2013 Audi A8L: Nvidia Graphics, Wi-Fi, LED Lights, And Google Earth

[tuanies]

No problems so far, great car to drive. The audio system should recognize FLAC and ALAC files, that would be a nice update.

That's my gripe with all cars. I keep a FLAC folder on my test flash drive an SD card hoping one day they'll work. So far they don't work in any vehicle .

 

[falchard]

I find this article to fail at being a good tech article. All the benchmarks indicate the infotainment system is the worst one you tested, yet this is your "Pick". I think your pick has more to do with the creature comforts than the technology at hand. Chrysler's current system is by far and away a better integrated system than this monitor stuck on a center stack. It feels 10 years old not what will be in 10 years. I would take the 30 second loadup UConnect any day.But its nice you really like the DUI generator addition.

 

[tuanies]

I find this article to fail at being a good tech article. All the benchmarks indicate the infotainment system is the worst one you tested, yet this is your "Pick". I think your pick has more to do with the creature comforts than the technology at hand. Chrysler's current system is by far and away a better integrated system than this monitor stuck on a center stack. It feels 10 years old not what will be in 10 years. I would take the 30 second loadup UConnect any day.But its nice you really like the DUI generator addition.

The boot-up time is a non-issue. Most systems begin booting when you approach the car. The Audi we forced a hard reboot on. Uconnect is nice but nothing beats a solid set of physical controls that doesn't require you to reach over to press. Creature comforts aside, Audi MMI has been fantastic in every vehicle I've driven. Being able to pick and change what you want without having to look at the screen makes it the best, whereas touch screens require you to actually pay attention or sometimes press multiple times because you were just a wee bit off the button for it to register.

 

[falchard]

I find this article to fail at being a good tech article. All the benchmarks indicate the infotainment system is the worst one you tested, yet this is your "Pick". I think your pick has more to do with the creature comforts than the technology at hand. Chrysler's current system is by far and away a better integrated system than this monitor stuck on a center stack. It feels 10 years old not what will be in 10 years. I would take the 30 second loadup UConnect any day.But its nice you really like the DUI generator addition.

The boot-up time is a non-issue. Most systems begin booting when you approach the car. The Audi we forced a hard reboot on. Uconnect is nice but nothing beats a solid set of physical controls that doesn't require you to reach over to press. Creature comforts aside, Audi MMI has been fantastic in every vehicle I've driven. Being able to pick and change what you want without having to look at the screen makes it the best, whereas touch screens require you to actually pay attention or sometimes press multiple times because you were just a wee bit off the button for it to register.

Not too sure about that. I have used a touch screen in-dash for quite some time and you get used to the screen like analog buttons on prior radios. The knob might be a clever method to switch between applications, but so are steering wheel buttons. I think the more logical place to advance in UI is audio input, not a physical input.
I think the knobs were put in place because they are selling to old people who can afford the vehicle and have spent the last 50 years pressing physical buttons on the center-stack.

 

[tuanies]

I find this article to fail at being a good tech article. All the benchmarks indicate the infotainment system is the worst one you tested, yet this is your "Pick". I think your pick has more to do with the creature comforts than the technology at hand. Chrysler's current system is by far and away a better integrated system than this monitor stuck on a center stack. It feels 10 years old not what will be in 10 years. I would take the 30 second loadup UConnect any day.But its nice you really like the DUI generator addition.

The boot-up time is a non-issue. Most systems begin booting when you approach the car. The Audi we forced a hard reboot on. Uconnect is nice but nothing beats a solid set of physical controls that doesn't require you to reach over to press. Creature comforts aside, Audi MMI has been fantastic in every vehicle I've driven. Being able to pick and change what you want without having to look at the screen makes it the best, whereas touch screens require you to actually pay attention or sometimes press multiple times because you were just a wee bit off the button for it to register.

Not too sure about that. I have used a touch screen in-dash for quite some time and you get used to the screen like analog buttons on prior radios. The knob might be a clever method to switch between applications, but so are steering wheel buttons. I think the more logical place to advance in UI is audio input, not a physical input.
I think the knobs were put in place because they are selling to old people who can afford the vehicle and have spent the last 50 years pressing physical buttons on the center-stack.

