Talbot

Oh no he did-ant!

markcincinnati

I have US Prestige model -- far as I can tell, I do NOT have the "dial" of colors depicted in the above graphic from Talbot.

I can check again, but if anyone has this on their US S4 Prestige, I'd be keen to know how to access it. Of course, perhaps it is a Canada only feature.

The Canadian versions can be configured with the red brake calipers as a stand alone option -- so it is very possible there are country to country variations even of such things as 30 colors vs 4 (my MMI screen gives me TWO reds one blue and one white.)

Talbot

C'mon Mark.

It is a video. Press the PLAY button right in the middle. Don't make me come up there.

Talbot

STRAIGHT from the S4 Prestige specs page:


Interior

Three-zone automatic climate control
Three-spoke multifunction flat-bottom sport steering wheel
Shift paddles
Tilt and telescopic manually adjustable steering column
Comfort front armrest
Power windows with one-touch up/down operation and pinch protection
Brushed Aluminum inlays 3
Black cloth headliner
Sunroof
Acoustic front side glass
Driver and front-passenger extendable sun visors with illuminated vanity mirrors
Four 12-volt power outlets
Four beverage holders (two front and two rear)
Auto-dimming interior rear view mirror with digital compass
Ambient LED interior lighting plus package
Trunk Storage Package (four cargo tie-downs, two side nets and two grocery hooks)
Illuminated and locking Aerated glove box
Illuminated aluminum door sill inlays with S4 logo
Front and rear floor mats
Leather-wrapped gear selector

markcincinnati

Damn, I'm going to have to get in the elevator and go out to the parking lot and try this now.

Thanks!

heisnuts

Hey, once you discover this feature on your car maybe the Car Play thing won't be that big of a deal....

markcincinnati

I found the dial to change the colors -- thing is, I have the red interior, and although the GREEN is an "interesting" color -- I just can't see green with the red. White, blue, red -- maybe I could see yellow (probably not though) -- actually work fine.

So, I am glad to know about the color dial, but will pretty much leave things red, for the time being.

Talbot

I guess it is just too early for the "Christmas Spirit".

markcincinnati

While I was checking out the color dial feature, I came across a way to use the iPhone WHILE plugged in that -- to me -- is quite satisfactory.

I plugged the cable in -- and BOOM -- up comes the Car Play screen (and also BOOM, bye bye phone via MMI). I went into the settings (Connection Manager) and enabled my iPhone as my phone and disabled (deselected) my phone as the Audi Car Play choice, the Apple Screen went away and I received a message that I was plugged in but that BlueTooth was active. I simply pressed the MMI **** and I was returned to my regular MMI screen, "already in progress." Yeah!

Then, I started up, on my phone, some songs and hit shuffle -- the MMI screen now shows me the apple iphone directory and allows me to choose Groups or Tracks or Albums (I choose tracks--individual songs with shuffle play) and I'm back in business with a bit of an apple-like interface but with my MMI full functionality.

I was also able to open up (by picking up the phone) my Audible library and select a book without going through all kinds of BS (which I had to do on my 2014 S4 if I had the phone plugged into the cable in the glove box.)

It seems (and 2 minutes isn't enough for a final conclusion) that I can completely disable Car Play, keep the phone plugged in for charging AND access both my tuneage and my bookage. And, my directory works, too. I assume Siri, via the push-to-talk button on my steering wheel does NOT work, however. But, while I'm driving I:

Simply Drive and/or
Talk on the phone and/or
Listen to Sat Radio and/or
Listen to tuneage from the iPhone and/or
Listen to an Audible, Audio Book.

Most often I listen to tunes or an audio book and make and take phone calls. If I am using sat nav, I command "Google Search . . . Taft's Ale House, Cincinnati Ohio" and/or "Last destinations" and/or "Enter Address" and then follow the Audi Lady's instructions (and, have you noticed how much nicer the 2018 Audi Lady is than the previous one we've had for 11 years?)

The former Audi Navigation Lady was very strict and issued DEMANDS, not commands. The new Audi Lady issues instructions -- she makes her instructions seem much more like "you might want to get in the left lane."

The old Audi lady "Now! Turn Left! Do it NOW, Now! I tell you, don't mess with me or I'll pull this car over and you'll regret it, if I have to do that!"

The new Audi lady is even nicer than Alexa (Amazon Echo's virtual assistant voice), and that's saying something.

I'd say I'm pretty much OVER Audi CAR PLAY (the Apple version). MMI is part of the car and it shows. Car Play seems more like one of those Garmin or Tom Tom after market deals -- I never liked them either. Although I won one of them and it had a "Yoda" option -- so I would take my portable navi unit with me when I rented a car and I would program yoda to take me to my destination.

Yoda was a hoot, "A left turn you will make." "You'll be wanting the next junction now you will. Coming up now in a minute it is."

I know, I'm easily amused.

Those of you that use Car Play (the Apple version): can you really use it exclusively by voice? Among a few other nits I found to pick, that one (having to use both the MMI **** AND commands given to Siri) was a deal killer for me.

I guess if you're able to make handwriting recognition part of a system, couldn't you add the ability to simply touch the damn screen, too?

Just a thought.

I love driving this S4.

O BTW, I drive it with the transmission in "S" -- don't like how it feels in "D", plus the exhaust drones when the thing is in D since it takes an act of Congress to get it to downshift to bump up the revs which seems, coincidentally, to muffle the exhaust note droning.

markcincinnati

Ho! Ho! Ho! -- You're correct, it will be great fun to turn the lights green from Thanksgiving until New Years -- in contrast with the red seats.

Great idea.