BHAM_ (Page 50) motoringNEW:Layout 1
25/8/20
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MOTORING
BRILLIANTLY CONNECTED
FROM SOPHISTICATED VOICE CONTROL TO PREDICTING THE NEXT GREEN TRAFFIC LIGHT, SUE COOKE TESTS THE MOST ADVANCED AUDI EVER or the first time in a week I have a smile on my face and a feeling of excitement. The cause is the Audi A4 that I am road testing. Lockdown meant it had been a while since I had driven and that in itself was a reason for elation. But the Audi was the icing on the cake. I slide into the driving seat which hugs and fits in all the right places, feeling snug in the quality cockpit with every highly polished button, easy flick lever and bright fluorescent instructions immediately ahead. I grip the flat-bottomed steering wheel and head out for the quieter country lanes. I have the all road quattro model and despite heavy rain and muddy tracks, the Audi takes every corner with precise steering, grace and ease. Hence the grin! This Audi is gadget heaven and the most ‘connected’ model in the Audi range. The new
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50 birmingham living
operating system is based on the third-generation modular infotainment platform MIB 3. Its hub is a large, 10.1-inch high resolution MMI touch display tilted slightly towards the driver in the centre of the instrument panel. It responds to fingertip inputs with acoustic feedback and permits free text input, replacing the functions of the previous rotary/pushbutton control on the centre tunnel console. I find the natural language voice control is quite adept at understanding many of the reportable phrases I use in everyday speech! GREEN LIGHT Ok, it took me a while to get my head around some of the systems, but one of the most exciting (sorry but anything is exciting after being stuck inside the house for weeks on end) is the traffic light
september 2020