I dunno. I've driven about 70+ different vehicles the past year with various UI methods. I always go back to the Audi as my all-time favorite. Mazda is doing a good job with their new system in the Mazda 3, which mimics Audi but still has a touch screen but it could use a bit more polishing. I'm not a fan of voice recognition. It's hard to use unless you're in the car by yourself every time. Audi and the other German manufacturers have the best dash cluster integration as well. You can access the majority of the needed infotainment features via the in-dash display and steering wheel controls. I did find the Lexus Enform Concierge quite nice for finding POIs. They pickup on the first ring and you get to talk to an actual person that can Google POIs for you.

 

[dimar]

Can it play high resolution 24-bit 192KHz FLAC files?

 

[tuanies]

Can it play high resolution 24-bit 192KHz FLAC files?

Unfortunately no. No cars do.

 

[kryzstoff]

the clunky letter-by-letter wheel interface would be excusable on a $10K car but not on a top end model -- they should have a touch screen for navigation and voice control as an option, at the very least, any Android phone works better than this (what is clearly junk), and a 10in tablet for about $100 would beat it on all levels.

 

[dingdongdang]

"My only concern is for left-handed drivers, who might have a tough time using the pad."Possibly the stupidest thing ever written on Toms.You do know, right, that half the world drives with the steering wheel on the other side, thus in their *right* hand and thus their *left* hand is the gear-changing, radio-operating, MMI-using hand?Your argument about "left handed people" would make sense if you first acknowledged that the ideal placement for the thing which determines where your car is pointed is in your master hand... and thus right-hand-drive is "correct" for 90% of the population of the planet.

 

[tuanies]

the clunky letter-by-letter wheel interface would be excusable on a $10K car but not on a top end model -- they should have a touch screen for navigation and voice control as an option, at the very least, any Android phone works better than this (what is clearly junk), and a 10in tablet for about $100 would beat it on all levels.

Touch screen interfaces aren't as responsive or as quick to respond. A 10-inch tablet doesn't look as nicely in place than a factory integrated system.

"My only concern is for left-handed drivers, who might have a tough time using the pad."Possibly the stupidest thing ever written on Toms.You do know, right, that half the world drives with the steering wheel on the other side, thus in their *right* hand and thus their *left* hand is the gear-changing, radio-operating, MMI-using hand?Your argument about "left handed people" would make sense if you first acknowledged that the ideal placement for the thing which determines where your car is pointed is in your master hand... and thus right-hand-drive is "correct" for 90% of the population of the planet.

IIRC, most of Europe is left hand drive, with the exception for the UK. Given the market for a $100k+ USD car, probably double or triple in most other countries and for the regions that will have it, it will be a left hand drive + right handed person. So for countries where the Audi A8L is sold, the placement is correct for your master hand.

Not to mention, the majority of the world on the right hand side with a left side driver's seat - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Countries_driving_on_the_left_or_right.svg So therefore my statement still applies to the majority of the world and definitely the majority of its target market.

 

[kryzstoff]

Touch screen interfaces aren't as responsive or as quick to respond. A 10-inch tablet doesn't look as nicely in place than a factory integrated system.

perhaps it is the reviewers' clumsy operation in the video, but it certainly appears to be very similar to the BMW iDrive Touch Controller -- though it is responsive, it takes far more dexterity and focus than a quick tap on a screen (an operation >2Bn people in the world do with their phones every day). anyone can safely control a TomTom or Garmin with a large screen whilst driving, but fiddling with this 1960s label-maker control is something only to be undertaken when the vehicle is parked.

with all the cutting edge safety features they offer, surely there was a budget to allow for something a little more cutting edge for navigation? I would have expected on-call 24hour concierge human navigation for the A8L's pricetag, or at least a few hundred dollars worth of voice navigation.

 

[alyoshka]

When do we get to win one of these from Tom's???

 

[Nurhan]

The phone system is quite limited in that it only accepts maximum 2000 names. If you have anything over that or if you want to put only certain names you our out of luck. The solution would be to be able to upload a file with the needed addresses but AUDI technical support does not have an answer as to what kind of a file format will be accepted and which fields should be included.

 

[tuanies]

The phone system is quite limited in that it only accepts maximum 2000 names. If you have anything over that or if you want to put only certain names you our out of luck. The solution would be to be able to upload a file with the needed addresses but AUDI technical support does not have an answer as to what kind of a file format will be accepted and which fields should be included.

That's interesting. I don't think I've ever had to have 2000 contacts in my phone, ever. Have you tried just importing a vCard to the car?

