Feature Focus: Audi's MMI All-In-Touch Infotainment Interface

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It’s no secret that today’s vehicles are loaded with electronics. Even the most basic new car with crank windows probably has more number-crunching capability than the entire Apollo Program.

And nowhere is this technological explosion more evident than in the luxury car segment. Top-dollar vehicles from every manufacturer are jam-packed with computer chips, sensors, actuators and untold miles of wiring. It’s quite remarkable how far things have advanced in recent years.

As a well-respected member of this premium automotive sect, Audi has been a technological leader for many years, bringing new and innovative features to market in ever greater numbers. Naturally, the four-ring brand’s all-new Q7 is continuing to push the industry forward.

SEE ALSO: 2017 Audi Q7 Premium Plus Review

For 2017, this family-friendly SUV has been totally redesigned, losing nearly 500 pounds of excess mass thanks to its mixed-material construction, but gaining so much more in the process. One of its most useful features is a brand-new MMI interface for its infotainment system.

This so-called “all-in-touch” system includes a gigantic laptop-inspired trackpad on the vehicle’s center console. It’s large, spanning about five inches from corner to corner and, just like a computer input device, the entirety of the surface clicks for ease of use. Just point and tap; it’s a totally familiar movement.

Beyond all of this, MMI all-in-touch supports handwriting recognition, multi-touch gestures like a smartphone and even has integrated radio preset buttons. You can spell out the person’s name you wish to call, pinch to zoom in and out on the map and even jump from your favorite news channel to a rock-and-roll station for an energized drive on a Saturday night.

But perhaps even better than all of that, this system is much more than just a flashy parlor trick; it’s amazingly powerful yet easy to use, which is a combination so many automakers – and even technology companies – fail to deliver. In the 2017 Audi Q7, MMI all-in-touch is standard on mid-range Premium Plus and range-topping Prestige trim levels.