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Tell me your favorite quirk/feature of your e-Tron, here's my list

4K views 18 replies 6 participants last post by  NickA 
#1 ·
Hello, everyone. I decided to share with you, and listen to your, interesting/convenient/awesome quirks and features that you discovered and like in your e-Tron. Pretty sure that the list will not be anything new for many users, but hopefully some, including myself, will learn something to make our experience better. I have MY2019 e-Tron SUV Premium Plus with Full Driving Assist Package, so obviously I can miss some features of other models or trims, but do not hesitate to add them here for other people to read!

Okay, here it goes, in no particular order:
  • I like how when you park and turn off the car while pressing the brakes, the car will automatically switch to Parking “gear” and engage Parking Brakes
  • This works in reverse order - when you switch to D or R, pressing acceleration pedal will automatically disengage Parking Brakes
  • Only after a month or so (never had a VW Group car) I realized that the arm rest can be lifted and extended (the ratchet mechanism allows three position)
  • Disengaging Hold Assist when parallel parking on a hill really-really helps.
  • Another way of parking on a hill is using only one gear. For example, if you are parking nose-up, after passing half the car, do not change gear to R, just slowly roll backwards into the spot, while controlling your speed with brakes (the car allows rolling backward while the D gear is selected. During this process, the car will be braking to not let you gain speed). When you need to finish the parking, just press acceleration pedal (since you're still in D, the car will not roll backwards when Hold Assist disengages) and pull forward. Works the same way you are pointing downhill, but this time you remain in R all the time
  • Disengaging Hold Assist will also help with Launch Control. If not disengaged, there is a split-second delay to start while automatic brakes are letting you go
  • If you copy a video file on a USB drive or an SD card, you can watch videos while charging or waiting for someone
  • If you listen to a music playlist during your drive, you may create a shortcut to it and place into “shortcuts” area to have a quick access to it. Works best with static sources, such as USB drive or SD card
  • You can place various things in the “shortcuts” menu, including, but not limited to, navigation destinations (Home, Work, etc.), shortcuts to media files (described in previous point), and functional shortcuts (such as activating/deactivating Hold Assist)
  • Interesting quirk: the speed at which windows roll up or down is different if you press window-roller button half- (slower) or all the way down (faster)
  • When you activate rear-camera while parked, the “Clean rear camera” option becomes available – it washes dirt off the rear camera
  • If you have ventilated seats, you may try using ventilation while heating them. This may make then warmer faster and produce more pleasant experience overall
  • There are many various settings regarding Driving Assistances:
    • While ACC is active, the car can slow down when you entered a reduced speed limit zone
    • The car can slow down if you approach a sharp turn/rounabout, etc., even if the ACC is inactive
    • But my favorite function is producing an audio signal when exceeding a specified speed limit. In this way I’m always aware that I'm driving too fast. You should agree that driving on a highway, it is very easy to get from 65 to 85 when you only applied the pressure of a newborn baby kiss to the acceleration pedal.
  • Last, but not least, when you use stop-and-go (traffic jam) assist, once the car stop and three seconds have passes, the function disables and the car will not move automatically. Instead of pressing the acc pedal, just pull the ACC level toward yourself to “resume” the drive
Okay, I think I’m done. I am very excited to hear what you have to say about your experiences. Have a great time of the day!
 
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#2 ·
A nice summary. I did note that you wrote: "When you need to finish the parking, just press acceleration pedal (since you're still in D, the car will not roll backwards when Hold Assist disengages) and pull forward." I think you meant "Hill Hold Assist", rather than "Hold Assist". Hold Assist can be turned off (engages brakes UNTIL you touch accelerator), while Hill Hold Assist is temporary braking (keeps you from rolling backwards for a few seconds when in D; or, from rolling forward when in R) cannot be turned off. Also, while it will not let you roll back, it only does so for a couple of seconds. So the "jerkiness" of the Hill Hold release doesn't complicate things when you parallel park?
 
#3 ·
I may not have phrased correctly. However, I was indeed talking about Hold Assist (never actually used Hill Hold Assist). My point was that using one-gear parking is possible even without switching Hold Assist off. I recently did that and it was much better experience. I was nose-up and had to pull back to the spot. Felt like from a full stop, when Hold Assist is holding your brakes until you press acc, rolling backwards is easier in D than in R. In R, I had to press acc slightly and immediately press braked, but not too much so that I do not stop again (nightmare). But in D, I press and keep pressing accelerator pedal while slowly rolling backwards. Does this make sense? :geek:
 
#4 ·
I'm a little confused, then, because your fourth bullet states: "Disengaging Hold Assist when parallel parking on a hill really-really helps. " By "disengaging" do you not mean "turning off that feature"? The car has two features: "Hill Hold Assist", which cannot be turned off, and "Hold Assist", which can be turned off.

"Hill Hold Assist" is ALWAYS on. I'm pretty sure you have used it but maybe not realized it, especially if you usually have "Hold Assist" turned on. With Hill Hold Assist, if you are facing up an uphill incline and have fully engaged the brake (Hold Assist turned off), when the car gear is in "D" and you lift off the brake pedal the car will temporarily hold itself in place for a couple of seconds (purportedly to give you time to move your foot from brake to accelerator) before it releases and starts to roll backward; if you are in the same situation, but have the car in "R", the car will IMMEDIATELY start to roll back when you lift off the brake pedal. If you are facing down a downhill incline, the roles get switched: if the car is in D, when you lift off the brake the car will IMMEDIATELY start to roll forward; if you are in R, when you lift off the brake pedal, the car will hold briefly before it starts to roll forward. "Yes", the car can sense if it is facing uphill or downhill and responds accordingly, and, "No", you cannot turn off this feature.

