RoyM

Does anyone have a good idea just what the MMI controls?? I see ***** for controlling interior temp and I would assume the radio has the usual buttons. I have zero experience with this and I would like to get some info before my B8 arrives. If you have experience with MMI was it a good experience?

Hokie_Audi

There are direct controls for the climate control systems and audio system, especially the most recently used functions like volume, channels, etc. You can also adjust the climate control system via MMI (based on what I've seen in the A8s). Or another way of thinking about it - MMI can control just about everything with a setting or a level but that may not be the only way to do it.

gk1

Check out an A5 at your local dealership. Should be identical to the A4 system.

markcincinnati

I have, for another month or three, a 2005 A6 with virtually every option offered in that year.

I have driven both the A5 and S5 at my dealer -- the MMI seems virtually identical to the one in my A6. In fact the entire look of the dash is apparently an updated A6 C6 design.

This means, I like it, a lot.

The MMI controls the Navigation, AM/FM/Sirius/CD, and Telephone sub-systems. Additionally, there are controls called CAR, INFO and one for your "address book" (which, if you have both the bluetooth phone and the Nav systems, allows you to enter "Office" as a destination and a phone number, etc.

Additionally, the Nav, Sound and Tele are controlled by voice, simply by pressing a button on the steering wheel and saying: "Navigation" then "Navigate to office" or "Telephone" then "Call office" (or reciting up to 7 digits of a phone number at once.) When controlling the audio, you say "Radio" or "CD" -- if you have preprogrammed stations into your radio, you simply say "Radio" then "Play the vault" or "Play classical pops" or whatever you have previously saved with a voice tag. Help is always available by simply saying "Help MMI" or "Help Radio," etc.

To control the climate system, there are two temp controls, separate from the MMI cluster and pushbuttons that can be synchronized: then you crank the temp to 68 and both readouts AND the MMI display the number 68. If you have the system set on Auto (I have never NOT had mine on anything else but auto, it works so well, front and rear) everything is figurered out for you, blower speeds (12 of them) the mixture of cool to heated air, etc. -- you can call up addtional functions to override the auto functions and you can set the center vent to a temp preference from cold to hot.

Some of the CAR functions on the MMI include daytime running lights, the power lock preferences, coming home and getting in (lighting) functions and interior ambient lighting. You can check your oil life and level, set the wiperblades for service and change the surround sound functions, clock, date, etc.

The volume control for the radio seems to fall naturally at your hand, either on the steering wheel or on the console -- you don't need to take your hands off the wheel if you don't want to, you also may find the console volume **** without looking, it just is "exactly" where you'd put it if you had designed the thing.

The pushbutton start requires you to rest your foot on the brake and press and release the start button, and you're off.

The cruise control is especially cool if you are driving, for instance, in West Virginia near the Ohio, Penn, WVA tristate area -- you can set the cruise to your desired speed and, unlike many Cruise Controls, still being put on new cars, even today, maitains the speed perfectly -- it brakes on the steep downhill grades and downshifts and accelerates on the steep uphill grades.

The first time the thing applied the brakes I was really impressed, since I had just been in my wife's, then new, BMW and my inlaws new Chrysler 300 and a Cadillac DTS -- the Audi was the only one that both accelerated and applied the brakes (and the brake lights come on, too.)

Anyway, the MMI is easy to use, rarely requires one too many steps (rarely, NOT never) and does not require as many window drill downs or drill ups as iDrive.

I do prefer the Infiniti's and Acura's voice control to Audi's but that, overall, would not make me jump ship.

Oh yea, the Audi backup camera displays in the MMI screen and it works well showing you the result of your wheel turns.

markcincinnati

The Main MMI buttons, switches, *****, do NOT control the A/C or heat.

RoyM

I will not be getting Nav so the functions associated with Nav are not going to be available. Sounds like many of the car set up's will be easier with MMI. Another question will the tire pressure monitor show each tires and it's current pressure with MMI??

gk1

Regarding tire pressure monitoring AFAIK they removed the uber TPMS of the A8 on all MMI version that are not the A8. (A8 version shows individual tire pressures including the spare and their temperatures.)

Spacecadet_CC

hahah - A5s and S5s are backordered until the end of the year up here!

gk1

Sucks for you. Dealers around here don't sell their demos this early.