There are moments worth standing up for, embracing, putting on a history list. Even when one is sitting comfortably in her/his Audi A4 AllRoad. Btw. Have I mentioned how über-expensive Audi is? I mean, when you consider that VW is the basis for this car and that the two are equally stalled in the world of car development and the confusion of plastic and über-plastic and the fact that without both Porsche would probably fold up like the tongue of a fresh ninety-year old corpse left without burial… Or maybe not. Ok. Enough of my worst-writing about made in Germany cars. And I admit my Audi does drive pretty good. Although I wouldn’t recommend the AllRoad if you want a smooth ride. It’s a bit rough compared to the standard A4 Quattro–especially at higher speeds. The supercharged transmission that comes with the unter-charged turbo diesel V6 also makes the car feel like a tractor more than it should. Even though the car has four drive settings, i.e. comfy, economic, dynamic and whore-rant, not one smooths out the rough and vulgar transmission. In low gears at low speeds you can feel every gear change. And that fly-by-wire steering doesn’t make things better either. Of course there’s much to be worst-said about the tech-specs of this car, of which there are numerous, but I won’t bore you with them now. Because I want to mention how poorly the multi-media-interface works with iPhones. Even though the navigation system cost us two arms and three legs I rarely use it because it just doesn’t compare with how well Google Maps or Apple Maps works on my iPhone. I don’t use any of the music system because, well, it works like krapp–or like Windows95. Of course the dealer says that an update would improve the MMI and navigation system but then tells you how much such an update will cost. Oh well. So much for buying something that no one can or should afford–unless they have money to burn. It’s just that I don’t like burning it. And so we all make our sacrifices. What are yours? With that in mind, allow me to move on to the gist of this worst-post. Most modern German cars don’t seem to have enough wasted technology that bores the krapp out of owners. In fact, there’s so much tech-krapp in my Audi that I’ve found the ultimate solution for using it: DON’T USE IT. Seriously. As much as I can I do only one thing and one thing only with my Audi. I drive it. After I drive I park it. Then I forget it. So. The other day my better-half sent me this pic and I kinda freaked out. A message was sent out on the German TMC system and our car radio received it. I’m so glad she was able to take a pic of it, too. Btw, TMC stands for traffic message channel. TMC is typical waste-of-time technology that #Germania is full of, especially when it comes to cars. The idear is that you can send digital data over standard radio frequencies. Like most technology, though, greed is inherently attached to it so the cost of implementing it always prohibits it’s usefulness. First, even if it works, who is gonna pay the cost of the content? Second, what content should be sent on it? Obviously TMC could be a great method of informing drivers about traffic. But it’s been around for (insert # here) of years and I can’t remember the last time I saw something on it that was useful. Again. Technology can be great but not when it’s in the hands of those who are clueless–like the engineers at Audi. They know how to make a cars but they are ignorant to the bells & whistles. But I’m worst-rambling again. Nomatter. The B166 is a short highway east of Berlin. According to the TMC there was “gunfire” on the road. Process that for a moment. Pacified Germania is turning into the wild west? Now, keep in mind, our Audi’s radio receives the TMC via German radio waves. That’s right. The German’s own radio waves. (Stop laughing.) Radio in Germany is über regulated. Our Audi, at the moment of reception of this message was near Cologne. Where the hell did the message come from? You can’t receive radio from Brandenburg in Cologne. Oh well. This is what happens when technology and engineering is a lifestyle choice, i.e. serves no real purpose. I guess. Rant on. -Tommi
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