Audi A4 DVD-based satellite navigation and MMI

Audi A4 DVD-based satellite navigation and MMI

When the DVD-based Satellite Navigation system Plus is specified, a six CD autochanger, enlarged seven-inch colour display and full MMI (Multi Media Interface) functionality familiar from A6, A8 and Q7 models are included in the package.  The navigation system obtains its data from a fast, high-performance DVD drive.

Voice control and a TV tuner are also available as options, the latter capable of receiving digital channels (DVB-T). For safety reasons the screen displays programmes only when the car is stationary, but the soundtrack can be heard at all times.

For the ultimate in acoustic clarity in this class, a state of the art Bang & Olufsen sound system is also available at extra cost. Designed specifically for the A4 Saloon, it delivers brilliant reproduction, detailed resolution, precise spatial imaging and a broad, well-defined frequency spectrum.

The key element in the Bang & Olufsen sound system for the new A4 is an amplifier with a 505-watt output rating and ten active channels, which feeds 14 speakers. Two three-way systems are active at the front, each with speakers in the door, the triangular mirror mounting and the dash panel. At the rear there are two speakers in each door, a centre unit in the dash panel, a 260 mm sub-woofer and two surround speakers on the rear window shelf.

The system processes signals digitally according to the manufacturer’s own surround algorithm. The numerous user settings include four sound emphasis points: the system analyses the noise level inside the A4 by way of a special microphone and makes selective frequency adjustments to its output signals.

The concert and symphony radios and those higher up the scale are available with a mobile phone preparation (Bluetooth): this integrates the telephone into the radio controls and also has speech control.

For cars equipped with the Satellite Navigation System, and therefore with MMI functionality, an upgraded version of this system is also available which combines the advantages of hands-free operation with the strengths of the classic built-in car phone.

Providing the driver’s mobile phone supports the SIM Access Profile (as many of the current generation of mobile phones do), the phone can be logged into the A4 system, which is able to carry out all its functions automatically when the driver inserts the ignition key. The mobile phone can then remain in the user’s jacket pocket; the phone in the A4 takes over all the data from the SIM card via the Bluetooth wireless link, and also the internal memory up to 1,255 entries. The mobile phone is then switched off, which avoids unnecessary GSM radiation and prevents the battery from running down.

For optimal reception quality, the ‘Mobile Telephone Preparation High’ system uses the A4’s own aerial. It can be operated most conveniently by optional voice control, via the MMI controls or via the multifunction steering wheel. To ensure excellent hands-free quality, an ultra-modern digital speech processor suppresses echo and road noise. Speech output is via the sound system, using the radio’s volume control.