Aussie Audis to Connect

Audi’s new diesel SQ5 super-crossover will be one of the first models available in Australia with the German brand’s latest-generation Connect infotainment system, which incorporates the full suite of Google services for the first time.

Available in Europe for more than six months, Audi’s latest in-car technology integrates Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Street View, and will be offered Down Under from the first quarter of next year in most models except – at least initially - the new Q3 city-SUV and entry-level A1, which has just become available here in five-door Sportback form.

However, Audi Connect remains unavailable internationally in the TT and R8 sportscars, and the latest generation system will be superseded soon by an even newer version in the all-new A3 Sportback, which will bring additional Connect features when it makes its world debut at September’s Paris Motor Show.

Australia’s first taste of Audi Connect will go beyond the internet connectivity functions currently offered in some luxury cars by offering functions like an in-car wireless hot spot, one-touch-reply SMS text messaging via 10 preset templates and handwriting recognition.

This is in addition to integrating full Google functionality, which can give drivers a 360-degree panoramic view of their destination in advance by linking Google Maps Street View and Google Earth functions, on which navigation maps are overlaid.

Audi owners will also be able to display Google-sourced images and details of their nearest retail outlet or service by searching via Google for, say, the closest post office.

However, our initial Audi Connect system will lack the new Dragon Drive speech-to-text facility seen in BMW’s new Connected Drive system, which will debut here in the facelifted 7 Series by October. Instead, speech-to-text functionality is likely to be part of the new A3’s upgraded Audi Connect system.

Mercedes-Benz claims the ground-breaking Drive Kit for its new A-Class – also due here in the first quarter of 2013 – will make it the first car to offer full iPhone connectivity, using the phone’s electronic and data capability to access social media sites, live news updates, email, internet and a range of tailored apps, which is integrated with onboard mapping data and other vehicle functions.

As with the BMW and Audi systems, however, most of these features – including emailing on the move - will be blocked or operable only via voice control while the car is on the move, due to driver distraction legislation.

Local technical issues will also prevent Audi Connect, which requires a SIM card or spending an extra $1200 or so for the optional Bluetooth car phone online hardware module to go with the MMI Navigation Plus system, from initially offering services such as live traffic, weather and petrol price reports.

Apart from its full 2D and 3D Google mapping functionality, new features of the first Audi Connect system available in Australia include voice recognition for up to 12 languages, simpler navigation, Bluetooth audio streaming, in-car WLAN hot-spot for up to eight different wi-fi devices at once and a larger 40GB hard-drive.

Drivers can operate Audi Connect – which effectively networks a vehicle with its driver, the internet, traffic infrastructure and other vehicles – in three ways: by voice, via touch-pad character recognition or the MMI controller.

While phone and data transmissions are made via the roof antenna and encrypted using the WPA2 standard, going online requires inserting a data-enabled SIM card into the card reader, or connecting a mobile phone directly via the SIM Access Profile.

Drivers of the upcoming A7 and S7 biturbo and the facelifted A4, A5, A6 and Q5 – including the SQ5 – will also be able to access the Audi Music Stream app, which can receive broadcasts from more than 3000 internet radio stations, as well as store favourites in a mobile phone and play them through the MMI Navigation Plus system via the WLAN interface.

The next-generation Audi Connect system was developed by a team of more than 120 infotainment staff working across both navigation and audio platforms both inside and outside the company – up from just 40 about a decade ago.

Read the latest news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at carsales' mobile site...