# Virtual Cockpit



## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

Is anyone else a little... unhappy about how un-customisable the VC is?

Considering it's a completely digital display, you'd think you could customise stuff like colour of text, maybe font?
Reds nice an' all but I'd love a bit of bright blue for the text/highlights on dials.


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## Mclaren722 (Apr 27, 2016)

I read a few articles that said the VC is very complicates and has lots to learn but after a while you do soon realise there isn't a great deal to customise etc. As you say being a VC it would be nice to be able to add some personal customisation in places, although it is still impressive


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## sherry13 (Oct 8, 2013)

It annoys me on the TTS that there is one button to change 2 out of the 3 possible views, but for the third one (in my case the "TT view" with 2 big dials), I have to...do something complicated which I forget. The central dial TTS view also has some wasted space in some settings. It could be a little more excitingly designed I suppose, but in terms of fonts - they are all Audi branded and they won't change that - woe betide anyone crossing an internal comms director armed with a branding book.

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

The font was only an example of customisation.

Don't get me wrong, everyone who gets in the car goes wow. 
It'd just be nice to make it a bit personal, considering it's completely digital/virtual. (not sure digital is the right word)


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Audi may have limited what can be done for safety reasons. 
It's probably chosen fonts that can be read quickly so you eyes aren't taken off the road for too long. 
Things that can slow down taking in the information would include - Smaller fonts, fancy fonts, poor contrast between font and background, over large fonts which can't fit in the space available. 
I'm sure Audi will have done a lot of research in order to arrive at the most ergonomic, safe and easy to use layout etc.


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## Smoothie (Feb 10, 2010)

I've yet to get my Mk3 but I already know that the UI (user interface) is going to bug me. It's my job so I'm going to be spotting things all over the place that could have been done better. But I wouldn't expect any UI to let the user customise it.

UX (user experience) is the usability and accessibility of the the product; in this case the VC. So it might look pretty but if its poorly thought out then its a bad user experience. At the moment the wow factor seems to be winning people. Will be interesting in the coming years to see where Audi take it.


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## Dash (Oct 5, 2008)

I imagine it won't be long before other cars will do this and an app market appears.

I imagine speedo will be a forced overlay though.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

And then there will be a whole new set of new regulations about what constitutes a safe, legal display.


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## Matrix (Apr 11, 2016)

I for one am mainly happy with the VC.Yes it was difficult/different and took some getting used to but now I mainly stick to the map in the middle of 2 large dials and that's it. I haven't really got tthe time or inclination to tinker with it. If I am stationary I listen to music or watch a film but I can do that so much better with my iPad.
The only change I would wish for is for someone to please,please fix the traffic announcements.


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## R_TTS (Mar 16, 2016)

sherry13 said:


> It annoys me on the TTS that there is one button to change 2 out of the 3 possible views, but for the third one (in my case the "TT view" with 2 big dials), I have to...do something complicated which I forget. The central dial TTS view also has some wasted space in some settings.


This annoys me too, and it took me a little while to work it out. You have to change between different "layouts", sport or classic, in the car menu, with the car stationary, rather than just toggle between views on the steering wheel button. With the the sport layout (large central rev counter), nearly 1/3 of the VC screen is taken up by the additonal information, date or fuel consumption etc, which is a massive waste of space. I don't mind getting bad mpg in my TT, but I don't want 1/3 of the beautiful VC screen telling me so all the time, and it's not that interesting to have 1/3 of the screen to just display the date.

On the whole I'm pretty pleased with the VC, and it was one of the selling points of the TT for me. I wouldn't be against an additional central screen to work in combination with the VC, more so in any larger car.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Before the Mk3 with its VC was launched people were mulling over the lack of interface for passengers and it suggested that Audi were going to bring in a hand held iPad type device which would allow the passenger to see and operate the VC themselves.
Looks like it never made it past the drawing board.


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## Dash (Oct 5, 2008)

In my ancient MK2 I often ask the wife to fiddle with the nav and to a lesser extent, media.

I'm all up for the VC, but the control of it has to be super intuitive as not to distract from driving. Something my ten minutes playing with one didn't seem to be.

Definitely here to stay, having a configurable dash (however limited) is a no brainer. But whether the centre console will be left out, I'm unsure.


