right choice, "line 2" etc.
Again, Audi is a case study in distraction through controls. Having the bluetooth work with streaming audio would be the least distracting of the non-driving tasks a driver does.

but I repeat myself.

UrbanExtant

With the Aui, one can say "call John smith home" or "call John smith cell", I do that all the time in both our Audis.

As for less buttons, I'm all for it. The way the Audi is setup is great. I hate the Hondas, Acuras, Toyotas etc that look like mission control threw up on the dashboard. I find it far more distracting in one of those cars trying to find the "right" button in that mess on buttons on the dashboard than anything the Audis throw at me. To each their own though.

radman2020

Personally, I agree that the Honda's and Toyotas are fairly poorly designed. Inconsistent buttons etc. But Mission control? My Audi has twice as many buttons as my Honda Odyssey and my Volvo XC90 (both with Nav).

There is a sweet spot where you have less buttons...but not so many multistep or multifunction buttons that you can't operate them without a copilot or without completely shifting your attention. I'll tell you how you could do away with buttons but not distract. Have a voice prompt where you say "Preset" or... Preset 1,2, or 3" How could they have left that off? I'd say that a lot more often than "night map"...

As for the Call John Smith at home, I would love it if it did that. I have an Iphone and an Android and both have that functionality in other cars (Subaru) but do not with my MMI/Nav in the Q5 (2012) What year and version do you have? What phone. It would be a major improvement if it had what you say it has. Maybe mine is defective. I can deal with a defect over a design flaw.

UrbanExtant

We have an iPhone 4 and a 4s. The 2011 Q5 worked like that just fine, as does the A4 and the 2012 Q5. Have you downloaded your phone directory to the Q5? Created a profile?

radman2020

Maybe that is the issue. I don't "download" the directory because it seems to download it as soon as it links by bluetooth every time I get in the car. Is there another way to "download" it. And if so, will it also read off the phone at the same time causing duplicates?

Do tell!

UrbanExtant

Download it, AND create a profile. The profile will then set it up so you won't have to wait for a download each time you start the car, the contacts will already be there. You will not get duplicates, and it will sync in the background so any changes you made to your contacts will show up once that's done.