If I'm reading your procedure correctly, the trick at the end would be that you would have to apply enough acceleration quickly enough to keep the car from rolling back after the Hill Hold Assist (or Hold Assist, if it is active) disengages. This can be a little tricky on a steep incline. One way around that might be to pull up on the Parking brake tab and hold it until you have enough forward momentum built up.
 
#5 ·
By "disengaging" do you not mean "turning off that feature"?
Yes, sorry for bad wording
If I'm reading your procedure correctly, the trick at the end would be that you would have to apply enough acceleration quickly enough to keep the car from rolling back after the Hill Hold Assist (or Hold Assist, if it is active) disengages.
After rolling backwards, since you are still in D, it is easy to start pulling forward after full stop. And what's best, you don't need to do anything quickly.

I guess I did not clearly explain my procedure, but the bottom line is that I was surprised to find out that one can park using only one gear (while Hold Assist is till on), and it is generally much easier. I need yo practice more to be able to explain the steps.
 
#6 ·
Yes, sorry for bad wording

After rolling backwards, since you are still in D, it is easy to start pulling forward after full stop. And what's best, you don't need to do anything quickly.

I guess I did not clearly explain my procedure, but the bottom line is that I was surprised to find out that one can park using only one gear (while Hold Assist is till on), and it is generally much easier. I need yo practice more to be able to explain the steps.
Hmm. So, 1) you pull up beside the car in the space in front of the space you are taking; 2)you fully brake (Hold Assist is turned off); 3)while still in D, you lift your foot off the brake and wait briefly for the HILL HOLD ASSIST to disengage (this happens with a bit of a jerk); 4) you quickly apply the brake to control you roll back; 5) you full brake when you get to the spot you want (this activates Hill Hold Assist again); 6)you quickly transfer your foot to the accelerator pedal before Hill Hold Assist releases the car, and immediately apply a lot of acceleration so that you don't roll back as you finish pulling into the space; 7) Then, what do you do--doesn't the car roll back as you try to quickly move your foot to the brake?
 
#8 ·
Hmm. So, 1) you pull up beside the car in the space in front of the space you are taking; 2)you fully brake (Hold Assist is turned off); 3)while still in D, you lift your foot off the brake and wait briefly for the HILL HOLD ASSIST to disengage (this happens with a bit of a jerk); 4) you quickly apply the brake to control you roll back; 5) you full brake when you get to the spot you want (this activates Hill Hold Assist again); 6)you quickly transfer your foot to the accelerator pedal before Hill Hold Assist releases the car, and immediately apply a lot of acceleration so that you don't roll back as you finish pulling into the space; 7) Then, what do you do--doesn't the car roll back as you try to quickly move your foot to the brake?
Sorry for late reply, I was AFK for a few days. I think I understand now where the confusion is coming from. I first pointed out that turning OFF Hold Assist is very convenient while parking on a hill. However, my next point regarding "one-gear parking" was intended to have Hold Assist ON. In this way you don't need to move your feet quickly between the pedals, and I found this technique to be generally easier and more convenient to execute on a hill.
 
#7 ·
Our MY21 is our first Audi (and first new car in 12 years), so some of these are probably not specific to the e-Tron, but:
  • Shallow up/down of the cruise control stalk changes the set speed by 1, and deep up/down changes to the nearest multiple of 5. Also, you can change the set speed without cruise control being engaged.
  • The little "hug" from the seat belt as you first get going.
  • A decent L2 EVSE was included with the car (Audi seems to be one of the few that does?).
 
#10 ·
I have found that I much prefer manual regen braking as I was constantly overriding what the car was trying to do - plus the coasting ability when it is off is fantastic. I didn't know about the armrest or the camera cleaning! I found the setting to fold mirrors was off so turned that on. I wish the road speed limit was displayed on the driver console rather than tucked away in the bottom left of the centre nav sceen but have entered the speed warning setting. Other than that I find the standard sound system very underwhelming and the lase assist not being able to be turned off is downright dangerous at times.
 
#14 ·
I wish the road speed limit was displayed on the driver console rather than tucked away in the bottom left of the centre nav sceen
Have you tried to use different cockpit setting? I always have navigation in the center driver console and the speed limit is nicely displayed at the bottom center
the lase assist not being able to be turned off
There is a small button at the end of the turning signal stock, I think it turns off the lane assist.
 
#13 ·
Sound is now really good. And after that you can always choose to upgrade front speakers and with additional amplifier.
Woofer of audison prima APBX-10S4S is very good price/quality and rather small together with gladen amplifier. Other woofer (poor quality) trunk removed.
 
#15 ·
Sound is now really good. And after that you can always choose to upgrade front speakers and with additional amplifier.
Woofer of audison prima APBX-10S4S is very good price/quality and rather small together with gladen amplifier. Other woofer (poor quality) trunk removed.
Thanks so much for info. Do you know how difficult the wiring is? Do I need to run cable(s) from front centre console? I'll probably need a professional to fit.
 
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