Infotainment and Audi connect

The standard MMI radio plus with eight loudspeakers includes an SDXC card reader, an auxiliary input, a USB connection, Bluetooth and voice control for telephone and radio. The MMI monitor has a 7-inch diagonal and a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels. The rotary controller is the central feature of the MMI control concept.

MMI Navigation, the next step, additionally offers two card readers, the voice-control system and a navigation function by which the data is stored on a memory card. With MMI Navigation, the rotary controller includes a joystick function for switching between the individual menus. The system also allows access to the voice control of the customer’s smartphone, displays e-mails and reads them out loud.

Audi’s high-end version is MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch. In addition to the MMI Navigation features, it includes 10 gigabytes of flash storage, a DVD drive, Audi connect services for three years, up to five free navigation updates (available at six-month intervals), a further improved voice-control system and an 8.3-inch monitor with a resolution of 1,024 x 480 pixels. MMI Navigation plus operates in close cooperation with many of the assistance and safety systems. 

Into the Internet via LTE: Audi connectThe hardware module Audi connect is the ideal supplement to MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch. An LTE/UMTS module provides today’s fastest Internet connection with download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second; the integrated Wi-Fi hotspot allows the car’s passengers free surfing, streaming and mailing with up to eight mobile devices. For the driver, it includes the tailored online services of Audi connect.

Audi connect offers a broad spectrum of features ranging from navigation with Google Earth and Google Street View to online traffic information and parking space searches and to the Twitter social network. All of these processes were especially designed for use in the car. 

Full connectivity: the smartphone app MMI connectThe new Audi A4 and A4 Avant make use of further services via the smartphone app MMI connect. Online media streaming with access to the music offered by Napster and Aupeo! as well as other online radio stations ensure great entertainment. Music data is transferred by Wi-Fi to MMI Navigation plus and from there to the sound system. Destinations from Google Maps, points of interest and dates from the City Events service can be transferred from a smartphone to the car using this app.

Services under the heading “Audi connect myService” are new in the A4. They include functions such as emergency call, online breakdown call, remote control and Audi Service Appointment online. With the latter, if the customer so wishes, the car sends service-relevant data via an Audi server to the customer’s preferred workshop. These services can be used free of charge for ten years.

The functions of Audi connect vehicle control (free of charge for three years) are convenient and informative. They include vehicle status reports, remote control for locking and unlocking, information on the car’s parking position and remote control for the optional auxiliary heating. The functions are operated via the MMI connect app.

As a supplement to the infotainment program, Audi offers additional components including a digital tuner with DAB+ for radio and TV. The Audi phone box in the central armrest wirelessly connects the mobile telephone via near-field communication with the car’s antenna and allows inductive charging according to the Qi standard, provided that the device is compatible. The current flows from a coil in the base of the box to a receiver coil in the smartphone.

A new experience: the B&O Sound System with 3D soundThe new Audi A4 and A4 Avant also set entirely new standards for high fidelity audio in the mid-size range. The optional Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound System offers a fascinating innovation – a sound that includes the spatial dimension of height. It utilizes four additional loudspeakers, two each in the dashboard and the A-pillars. The 3D sound allows an audio experience that is completely new in a car: The music conveys a genuine concert-hall feeling.

The new technology is based on an algorithm that Audi developed itself together with the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen. The program the uses the information from stereo or 5.1 recordings to calculate the third dimension and processes it for the additional loudspeakers.

The heart of the Bang & Olufsen Sound System with 3D sound is a 755‑watt 16‑channel amplifier that feeds 19 loudspeakers. The speaker covers feature a new design with long aluminum strips harmonizing with the lines of the A4 interior. White fiber optics illuminate the base drivers in the front doors.

Highly flexible: the Audi tablet as rear seat entertainmentThe new Audi A4 and A4 Avant will frequently be used as family cars, which means that soon after market launch, another innovation will be available as rear seat entertainment and as an in-car entertainment system: the Audi tablet. The device has a high-resolution 10.1-inch display (1,920 x 1,200 pixels) and connects with MMI Navigation plus via Wi-Fi, allowing access to the menus of the radio, media, navigation and car functions. For example, the rear-seat passengers can send a planned route to the driver, or the driver can start a radio or media program for them. Sound output is through the car’s sound system or through headphones.

The Audi tablet uses the Android operating system and supports NFC technology (near-field communication) for easy connection with NFC-compatible Bluetooth headphones. The technical heart of the tablet is the extremely powerful Tegra 40 processor from NVIDIA. The 32-gigabyte internal memory can be extended with micro-SD cards. A click on the “Apps” button in the start menu opens the Android environment – with access to a multitude of apps and games, films and music, e-books and office applications. The integrated full-HD camera can be used for video calls. At the end of a journey, the occupants can take the Audi tablet out of the car with them and can use it offline or in a Wi-Fi network.

The Audi tablet and its battery are designed for use in the car. They cope easily with high or very low temperatures, and the swiveling holder on the back of the front seat fulfils the requirements of crash safety. The frame is machined from solid aluminum – it epitomizes the premium character of the Audi tablet, which is available as a single unit or in a set of two. 

Fully integrated: the Audi smartphone interfaceAnother function is the Audi smartphone interface – it brings Apple Car Play and Android Auto on board. When the customer plugs an iOS or Android smartphone into the USB port (iOS 7.1 and up, Android 5.0 Lollipop and up), smartphone contents such as navigation, telephone, music and selected third-party apps can be accessed in a separate MMI menu. The contents can be easily used via MMI or voice control.

Both applications are specially designed for use in the car. The core of the offering is online music with access to the enormous range of Google Play Music and iTunes. In addition, there are navigation functions, news and appointment reminders. Apple Car Play and Android Auto can be operated via the multifunction steering wheel, voice control or the rotary controller. The offering can be expanded even more further through third party apps such as Pandora, Spotify and WhatsApp. 

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.