No doubt about it the ability to have the camera database can be very valuable.
No doubt about it the ability to have the camera database can be very valuable.
IMHO, this is totally unnecessary......all you have to do is stick to the speed limit to avoid getting 'flashed'!!
Bear in mind what else you get with the tech pack, including the funky music interface controls with album artwork etc. Also, from what I've been told by the dealer, although don't take this as gospel, the Tech Pack includes the high-end phone connectivity with Google Earth imagery etc.
It depends if you always drive like a little goody two shoes. To me speed limits are just numbers and very often do not bare any relationship to the road or conditions. 30 mph in a 30 limit whilst passing a school as the children are coming out is too fast. 80-90 mph an an almost empty dry motorway is also quite safe providing the driving is concentrating on his driving and not talking on the phone or some other distraction. When I'm only holiday in Germany I and many other drive 100-120 mph on a de-restricted autobahn with no problem at all. Because of the speeds involved drivers do not hog the outside lane but leave it free for cars overtaking them at these sort of speed. Unlike in the UK where most drive stick in the outside lane doing just 70-80 mph and think the are such good and careful drivers. I have been driving for 48 years and have never had or caused any form of accident although I did have a young lady in a Fiesta in Germany crash into the back of my car at a speed with the speed limit for the road. The problem was she was busy chatting to her passenger and didn't notice that I was stopped behind another car at a set of traffic lights. My Audi was a write off and never did come back from Germany.
Speed cameras are mostly about making money and not very much to do with road safety. This is why most police forces offer so called Speed awareness courses in return for not giving you 3 points on your licence. These have only come in to being since the police and speed camera partnerships had to send all the 'fine' money to the treasury. These courses cost more than the £60 fine and the police are allowed to keep all the money.
I understand it is possible to get a speed camera database to load on the standard Audi Sat/Nav but I don't think anyone has yet come up with a way to make it give an audible beep beep as you approach a camera site. So do you drive along watch the screen all the time?
I would be interested to know what other run of the mill brands offer a better screen as standard on their hatchback A3 sized model? Seat Leon, ford focus, VW golf, skoda, vauxhall astra, Hyundai i30, Honda civic all don't.
The Mercedes C180 has a 5.8 inch (same as A3), but Mercedes aren't run of the mill.
Comparing to the previous A3 standard screen it's a massive improvement.
I think you are underselling the standard screen - sure it's no tech pack but it's better than any competitor same sized car.
Agree that if u spend loads of time in the car might be worth it tho!
Couldn't give a stuff about the higher res screen, or the tech pack .. most of the time my screen is hidden away in the dash .. there's less to go wrong if you don't spec it, and no matter what you choose will, the tech will still be way out of date in 3-4 years when I trade it in ..
For me it's an S3, not a 35K mobile laptop ..
I do understand folk like their toys though, or have to have their cars fully loaded .. anyhow the smaller screen does in no way look out of place or cheap ..
In my defence I was overwhelmed with the awesomeness of the car and picking the colour I assumed the screen would equal my 6 year old Pioneer unit, then I saw a A3 with SD nav and felt sick
re: google maps overlay - that is correct . I have the tech pack. I didn't take long to think about it as I like tech. However the price was steep and im voming from a tom tom one lol.
Advantages of the inbuolt sat nav v standalone device
Ive also seen the standard Sd satnav in an a3 and compared to the tech pack version id say the techpack version and extra features are worth it. the standard a3 screen is lame and feels like comparing vga to 1080p
- no cabling, no mess
- no interfering with the windscreen- some numpties place it in the middle. Also
- no detaching and attaching - this was a right pain in that I rarely used it.
- either to control with mmi controls and closer to hand - touch controls and lean over to reach the standalone is a pain
I did not say I was a 'perfect' driver just that I had not had or caused an accident in 48 years. I have taken part in several 'advanced' driving courses over the years mostly with police drivers. There is no such thing as a 'perfect' driver or though there are an awful lot of very bad drivers around.Pleased to hear you're the 'perfect' driver, Dave R!!!
Personally I would never waste my money on the Audi built-in Sat/Nav.
Advantages of the inbuolt sat nav v standalone device
no cabling, no mess
no interfering with the windscreen- some numpties place it in the middle. Also
no detaching and attaching - this was a right pain in that I rarely used it.
either to control with mmi controls and closer to hand - touch controls and lean over to reach the standalone is a pain
ive seen the merc screen in the a class, b class and cls and they are laughable - hideous and just stuck on and look tacky
Whether it's a "waste of money" is merely your opinion. I'm sure there are those of us who'd consider options you've chosen to be a waste of money.
and your 6 year old pioneer unit was how much? let me guess £1000 ill bet
It depends if you always drive like a little goody two shoes. To me speed limits are just numbers and very often do not bare any relationship to the road or conditions. 30 mph in a 30 limit whilst passing a school as the children are coming out is too fast.
If the 'limits' were set to a more reasonable figure in relation to modern cars and were more consistent, then I sure many more people would consider sticking to the limit. Just about every country in the EU has an 80 mph limit on motorways. Perhaps rather than preventing us from purchasing powerful vacuum cleaners for example, the EU could standardise the speed limits and other traffic rules across the EU.Indeed, that's why they are called 'limits'. You are allowed to use your judgement to decide how fast to drive up to that limit.
Perhaps rather than preventing us from purchasing powerful vacuum cleaners for example, the EU could
If the 'limits' were set to a more reasonable figure in relation to modern cars and were more consistent, then I sure many more people would consider sticking to the limit. Just about every country in the EU has an 80 mph limit on motorways. Perhaps rather than preventing us from purchasing powerful vacuum cleaners for example, the EU could standardise the speed limits and other traffic rules across the EU.
Again quoting Germany they have one limit inside a town (60 kph), one limit outside a town (100 kph) and generally limits on autobahns were the speed needs to be restricted for a very good reason. Because they are allowed to do any speed on the autobahn where there a no speed restriction, when there is one, drivers know it is there for a good reason and generally stick to it.
That's true, but the accident rate in most European countries including Germany, is drooping at a faster rate that it is in the UK. Personally I would still prefer the greater freedom offered in Germany. Mind you I dread to think what the rate in Germany would be like if all a German needed to drive was to pass the UK driving test rather than the much more comprehensive German test.Yes, but on the other hand, the road accident rate in Germany is substantially higher than it is here.
How do you add the speed camera warnings to the Audi sat nav?
Not sure if you got a reply but mine gives me traffic updates and diversionsDoes the SD card based sat-nav have traffic updates and diversions? Or is that limited to the Tech pack only?