 

[Nurhan]

The phone system is quite limited in that it only accepts maximum 2000 names. If you have anything over that or if you want to put only certain names you our out of luck. The solution would be to be able to upload a file with the needed addresses but AUDI technical support does not have an answer as to what kind of a file format will be accepted and which fields should be included.

That's interesting. I don't think I've ever had to have 2000 contacts in my phone, ever. Have you tried just importing a vCard to the car?

Have you ever tried exporting 2000 vCards? Also they are unable to tell you which fields are important. For example all you need are First Name, Last Name and a couple of phone numbers. But technical support is unable to answer which fields are those.

 

[tuanies]

The phone system is quite limited in that it only accepts maximum 2000 names. If you have anything over that or if you want to put only certain names you our out of luck. The solution would be to be able to upload a file with the needed addresses but AUDI technical support does not have an answer as to what kind of a file format will be accepted and which fields should be included.

That's interesting. I don't think I've ever had to have 2000 contacts in my phone, ever. Have you tried just importing a vCard to the car?

Have you ever tried exporting 2000 vCards? Also they are unable to tell you which fields are important. For example all you need are First Name, Last Name and a couple of phone numbers. But technical support is unable to answer which fields are those.

I'll have to check next time I get an Audi.

 

[16bit]

Amazing car if you have 100k to blow. I have been in the 2013 model and it is the best luxury car I have ever had the pleasure to ride in.

 

[eriksquires]

I have heard the B&O sound system in an A4 and if it's the same, the issue isn't just throwing in fancy speakers. The system sounds exactly like a B&O. Hyped up upper-midrange, almost tizzy. Made for a particular kind of old person's hearing loss. Mostly what drives me nuts about Audi is their reliance on over-priced crap-gadgets instead of luxury. Most of their cars have too much road noise and not enough leather or wood even in the higher trim levels which still charge you to listen to B&O and navigation systems which are never upgradable. It sucks to have Korean mid-line brands offer more features for less. Please, Audi. Dump B&O, make your cars friendly to replaceable Android devices and increase your standards for luxury trims.

 

[tuanies]

I have heard the B&O sound system in an A4 and if it's the same, the issue isn't just throwing in fancy speakers. The system sounds exactly like a B&O. Hyped up upper-midrange, almost tizzy. Made for a particular kind of old person's hearing loss. Mostly what drives me nuts about Audi is their reliance on over-priced crap-gadgets instead of luxury. Most of their cars have too much road noise and not enough leather or wood even in the higher trim levels which still charge you to listen to B&O and navigation systems which are never upgradable. It sucks to have Korean mid-line brands offer more features for less. Please, Audi. Dump B&O, make your cars friendly to replaceable Android devices and increase your standards for luxury trims.

Unfortunately most new cars are pretty much never upgradeable anymore. I never noticed any road noise with the A8L, but usually its due to tires. There's a trade off for sport versus luxury and I find the Audi strikes the right balance.

We'll also have a review of the Hyundai Equus coming soon too.

 

[PLA01]

I have heard the B&O sound system in an A4 and if it's the same, the issue isn't just throwing in fancy speakers. The system sounds exactly like a B&O. Hyped up upper-midrange, almost tizzy. Made for a particular kind of old person's hearing loss. Mostly what drives me nuts about Audi is their reliance on over-priced crap-gadgets instead of luxury. Most of their cars have too much road noise and not enough leather or wood even in the higher trim levels which still charge you to listen to B&O and navigation systems which are never upgradable. It sucks to have Korean mid-line brands offer more features for less. Please, Audi. Dump B&O, make your cars friendly to replaceable Android devices and increase your standards for luxury trims.

I have heard the B&O sound system in an A4 and if it's the same, the issue isn't just throwing in fancy speakers. The system sounds exactly like a B&O. Hyped up upper-midrange, almost tizzy. Made for a particular kind of old person's hearing loss. Mostly what drives me nuts about Audi is their reliance on over-priced crap-gadgets instead of luxury. Most of their cars have too much road noise and not enough leather or wood even in the higher trim levels which still charge you to listen to B&O and navigation systems which are never upgradable. It sucks to have Korean mid-line brands offer more features for less. Please, Audi. Dump B&O, make your cars friendly to replaceable Android devices and increase your standards for luxury trims.

