[s-cars] Possible '05 A6 for a good price

[Taka Mizutani]

I hate the way the navigation works.

I have three cars with nav and have used several other systems- the Audi
system is one of the worst, along with BMW. The two GM systems I've used are
pretty bad as well, but for different reasons:

The Audi and BMW systems force you to use the controller to page through
menus with a knob or a joystick- not the easiest thing to do.

Personally, I prefer a touchscreen system- it's much easier to configure
buttons on a touchscreen and getting through the menus can be quicker.

However, not to say that there aren't bad touchscreen systems- the Denso
system in the Vette and the unknown system (probably a newer Denso system)
in the latest GMT-900 trucks is hard to use- the menus are not intuitive,
they use weird icons without any legend that are impossible to decipher and
everything is locked out while you're driving (stupid if you have someone in
the passenger seat to help).

I've not really had an issue with the Volvo system- it's easy enough to use
and the menus are intuitive. I think it's made by Alpine, not sure. I like
that system quite a bit and it's easy to control with the steering wheel
mounted controls.

I've also not had any issues with the Garmin portables- they're also quite
easy to use.

I find the last-gen and current Pioneer nav system to be in-between- not
that hard to use, but when you input addresses, it does the same thing as
the GM systems- you can't actually put in a city once you've put in a street
address- you're forced to choose from a list of possible cities, which can
be super long if the street is called something like Main Street or Elm
Street.

Given the option, I'd go with the Kenwood Excelon nav units in a car that I
can replace the stock radio (uses Garmin navigation with flash-memory based
maps) and I'd choose the Volvo system for a factory nav system.

I don't have enough experience with the Toyota, Honda, Ford or Mercedes
units to really say anything about them. The Chrysler system used in the
300/Magnum/Charger is horrible, as are the CD-based MBZ and BMW systems (pre
i-drive). The Audi system used in the A4/S4 with the quasi-MMI is horrible.

I hate how portable systems look, but if the factory nav is poor or hard to
use, I'd go with a Garmin every time.

These all-inclusive control interfaces are simply overly complicated- I
never had a problem with just having discrete radio and climate controls. I
don't have an issue with putting stuff like setting personalized features
via MMI, or rarely used while driving functions, like the automated oil
check system (I'd still rather have a dipstick). I find it too distracting
to use while driving and driving really should be the primary focus of one's
attention.

Taka


On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 9:55 PM, Wylie Bean <theringmeister at triad.rr.com>wrote:

> I don't know if I'd call MMI a known drawback....havibg lived with it for a
> year in the Q7, I knida like it.  The learning curve is undoubtedly there,
> but it's a short hill, and not dreadfully steep.
>
> Wylie Bean
> TheRingmeister at triad.rr.com
> 90 cq
> 91 90q20v
> 92 UrS4
> 08 Q7 3.6
> Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Taka Mizutani <t44tqtro at gmail.com>
>
> Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2009 21:39:43
> To: Doug Landaeta<dlandaeta at gmail.com>
> Cc: s-car-list at audifans.com<s-car-list at audifans.com>
> Subject: Re: [s-cars] Possible '05 A6 for a good price
>
>
> Is it an S-Line or just has some sort of optional wheels?
>
> Known drawbacks? MMI. Stupidly difficult to use navigation system. Slow
> tiptronic shifts even in manual mode. Make sure you have everything set
> before you do any driving- tuning radio stations in manually is extremely
> difficult (although using the scrolling list of available stations helps a
> lot), adding entries into the address book is very difficult (don't try
> this
> while driving).
>
> Otherwise, a very roomy, luxurious, nice car.
>
> BTW, the stock 18" wheels are really heavy- probably doesn't help in terms
> of ride quality.
>
> Actually, I prefer the 3.2 to the 4.2- the 4.2 just doesn't feel that much
> more powerful or better.
>
> Just remember it's a big, heavy car and drives like one. The A8 is a world
> of difference better as a driver's car. Feels much smaller, more nimble,
> doesn't feel like a tank on the road.
>
> Taka
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 7:02 PM, Doug Landaeta <dlandaeta at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
> > A buddy has a line on an '05 with the 3.2 v loaded with S-wheels. What
> > are any known drawbacks or issues? It has less than 10k miles on it.
> >
> > Sent from my mobile.
> > Doug
> >
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