Hands On With the 2016 Audi TTS – NVIDIA Tegra Powered Dash
Legit Reviews is at the L.A. Auto Show and got a change to see the 2016 Audi TT and TTS. Both will feature a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, but the TT is rated at 220 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque while the sportier TTS uses a 2.0-liter TFSI engine that is putting down 292 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque. All models will be offered with a six-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission and quattro all-wheel drive to ensure all the power is put down on the pavement. The Audi drive select system that allows the driver to adjust things such as shift points, throttle response, steering and even the suspension. The Audi TTS comes with a magnetic ride suspension standard, so Audi is bringing much to the table and we could spend all day talking about this car.
One of the features that we wanted to geek out on is Audi’s virtual cockpit that is powered by NVIDIA Tegra 3. The Audi Virtual Cockpit is situated right in front of the driver to help keep the drivers eyes on the road and not looking down at the middle of the cars dash like you do on some models infotainment systems. Occupants can give voice commands to the vehicle’s infotainment system, or use of the Audi TT’s MMI touchpad. Audi calls this the instrument cluster of the future and after seeing it in person we don’t doubt that this is where all car markers are headed.
Audi went with a 12.3-inch TFT display that is powered by a quad-core Tegra 30 processor from the Tegra 3 series by NVIDIA. Audi wanted a chip that was able to power the dash at 60 Frames Per Second (FPS) and the Tegra 3 series was found to be easily capable of the task. Audi wanted something that could run at 60FPS as they wanted the needles of the speedometer and tachometer to look smooth and be precise. Gamers know that FPS is important for how something looks on a monitor and the same holds true to a cars infotainment system. YouTube just this year began rolling out support for higher video frame rates and the clips that have been uploaded at 60fps do indeed look better than the ones that were uploaded or capped at 30fps. Yes, frame rate performance is something you might read about when you purchase your next car thanks to how far the infotainment system has come. NVIDIA hardware can be found in your PC at home, the tablet you use on the go, your smartphone and more and more cars!
Legit Reviews was able to speak with Danny Shapiro and Ken Brown from NVIDIA at the L.A. Auto Show and was able to grab a quick video interview with Mr. Shapiro going over the new technology. He also covers the Audi Tablet 10.2-inch Android tablet that is powered by the NVIDIA Tegra 4 chip and is designed for use inside of a hot car. With this tablet you can search for things and then send the information to the Audi’s virtual cockpit. The tablet is designed to be left in the car and as such it can handle temperatures of up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit (80C) or down to -40F/C thanks to automotive grade parts. Audi also claims the device is ‘crash-proof’, but all electronics have a breaking point. Pricing and additional specifications will be revealed closer to the sale date.
Take a look at the video below!