markcincinnati

I'm posting the following here, but I would assume it could be, maybe even should be, posted on the A6, A7, Q5, Q7 and/or Q8 forums (if a legitimate Q8 forum yet exists). On the other hand, the cars in my garage at this time are two "S" Audis, both 2018's: a Daytona Gray/Magma Red S4 and a Matador Red/Rotor Gray (or Grey) SQ5. So, posting here or in the SQ5 forum didn't seem too far-fetched; and, since I'm posting and I have the S4, well, here goes.

Two Audi reps at my sole dealer of record since I purchased my first Audi 5000 (with the Power Pack option and a sunroof) were offered trips to Germany for a four-day product orientation. One rep went for the A8 a couple months ago and the other rep -- the gentleman we deal with -- went for A6 and Q8 training, including comparative drives of a Mercedes E Class back-to-back with the A6. I have been keenly interested in the upcoming Q8 and e-tron vehicles, well, until I found out that their probable price-points will tickle the underbelly of $100,000. In any case, here is a very slightly edited narrative from the rep who just returned from the A6/Q8/e-tron introduction:

"Mark, the new product offerings are sure to dazzle. The new touchscreen interface going in the 2019 A6, A7, A8, Q8 and future products fits nicely in an already class-leading interior. It is a very clean presentation and will save us the complaints about the fixed screens in many products. It better come with a microfiber towel though. Allegedly, the new voice with AudiConnect Prime is dynamite. Our product manager was pushing it hard so I am anxious to see how that pans out – I don’t quite get why it needs or is enhanced by the Connect, we will see. My biggest takeaway from the A6 competitive ride and drive was how disappointing an E-Class has become. What a noisy, floaty less than impressive interior that thing is for such a formerly prestigious vehicle. The exterior of the 6 is not as far-reaching as I had hoped but it certainly is stately. Hell, there are actually color choices on the thing too!

The biggest surprise, outside of the A6 Allroad getting the green light for the U.S., was how much I liked/loved the Q8. I am not an SUV guy but I can’t tell you how much I think it mimics the formula executed years back to differentiate an A6 versus an A7. The Q7 is a rock star in sales and its competitive set but it does not excite me the way the Q8 does. For such a pig, it was a treat on the track and really has the machismo thing down. It is for anybody that doesn’t want the 3rd-row “soccer mom” stigma but likes an SUV. I think of it as a Cayenne that Porsche wishes they built/had. Shorter, lower and wider than a Q7 makes for a new line of high dollar SUVs that will no doubt sell quickly.

Finally, the e-tron is the real deal. Given that it sits in the meat of the SUV market – bigger than a Q5 smaller than a Q7 – it will be a car to own. I am sure it will take time for it to gain traction in this part of the country but in a multiple car family, there is little reason not to buy it. [It] sits lower than either of the other Qs and pulled away from an S7 and European SQ7. 200-plus mile range makes it viable for many more households.

The further I get away from the trip, the more memorable it becomes. The thought of the 25 hour day home still wears me out but it will pass while the memories of driving the vehicle where they are truly designed for will stick with me as they start to trickle in the showroom."

What this makes me HOPE for is the upgrade to the S4 using the theme presented in the new A6's interior -- I think that damn-dumb iPad screen sticking up in the S4, looks so after-market, I often wonder, "What were they thinking?!"

Hope you enjoyed the "off the cuff" review from one of the best Audi brand specialists (and one of the most successful sales reps) we have here in Cincinnati.

daniel1113

Interesting read, Mark. Thanks for sharing.

Although the center screen isn't my favorite design choice, it has grown on me with use. One benefit to the floating screen in the A4/S4, at least compared to the fixed screen in the new A6/S6, is that it makes for a narrower dash. I think that makes for a unique and sleek look. You can see how much taller the A6/S6 dash is in these photos:






It's probably a fair tradeoff, but I do like the simplicity and smallness of the current A4/S4 dash.

markcincinnati

I had -- right before my 2018 S4 -- a 2014 S4 with the screen "built-in" to the dash. I thought I took a bit of a step backward when the iPad, fixed, screen was presented on the new S4.

I do think the S4's interior is beautiful, but the screen seems to detract -- slightly -- from the overall "visual experience."

The comments my rep made about driving the Q8 (and the e-Tron) are fascinating and intriguing. I just wish the Q8 didn't have a STARTING price of $80,000. At that price, the S6 becomes my first choice, despite the declining interest "we" (the consumers) have in sedans. Although if a B10 S4 arrives with the step forward (and upward) that I experienced when I went from the 2014 to the 2018, well, I may just stay with the S4 for another go.

jlarke

Maybe using is believing, but I don't understand how the new A6 controls are better than the B9 S4 controls. It looks like it would require a lot more concentration to use and gather a lot of ugly fingerprints.

mplsbrian

What jlarke said. I recall reading that those touchscreens do provide tactile / haptic feedback, but having used such systems in the past they have never felt like valid replacements for a good set of physical controls.

