Connectivity

Touch rather than turn: the MMI touch operating concept

From operation to connectivity to driver assist systems: no matter how you look at it, the updated Audi A5 is a highly connected vehicle. Its MMI operating system offers a user experience similar to a contemporary smartphone and systematically advances the digitalization of the cockpit. The MMI touch technology now making its way to the product line is transporting Audi’s quality standards into the digital age. Instead of the rotary pushbutton on the center tunnel console, operation is now via a large display with acoustic feedback. It is mounted in the center of the instrument panel and angled slightly toward the driver. It has a diagonal of 10.1 inches and a resolution of 1,540 x 720 pixels.

The MMI touch display is used to control the infotainment and some comfort functions as well as for text input by means of handwriting recognition or a virtual keyboard. Its graphic design is clean and reduced so that information can be understood particularly quickly. The lean menu structure and intelligent detailed solutions make operation very intuitive. Many features and icons are configured with long-touch functions, while swiping, scrolling and multifinger gestures are also supported. In addition to complete words, text input also registers letters that are written on top of each other. In selected contexts, the MMI search is based on free text input and returns results quickly.

Drivers can also operate the system using natural-language voice control rather than a finger. It understands many formulations from everyday speech and turns the car into an intelligent companion. The system asks questions, if necessary, allows corrections and additions, and offers selection options. In the dialog, the user can switch between different menu areas. For example, the user can call a contact from the phone book and then use the associated address as a navigation destination. With the optional MMI navigation plus, the voice control system not only uses data stored on board, but also knowledge from the cloud.

Instrument cluster: from DIS to the Audi virtual cockpit plus

A5 customers can choose from three versions of the instrument cluster. The driver information system (DIS) with physical instruments and a monochrome 5-inch display is standard. The first option here is a 7-inch, color DIS display. Audi offers the fully digital Audi virtual cockpit plus in conjunction with MMI navigation plus. The 12.3-inch display offers full HD resolution of 1,920 x 720 pixels. The driver can use the multifunction steering wheel to switch between three screens: the classic view, sport mode and dynamic mode, which shows speed and rpm in a particularly dynamic way.

Even more convenience: optional operating solutions

Operation of the Audi A5 can be adapted to a large extent to the individual preferences of the driver. The standard personalization feature enables the car to recognize up to seven users when they open the door using the remote control. Customers can store individual profiles, such as seat settings, using the digital myAudi identity created when registering with the app of the same name.

The Audi connect key is an optional function that makes it possible to unlock and lock the doors as well as start the engine using near field communication (NFC) on a compatible Android smartphone. A5 owners can assign up to five of these digital vehicle keys to themselves, colleagues, friends or family members via the myAudi app. An NFC-enabled card supplements the Audi connect key to provide a practical and secure solution for valet parking or in the event of a breakdown, for example.

A head-up display rounds out the operating concept. It projects important information onto the windshield in the driver’s direct field of view. The image appears to be at a distance of 2.1 meters (6.9 ft) in front of them. Their eyes – accustomed to a long-range view – do not have to refocus to read it. New to the head-up display is the detailed map for navigation at junctions.

The technology behind the new operating system is based on MIB 3, the latest version of the modular infotainment platform. It has 10 times the computing power of its MIB 2 predecessor. The MIB 3 works together with the likewise new Communication box mounted under the rear bench. It handles all connectivity tasks, both fast data transfer via LTE plus and telephony. In combination with the top infotainment system MMI navigation plus, it includes a Wi-Fi hotspot for the passengers’ smartphones and tablets.

Helpful and versatile: infotainment and Audi connect

As in all Audi models, the infotainment program for the updated A5 is designed as a customer-friendly and flexible modular system. The MMI radio, which is operated via the 10.1-inch touch display, is standard. One level above this is MMI navigation plus. It is connected to the 7-inch DIS or the Audi virtual cockpit plus.

The navigation system is extremely versatile and user-friendly. The route is calculated online on servers operated by the service provider HERE using real-time data for the overall traffic situation. If the data connection is lost while on the move, the navigation system switches to on-board route guidance, which runs along in the background. The navigation map uses a new texture and includes detailed 3D models of many large cities. Maps can be updated at no cost four times per year for the life of the car.

MMI plus and MMI navigation plus bring the versatile online services from Audi connect and Audi connect plus to the car at no cost for a period of three years. These include navigation with Google Maps, traffic information online, online radio and hybrid radio, which automatically switches between FM broadcast, DAB+ and web stations. Another service is lane-precise navigation that enables extremely precise traffic and arrival time predictions.

The Audi connect portfolio also includes Car-to-X services, such as traffic sign and hazard information, that use the swarm intelligence of the Audi fleet. Another service, parking information, predicts the availability of on-street parking. Traffic light information shows the driver how fast to drive in order to reach the next traffic light while green. While at a red light, the driver sees the number of seconds remaining before it turns green. Audi launched this service in Ingolstadt in summer 2019. Additional European cities are to follow. The service has been available in the United States since 2016. Alone in the US capital Washington D.C., roughly 1,000 intersections are connected to the traffic light information service. The services Audi connect emergency call and service and Audi connect remote and control have been bundled into a separate package and are standard features on board the Audi A5. They comprise the Audi connect emergency call, online roadside assistance and Audi service request functions. The package also includes the convenient Audi connect remote and control services that allow certain functions, such as the remote control of the optional auxiliary heating or locking and unlocking the vehicle, to be performed using the myAudi app on a smartphone. The customer can use the app to access the brand’s digital ecosystem and services such as myAudi navigation, which switches seamlessly from the smartphone to the car.

The A5 program includes various hardware modules for even greater connectivity. The Audi music interface with USB and Bluetooth connection is part of the standard MMI radio. The optional Audi smartphone interface brings Apple Car Play and Android Auto and thus the familiar smartphone environment to the vehicle. The Audi phone box connects the smartphone to the vehicle’s antenna and can charge it inductively. Voice-over-LTE helps to connect faster and makes it possible to use high-speed data transfer and online voice telephony (HD Voice) at the same time.

There are two sound systems to choose from with the Audi A5: the Audi sound system and the Bang & Olufsen Premium Sound System with 3D sound in the front. The Coupé and the Sportback are equipped with 19 (including center sub) Bang & Olufsen speakers; the Cabriolet has 20 (including center sub and two subwoofers). Two of the top system’s loudspeakers are in the A-pillars and another two are in the front doors. They reproduce the spatial dimension of height. The 16-channel amplifier has an output of 705 watts. Further options are DAB+ digital radio and two USB C ports in the rear that can also be used to charge and play media from external devices.

Greater convenience, greater safety: the driver assist systems

The updated Audi A5 models will launch with a wide range of driver assist systems available. Some of them, for instance Audi pre sense city and the speed limiter, are included as standard equipment. The optional systems are divided into the “Drive” and “Park” packages. 

All terms marked in the text are explained in detail in the technology lexicon at www.audi-mediacenter.com/en/technology-lexicon.

The equipment, data and prices specified in this document refer to the model range offered in Germany. Subject to change without notice; errors and omissions excepted.