550 Msport dumb questions...

[virgil]

So very happy with the 550 touring so far, but have two questions I can't find in the Idiot's section of the manual...

Do they ALL come with voice activation?...there's a button on the steering wheel but it does nothing...my old 6 series used to talk to me when i pressed it...wife uses apparently and she's noticed it's either 'not there' or not working...it's not that she says something and it ignores her (like I do) but it doesn't register you've pressed the button.

Second dumb question...Does the gear selector light nest to the lever ever go out? it stays on once in park and the engine off and locked and after ages, still lit up...is this right??

cheers...

stupid of Essex..

[Alfa GTV]

virgil said:

Do they ALL come with voice activation

Second dumb question...Does the gear selector light nest to the lever ever go out? it stays on once in park and the engine off and locked and after ages, still lit up...is this right??

Firstly No, check by the idrive controller, where you see the 'menu' button is there a button next to it? if not then you do not have voice activation.

As for the gear selector light, it does go out, but I couldn't say how long after you have locked the car though, Just checked mine and it was off then unlocked and it came on straight away.

[blitzed007]

Mine had that button but it wasn't activated, didn't really bother me though. I seem to recall the car going into sleep mode when i left it for 2 weeks on holiday and im pretty sure the gear selector light when out. I could be wrong though

How are you getting on with yours? any niggles.

[virgil]

Checked the light and it's gone off now...took a while and not sure how long exactly, but gone off....

It's great. No niggles so far, bar the two questions just raised...everything else is good. Loads of space. Goes as well as my old six series if not better and the wife's not noticed the fuel economy yet, so she's fine with it...it's a mainly used for lugging a 17 month old about and all his incumbent gear, but I did manage to get half of b&q in it the other day...HUGE load area with the seats down!

Bluetooth syncing works really well...better than expected to be honest.

Very happy.

[roofer]

Voice is an additional option to the media pack and needs the option box ticking. Car 'goes to sleep' after 15 minutes, then the selector light will extinguish.

[Jobbo]

virgil said:

HUGE load area with the seats down!

I keep a bungee cord under the boot floor now - the number of times I've needed it because the boot wouldn't shut is surprising. You think you have an enormous boot, but maybe then you become ambitious

[dave_s13]

I'd be really interested to know what common commands people use for the voice control. Seems a bit of a gimmick to me tbh, and it's racist. Doesn't recognise my Yorkshire accent

[Krisbiker2]

dave_s13 said:

I'd be really interested to know what common commands people use for the voice control. Seems a bit of a gimmick to me tbh, and it's racist. Doesn't recognise my Yorkshire accent

Doesn't work with my Slough accent either.....

[virgil]

roofer said:

Voice is an additional option to the media pack and needs the option box ticking. Car 'goes to sleep' after 15 minutes, then the selector light will extinguish.

makes sense. cheers.

[virgil]

dave_s13 said:

I'd be really interested to know what common commands people use for the voice control. Seems a bit of a gimmick to me tbh, and it's racist. Doesn't recognise my Yorkshire accent

The wife used it...I didn't. only time i ever used it was to tell the sat nab to shut up.

she's really only moaning as the button is there, but does nothing. Thinks a car of that value/class should only have buttons if they're used...she has a point (a small bug bear of mine too)

[Jobbo]

Does the steering wheel button not do something with the phone? My 545 has it but doesn't have voice activation; I've never bothered to find out what it's supposed to do.

ETA: I should have checked the manual; it is the voice control button.

Edited by Jobbo on Sunday 29th July 17:48

[deanuk75]

dave_s13 said:

I'd be really interested to know what common commands people use for the voice control. Seems a bit of a gimmick to me tbh, and it's racist. Doesn't recognise my Yorkshire accent

I use it as a way of switching the radio between FM and AM. My car is pre-LCI so I don't have the handy 8 programmable buttons on the centre console.

This is pretty much the only use it gets mind. It seems to have no issues with my Lincolnshire/Home Counties accent