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## Xiano (Mar 18, 2016)

Dash said:


> In my ancient MK2 I often ask the wife to fiddle with the nav and to a lesser extent, media.
> 
> I'm all up for the VC, but the control of it has to be super intuitive as not to distract from driving. Something my ten minutes playing with one didn't seem to be.
> 
> Definitely here to stay, having a configurable dash (however limited) is a no brainer. But whether the centre console will be left out, I'm unsure.


It takes a bit of getting used to in the beginning, but the VC feels very intuitive and easy to use for me these days. I use both the steering wheel and the centre console depending on what I need to do / where my right hand is (I have a left hand drive car), and find I've navigated to where I need to be without even thinking about it or looking at the controls.


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## pcullen (Feb 26, 2016)

Dash said:


> In my ancient MK2 I often ask the wife to fiddle with the nav and to a lesser extent, media.
> 
> I'm all up for the VC, but the control of it has to be super intuitive as not to distract from driving. Something my ten minutes playing with one didn't seem to be.
> 
> Definitely here to stay, having a configurable dash (however limited) is a no brainer. But whether the centre console will be left out, I'm unsure.


my misses changes the media content and shuffles through songs on mines without any issues, its very easy to see from the passenger seat and its like anything the more you use it the easier it becomes.

I am very comfortable with it now so i dont have any issues navigating through the controls to get what i want even when driving


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## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

Seconded, my missus finds it very easy to see the display and make changes, even if it's somewhat annoying 

The interface is also super intuitive once you get past how to use it. It is a bit mind boggling the first few uses but I don't even have to think about it now.
Really is a good bit of kit.


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## 4433allanr (Mar 11, 2016)

Am i right in thinking that the vehicle pictured on the VC can't be changed?


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

Yes! A TT with 17" no sport seats no s-line


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## deeve (Apr 5, 2004)

Im very happy that I have had some very experienced and intelligent Audi engineers sort it all out for me


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

Today Audi said one recall action available..
Some sort of noises from the virtual cockpit and some horizontal interferences on the display after turned it on..
Check on in Audi


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## 4433allanr (Mar 11, 2016)

After a couple of days it all starts to make sense. Very high quality, very clear, pretty intuitive. However, as I've said before, without sat nav it really doesn't do much. The trip computer is no better than the A3 was, radio/media display is ok, telephone all works as it should. As VC is the TT's usp I think it needs tech pack to show it off.


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## Blackhawk47 (Nov 26, 2012)

Sat nav really is the TTs party piece.

It did take me a good week or two to get used to the virtual cockpit. And I am still learning something but in opinion it is one of the best infotainment systems I've ever used on a car. Everytime I get a hire/rental car I miss the VC integration and jumping back into the TT feels like leaping forward 10 years in terms of technology.

I think some people complain for the sake of complaining... :roll:


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## Waitwhat93 (Mar 28, 2016)

Blackhawk47 said:


> Sat nav really is the TTs party piece.
> 
> It did take me a good week or two to get used to the virtual cockpit. And I am still learning something but in opinion it is one of the best infotainment systems I've ever used on a car. Everytime I get a hire/rental car I miss the VC integration and jumping back into the TT feels like leaping forward 10 years in terms of technology.
> 
> I think some people complain for the sake of complaining... :roll:


I agree with you that the VC is lightyears ahead of other cars. My missus drives a newer Focus and getting into that just feels so dated.
Hell I jumped into a friends brand new Mazda RX5 and the difference in quality and dashboard is massive.

My original post wasn't per se a complaint about the VC, it's just the way it's set out is in such a way that you could change certain things like colours and stuff.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

A lot of manufacturers are catching up now and many already offer large screens that serve as your sat nav screen, radio / media control, phone control and connectivity screen. The only thing that sets the VC apart from these is the fact that the dash console is also incorporated into the same screen and that its placed in front of the driver.
I do like the VC but there are times when I would like to have had a second screen to save switching between different functions too often.
Re changing colours etc - yes it would be nice but if they did do that then we'd be looking for further changes. Far better if Audi concentrates its attention on addressing the current bugs that we have like the unwanted annoying traffic announcements etc.


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## mr gee (Apr 20, 2007)

ManuTT said:


> Today Audi said one recall action available..
> Some sort of noises from the virtual cockpit and some horizontal interferences on the display after turned it on..
> Check on in Audi


At my first service last month, they updated the VC software to fix the noise thing though I did not have that affliction.