I have heard the B&O sound system in an A4 and if it's the same, the issue isn't just throwing in fancy speakers. The system sounds exactly like a B&O. Hyped up upper-midrange, almost tizzy. Made for a particular kind of old person's hearing loss. Mostly what drives me nuts about Audi is their reliance on over-priced crap-gadgets instead of luxury. Most of their cars have too much road noise and not enough leather or wood even in the higher trim levels which still charge you to listen to B&O and navigation systems which are never upgradable. It sucks to have Korean mid-line brands offer more features for less. Please, Audi. Dump B&O, make your cars friendly to replaceable Android devices and increase your standards for luxury trims.

 

[PLA01]

I have heard the B&O sound system in an A4 and if it's the same, the issue isn't just throwing in fancy speakers. The system sounds exactly like a B&O. Hyped up upper-midrange, almost tizzy. Made for a particular kind of old person's hearing loss. Mostly what drives me nuts about Audi is their reliance on over-priced crap-gadgets instead of luxury. Most of their cars have too much road noise and not enough leather or wood even in the higher trim levels which still charge you to listen to B&O and navigation systems which are never upgradable. It sucks to have Korean mid-line brands offer more features for less. Please, Audi. Dump B&O, make your cars friendly to replaceable Android devices and increase your standards for luxury trims.

 

[PLA01]

Hate to against your expertise but most automobile review journalist rate the Audi interior as the best in the industry. Road noise is not an issue, have been driving for 2 years on less than ideal roads. Low frequency sound reproduction in a factory installed unit is never ideal, getting the balance right is not easy even with an aftermarket system, I tried with a 2004 BMW 540i and it was far from perfect. I can only repeat that if you feed this audio system hi res FLAC files it sounds just fine, it needs native support for these files rather than a redo

 

[eriksquires]

[quottemsg]
Unfortunately most new cars are pretty much never upgradeable anymore. I never noticed any road noise with the A8L, but usually its due to tires. There's a trade off for sport versus luxury and I find the Audi strikes the right balance.

We'll also have a review of the Hyundai Equus coming soon too.[/quotemsg]

I meant in terms of electronics. The applications provided by the Android or iPhone platform are usually better than anything a car vendor provides. Rather than try to give us a bunch of bloatware features, it would be better if the entire electronics package was an android tablet I could replace down the road. I think the Audi/Google collaboration is far too late in coming, and I shudder to think what the Audi marketting geeks will force it to look like or behave like in a quest for product differentiation.

As for road noise, no, I'm sure at the A8 levels you are getting best of breed. At the A4, not so much. I don't really think it's the tires as much as the quality of the cabin noise insulation that is lacking in the "entry-level" A4.

 

[eriksquires]

Hate to against your expertise but most automobile review journalist rate the Audi interior as the best in the industry. Road noise is not an issue, have been driving for 2 years on less than ideal roads. Low frequency sound reproduction in a factory installed unit is never ideal, getting the balance right is not easy even with an aftermarket system, I tried with a 2004 BMW 540i and it was far from perfect. I can only repeat that if you feed this audio system hi res FLAC files it sounds just fine, it needs native support for these files rather than a redo

Hi PL02, I'm not an expert, but reviewers can say anything if paid enough. I'd just suggest anyone comparing an Audi listen while driving on the freeway and compare it to other brands. I think the Audi entry-level offerings have a lot more road noise than the competitors. You bring up an interesting point about FLAC though. I used an iPod which only supported ALAC with the Bose and B&O. The B&O is trashy sounding by comparison, and I generally hate to praise Bose in any way. It's not a matter of design quality, or effort, or even parts quality really. The B&O system sounds exactly like a B&O system, i.e. not neutral and tizzy upper midrange which all the bloated audio balance settings do not let you correct for. Here's another thing that bugs me. Why NOT have full USB support, or at least better integration with the telephone? Audi's phone support has seemed to me really awkward. Try out the "voice recognition" and I use the term loosely, in the A4 entry level. Really, Audi, why roll your own when you could take advantage of Google's?

 

[tuanies]

Automotive voice commands are pretty lousy. They're clumsy and not even worth using. Some cars have Siri Eyes Free support though, which is nice but I'm not a fan of voice commands. You can't really use it with people in the car, or screaming kids. I haven't driven an A4 in a while so can't really relate, the A8 has active noise cancellation and is very quiet.

I haven't heard a home B&O setup, just saw the price tag and shook my head at how disappointing it was.