TheWalrus

Think about it: Laptops have a useful life of 3 years. Cars have a useful life of 8 years. Don't mix the two!

You're about to put a computer display right dead center on your dashboard where everyone can see it. Besides ruining the lines of the dashboard, you're taking a big risk. In 2-3 years it'll look totally dated. Have you seen a 2000 Lexus recently and looked at those screens? A perfectly good car that will be good for another couple of years looks out of date as soon as you get inside.

My first Apple PowerBook had a 16-grey screen and everyone thought it was so cool. Now that's a joke just 10 years later. My current laptop has 38 billion (or some such ludicrous number) of colors.

An Audi is an investment, embedding very visible electronics into the screen is the quickest way to make the car obsolete. I still drive a 1998 A4 2.8QTS and my friends are still surprised & impressed at the interior quality when they get into my car. Imagine if I had a NAV screen dead center on my dash with amazing 1998 screen technology.

Sorry to be a buzz kill, but I just can't get excited about this particular technology "advance".<ul><li><a href="http://home.comcast.net/~jrdailey/Holiday2004/A4_Ridge.jpg">My current car...</a></li></ul>

THE MEROVINGIAN

Audi switched to a multi-color screen for the driver information cluster. Is's the same one all the B6 S4s had and every B6 A4 with nav. I truly don't understand your complaint.

TheWalrus

Perhaps I misunderstood. Is the NAV screen 8 color?

gloom227

<center><img src="http://www.fourtitude.com/gallery/albums//Events/NAIAS%20-%20Detroit/2005/Audi%20General%20Photos/068.jpg"></center><p>
Form the pics I've seen, it must have something like 256 colors... Yeah, it will probably look outdated at some point in time but the same is true for all nav computers... Currently, Audi has the nicest / cleanest display for the nav computer IMO.

Saw it on a A8 and it is very nice. Menus are animated, there's a cool fade in fade out effect when switching screen, music vs navigation have different color schemes so you quickly know where you are, etc. Looks like a video game menu but not too flashy! I was impressed...

TheWalrus

Looks good now but obsolescence is still a big risk.

Javan

Then why drive cars at all?

Blip

I can see your point, and I think it is great food for thought.

westaust

Since the 2.8 is out of the market and Audi is now having Direct injection

moviebumm

I know what you mean. My mother has a 2002 Lexus RX300 with a DVD nav system. The screen (when it was 1 to 2 years old) looked great. My father has a dvd nav system in his Jaguar X Type that is much better. Last weekend I went to an Audi dealer to look (really play) with the new DVD nav system and again I was blown away with how vibrant the screen is. The screen folds down to reveal another treat, the SD memory card slots. Point of the story is that everything in time, especially technology improves all the time. My mother's Lexus nav system is still good, just not as big I think. Just remember the CD based Nav system that Audi offers and compare that to the new DVD system.