Pet Peeve: Audi Q5 – The maddening key

As you know, we all drive the test cars not only on the track, but in our day-to-day lives as well. We drive the cars to the grocery store, the doctor’s office, and to fulfill our share of car pooling to kids’ soccer practices. This adds to the all-important “what’s it like to live with” section of our final write up.
 
Last night I drove the Audi Q5. In our tests, we praised its quiet, well-finished cabin; comfortable ride; strong V6 engine; and very un-SUV like handling. But, for me, the absolute deal-breaker and argument against buying one (at least this one) is the infuriating ignition key.
 
You see, Audi, similar to many high-end manufacturers, uses a blocky, all-in-one ignition key. But in no way does it resemble a traditional key, such as a house key. Instead, these new style keys are a bit larger than a Hot Wheels car, and not nearly as much fun. The ignition mechanism works by the key being inserted into a slot and then pressed to start the car. However, many who have driven our Q5 found it annoying, compared to the typical transponder keep-it-in-your-pocket key common to this class.
 
But my frustration with it boiled over last night when I drove my boys to their Cub Scouts pack meeting. When I pulled into the school lot and put the Q5 in Park, I couldn’t remove the key to shut down the car. Which left me no choice but to then push it in again, restarting the car and try again. I had to restart the car four times before it magically released from the dashboard. We walked into the meeting late. I was not amused. The same thing happened on the way home. And on the way into work this morning.
 
This was similar to our experience with the last Audi A4 we tested, which had a similar set-up. When we brought the issue up at a meeting with Audi, we were told a change is in place for 2010 models. I’ll believe it what I can pull the key out the first time.
 
For years, Audi’s slogan has been “advancement through technology.” I’m sorry, but this system is not a step forward. What is the point of taking something relatively simple (like shutting off the car) and making it complicated? How did the designers and engineers convince upper management that adding extra steps to a simple task was good idea? We criticized recent Audis in our evaluations for unnecessarily complicated controls. For example, selecting a seat heater or fan speed setting requires pushing a button and then dialing in the setting you want. Other cars do this with a single button press.
 
When I think of how much better cars are than they ever were, I think of stability control; antilock brakes; curtain air bags; and engines and components that run reliably for 100,000-plus miles. Growing up in the 1970s, I never thought I’d see the day when a 400-hp Chevrolet Corvette would get 31 mpg on the highway. Stuff like this gives me hope that the wonderful world of cars keeps evolving in ways I couldn’t dream of.

But this Audi ignition key is so infuriating that I don’t want to drive it. And in my view, it is a regression of common-sense engineering.

Read our full Audi Q5 road test (available to online subscribers).

—Mike Quincy

Comments

[Michael_LaBorde]

I have been driving a 2007 Volkswagen Passat station wagon with exactly this kind of key for 3 1/2 years and have never found it particularly bothersome. The only times (I think a total of three) when I have experienced this is when I attempted to remove the key without the car being in park. Either there was something wrong with the Audi you were driving or you did not learn the proper operation of the key. I like this key a lot as compared with traditional keys since it doesn't make holes in my pocket and I don't have the worry of some hacker figuring out how to spoof the radio signal from my proximity key.

[Ian Cull]

My Q5 does not need the key inserted; it works from my pocket like you suggest for "other cars"; your Q5 simply doesn't have the option.
So more helpful would be to review the poor choice of options available on the Q5, just three packages and almost zero chance to select individual items (like keyless entry).

[Michael E]

I agree with all of what was said, and would add that these systems are not just frustrating but can be dangerous. Witness the off-duty cop and his family tragically killed recently in a runaway Lexus--which, it was later revealed, had no obvious method of killing the engine with the throttle stuck open.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it--and when was the traditional key-in-the-ignition system ever broken? For that matter, when did buttons and screens become easier to use than three simple knobs for climate control?

[Steve Bier]

Two questions -

I know the key on the right, belongs to that of the Audi Q5. Which car does the key on the left go to? That's certainly not an Audi key.

Second - you mention the A5 - but something tells me that this is a typo, and should be listed as the Q5...unless CR has an A5 in their test fleet...

[CyCarConsulting]

You haven't experienced real frustration until you lose a key, and it costs about $300, several hours of interrogation at the dealership proving you are the rightful owner, and then waiting another hour for a tech to program it through NORAD in the hills of Colorado.

[Tom Mutchler]

Audi's implementation of this key turned out worse than the one in the Passat. We found the key fiddly in the Passat, but it never got stuck. The keys in the Audi and the Passat operate differently and appear to have different release mechanisms.

A better implementation would simply be to use a transponder key with a pushbutton.

[Jeff Bartlett - Consumer Reports]

Steve - The second key is from our Ford Mustang, and it is there to represent a "simple" key.

Having driven our BMW 3 last night, I too long for key simplicity. For that matter, audio system simplicity would be nice, too.

[David Evans]

Hey, Tom: No problems with the transponder key in our hybrid Camry! Love that thing.

[Steve Bier]

Jeff - how many BMW 3-series do you have in the test fleet? I know you guys tested a wagon - whatever happened to the 3-series diesel?

[Jeff Bartlett - Consumer Reports]

Steve - We have tested four 3 Series variants. Right now, I'm driving the diesel sedan and very much enjoying it.

[Tom Mutchler]

Steve, to add to Jeff's response: the 335d review is available online. We published an intro to the car (as well as the GL320 and X5 diesel) in the magazine, but did not publish a full report in print.

Other than the 335d, we don't have any other 3series in the fleet.

We own a A5 convertible. (I'll answer your next questions in advance: we also have an IS250c and a G37 convertible.)

Back on topic: the Audi keys have a similar shut-off delay to the Toyota/Lexus design if you turn off the ignition while moving. Both require holding the pushbutton (or the Audi's key) for 3 seconds when moving before shutting down the car. As we've blogged before, it's better to put the car in neutral if you have an unintended acceleration situation.

[Robbie]

As an fyi ... I drive a Q5 ASWELL .. I had this problem in the beginning. Then I realised not to put my foot on the break. press the ignition key in to turn the car on and then push it again. That way you guarenteed to get the key out .. enjoy

[Jon]

Along with the quasi-electronic key that you guys seem to always get in your Audis, you also seem to get Audi models with the MMI controller on the dash rather than console. i have never seen any like that around me, so it might just be where you guys are getting your cars, but this setup replaces six hard keys used for presets and CD changes, which is one of your complaints with both the A4 and Q5. Both had their MMI controllers on the dash.

Even then, if you actually buy the car you'll get used to MMI fairly quickly...the old iDrive system was terrible but MMI was never nearly as horrible. sometimes you just have to learn new things and when you use them every day they become second nature.