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## Xiano (Mar 18, 2016)

mr gee said:


> At my first service last month, they updated the VC software to fix the noise thing though I did not have that affliction.


What did the noise sound like exactly? I hear a very short, quiet 'click' every time the VC suggests I change to a higher gear, although I thought that was intentional...


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

deeve said:


> Im very happy that I have had some very experienced and intelligent Audi engineers sort it all out for me


Well go on. Tell us more. What have you had done?


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## Xiano (Mar 18, 2016)

ZephyR2 said:


> deeve said:
> 
> 
> > Im very happy that I have had some very experienced and intelligent Audi engineers sort it all out for me
> ...


I think he just means that Audi have obviously considered the layout, font etc very carefully and decided on this as the best option.


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## ZephyR2 (Feb 20, 2013)

Xiano said:


> ZephyR2 said:
> 
> 
> > deeve said:
> ...


Ah right, just a touch of sarcasm there then. :lol: Nothing changed.


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## huftonr (Jun 26, 2016)

Would agree that without Nav the VC doesn't do much but works well enough.

The one thing that does bug me is there's no way (as far as I can tell) of showing the currently playing track/artist on the radio alongside the basic station info without delving into the radio text option (despite there being plenty of space even with the big dial view). Basic fail here I would say (every car I've had with DAB shows now playing in the main view without any need for faffing about).


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## noname (Aug 20, 2015)

yeah a big space available and with no info!
we need a programmer!


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## 4433allanr (Mar 11, 2016)

Absolutely, huge list of what is playing, what has played and what is up next. In a less than user friendly list format. Again, taking something simple and over complicating it. Station name, colour logo and current track, simple.


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## mr gee (Apr 20, 2007)

Xiano said:


> mr gee said:
> 
> 
> > At my first service last month, they updated the VC software to fix the noise thing though I did not have that affliction.
> ...


It's optical noise as in unwanted lines running through the display. Mine did not not have this but they updated the software irregardless


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## poobahuk (Jul 5, 2016)

4433allanr said:


> Absolutely, huge list of what is playing, what has played and what is up next. In a less than user friendly list format. Again, taking something simple and over complicating it. Station name, colour logo and current track, simple.


I'll add my vote for this!

I've found that if I bring up the big list, then switch back to the 'sport/R8 style' view, I do get the radio text list on the left view. But for some reason it's faded out with a big 'radio' icon over the top....


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## poobahuk (Jul 5, 2016)

My 2 cents the subject of customisable VC, don't hold your breath.

Due to the safety ramifications, I suspect the only way to do this would be to split out the regulated features on to a separate screen, driven by a separate processor which cannot be corrupted with custom code. That would allow an android style OS to exist on a second screen with no concerns over safety.

It might be possible to do with an overlaid screen, but the risk of interference from one to the other would probably be unsavoury.


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## SBarratt (Sep 14, 2016)

I think the virtual cockpit is great but how do I report the bugs, there's a few niggles and when I try to explain them to the garage I just get a baffled stare.

First niggle is that even though I have a data USIM. Internet Radio is played back through the MMI on my phone which then transmits it back to the car using WiFi. This puts a heavy load on the phone battery. Playback should be either direct via the installed data Usim or at least via bluetooth.

Second niggle, bluetooth interaction with Samsung Galaxy S7. The car starts my media playing on the device when I get out of the car, even when I wasn't listening to media while I was in the car. I used to have an app that would interrupt it and switch it off. But bbc iplayer media starts blasting away on my phone and nothing stops it short of a reboot. Is this the VC's fault the phone's fault or bbc iplayer's fault?

3:Travel news. I've just set switching this off on the * function button now

4:The travel info train time tables always show the first train as being at least an hour later than the actual train time. For example my train arrives at 8:02, if i'm at the station at 7:50 the console assures me the next train is at 9:09. There is indeed a train at 9:09 but its no use to me.

5:Let's hunt for the track now playing.

Final, Audi put a feedback tab in the MMI. There's no point in reporting this stuff to the garage, what are they going to do? Take the USIM out and give it a wipe on their sleeve?

But I love the overlay of google maps in the VC and I don't mean to whine, the great thing about a Virtual Console is that it can be made better; and I could get to enjoy a better console without buying a new car.


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