CARS.COM — We caught our first glance of the updated 2019 Audi A7 ahead of the 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show back in November, but the interior wasn’t quite ready for us to crawl over. But fast-forward a couple of months to the 2018 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and the doors to the A7 have been unlocked. I gave the luxury four-door fastback’s interior updates — especially that new multimedia system — a closer inspection.
Related: 2019 Audi A7 Video Review
The updates to the multimedia system mirror those found in Audi’s flagship sedan, the A8, which gets its own redesign for 2019, as well. Both have ditched the old wheel-and-trackpad setup for a new dual touchscreen arrangement (standard on all 2019 A7 models), similar to the one I tested in the 2018 Land Rover Range Rover Velar. I found that the Velar’s setup, which also relies on a touch-heavy two-screen design, “is a snappy system that works quickly” and “admittedly makes the interior design better, and the screens themselves are great. But for daily use I had some trouble with it, finding it difficult to use safely while driving.” [Editor’s note: Yes, he just quoted himself.]
The Audi system may have a few of the same issues, but it also comes with some added features that I was happy to see, which may help remedy some of the distracted-driving issues inherent in these systems and make it easier to use overall. It starts with the screens themselves, which offer haptic feedback.
Two Screens, Many Functions
That means that to engage the controls (on both screens), you’ll have to physically press down on the screen, and you can feel the screen push in (like a button); it offers a satisfying audible click, too. For those who don’t want this, both can be turned off, but I like the added sense of feedback — it means less accidental button presses, as you can check the positioning of your hand against the screen before activating features. The only exception to this would be sliding controls, like those for temperature settings. For those, you will just rest your finger on the screen as normal, but they won’t move until you do.