I suspect what we are seeing here may not be "the future" by way of being a truly improved/better/more futuristic system, but "the future" by way of technology having finally reached a crossroads where at this point in history, a touchscreen full of HVAC controls and the software to run it may actually be cheaper (or close enough to it that it'll be cheaper by the midpoint of this new design's lifecycle 3-4 years from now) than providing a console full of physical buttons/dials/switches which each need to be manufactured and assembled. That is of course, just a guess.

Now, aside from that guess, I intend to withhold my review of this new system until I can personally sit at one at my dealership and try it for myself. Until then I will at least admit it doesn't look terrible in the photos, but I'll leave it at that.

dbuxton13

I hate hate hate (one more for good measure) hate touchscreens in cars. My wife recently picked up a Toyota Highlander and son a Honda Civic, both use touchscreens. After driving both enough to feel confident in operation I've found the touchscreens are difficult to accurately press any 'buttons' on other than a smooth road, suck up eyeball attention that should be ON the road, and leave greasy smeared fingerprints. The S4/S5's design with MMI ****, steering wheel controls, and voice options are precisely what I like and are so easy to use. The engineering study and execution display true ergonomics and human/machine interaction. The obsession with touchscreens is trending towards "doing it just because we can" territory, not because it is the better solution.

nicotino15

I thought the screen in the B9 S4 looked funny in pictures, but it's a high resolution screen with good placement for referencing when driving and I quite like it as the driver. My wife has 2016 Q5 which is just like B8 S4 and the screen is comparatively tiny and has much worse resolution/brightness, it's a big difference. Having said that, the new touchscreen will be executed better by Audi then any cheap touchscreen in use by cheaper brands, I fully believe that, the only downside I see is that it seems much lower than my B9 S4 screen which would be harder to reference and interact with during driving.

markcincinnati

One of the features Audi is working on, too, is "natural language" voice interactions. I'm looking forward to an "Alexa-like" (times 3) capability so that I almost can do ANYTHING/EVERYTHING without touching a screen, **** or switch. I'd really like, too, the ability to take voice control of the car further, Alexa-like, to be able to ask questions and even have control of the universe of "Alexa" devices. I'd hope all of this integration would be seamless, just speak it and forget it.

BTW, I used the brand-name "Alexa" (for Amazon Echo). If the interface is google-like or Siri-like or whatever the name of the product you may be familiar with is, that would be fine, as long as it advances and advances and advances toward a "natural language" interface. Today, the MMI is the best it's ever been, but it is still limited in its functionality. Of course, I'd like the interface to NOT require an inch thick manual of the "precise" commands it would understand. Mly 2012 Acura TL Advance would accept hundreds of commands, but I always felt I had to look up the command to "change the temperature" of the A/C (or whatever) because the interface couldn't understand anything other than the EXACT words. The new Audis, presumably, will understand "I'm cold."

In any case, we're moving toward better and better machine/human interfaces -- and it appears Audi is on the forefront of these efforts.

Also, I agree that touch-screens alone are likely to require a bit more "eyes on" than switches, *****, and buttons that can be differentiated by touch (i.e., without actually looking). The top screen on the new A6 seems that it is simultaneously a step forward and a step backward. One thing it does permit is upgrades via software which it could be argued is more difficult when the controls are "hardware" -- time will tell. I thought it was humorous that my dealer said he hoped the cars equipped with the touchscreen would come with a cleaning cloth.

My prediction is that the B segment (like our S4s) will be undergoing a transformation to what we're seeing in the A6/A7/A8 in terms of dashboards. Moreover, after one year where DAP is an option (and only on the Prestige cars), it became standard equipment, again on the Prestige models. I think level-two automation (DAP) will (next year?) finds its way to more and more models (and additional configurations, perhaps not solely Prestige -- and additional segments, not just the B segment, of course) -- Audi needs to at least put the same kind of technology on its cars as Honda, Nissan, KIA, and, soon, VW. Then Audi needs to get to "the next" generation of content ASAP; Audi has level-3 "ready to go" but it will, early on, not be included on the new A6/A7/A8s due to legal constraints.

Finally, at this time anyway, the new A6/A7/A8 models seem a lot more of a half-step than a full-step, and it seems almost unfathomable that Audi will make us wait 8-years for even more significant, transformative technology.

mplsbrian

I don't understand how Audi, a company whose products are chassis, engines, and AWD systems, thinks they are going to be better at natural human interfacing software than Amazon or Google or Apple whose products are literally human interfaces. They already buy ECUs from Bosch, transmissions from ZF Friedrichshafen, and tires from Continental... why they can't or won't focus on what they're good at and buy navigation systems from Google or voice control software from Amazon has baffled me for decades.

"Hey Alexa, park my Audi." Just cut Seattle a check, put the logo on the dash or the screen somewhere if they make you, and be done with this peasantry.

jlarke

I just insist on a steering wheel button to wake up voice control. I don't want anyone listening to what gets said in my car on a full-time basis. Even mere recordings of me singing along to the stereo would be humiliating if they got out.