So I'm sitting in a parking lot waiting and notice the new A6 3.2 next to me. It was one of those funny colors that change with light - silver bluish.

I'm real close to the passanger door and was just looking at it from inside my car. Then it dawned on me - that car has no keyhole in the door, it has no lock knob inside on any door and no keyhole in the steering column.

I always read about these cool features on high end cars but staring at there long enough it finally sunk in. The technology is trickling down to more and more cars.

Then I thought - how do you get in if the battery is dead?

And then I thought - why are these things on high end cars AND sometimes they charge you extra for it? The way I look at it, the savings from the lack of hole in the doors, the saved mechanism in the door, the lack of hole/knob inside the door, the lack of a keyswitch and interlock on the steering column is probably more than the little electronics to make a keyless system.

 

The TSX doesn't have a keyhole in the passenger door either, the only keyhole that the TSX has is on the driver's door.

 

The new 3-Series has keyless entry...I think that's the first time this technology has been offered in that price bracket.

Perhaps there's a keyhole on the driver's side? I know the RL has keyless entry also, but there's a spare key as well, so there must be a backup plan somewhere.

 

I'm not fond of the lack of a manual backup or override. Why not keep things simple, or at least allow the option of being able to unlock with a key? I seem to hear about all these electrical problems with German cars, and knowing that I may not be able to manually unlock the doors from either the inside or outside makes me uncomfortable, if not from a reliability standpoint then from a safety standpoint. Perhaps the doors are designed to open from the inside regardless of the lock position?

 

There usually is a manual override of some sort. Because the system is wholly electronic, if something goes wrong with the electrical system, the owner would get screwed.

 

I'm certain that anyone who owned a MK IV golf/jetta had considered blanking all the door locks out. I nearly considered doing this as my old car was broken into 3 times. Then I came to my senses and asked what would happen if my battery died.

 

Actually, you should start seeing this technology in the next couple months in a vehicle cheaper than the 3-Series. Push Button Start, very trick.

But I was also wondering. . . Say you leave some valuable (i.e. sungalsses, laptop, etc) in your car and you're walking to your car (driver's side). Now, you're within distance for the key thingy to allow you to open the door and BAM. . . some dude just ran up to you car opened the door and snagged your sunglasses and laptop via the passenger side door. Sure the technology is cool, but I still think a key is "safer". I mean, you can't stab an assailant with your smart key.

 

I'm sure someone has thought of this scenario and there is a way to prevent it.

And yeah, you can't stab someone with a keyfob.

 

The keyless access system in the RL will only unlock the drivers side dr when the drivers side handle is use. All the drs will unlock if the passenger side handle is used to unlock the car first.

 

I think it would be a safety hazard if each door did not have an unlock button on the inside. On the a6, two buttons are located next to the open handles. The drivers door also has a keyhole in case something were to happen to the electronics.

Think the cheapest car with this feature is the Toyota Prius.

 

Easy solution to the lack of a manual override:

 

VWs unlock when you pull the inside door handle, whether the doors are locked or not. I imagine other manufacturers have similar systems.

(it drives me crazy that the TSX lacks this useful feature)

 

That never happened to me (had a Jetta IV for 4 years), but I know it's extremelly common in Brazil. VW had to change the design of the door locks on new car models and issue a recall (unheard of in Brazil) to stop the thefts, since the gov't filed a class action lawsuit against them. Lots of stolen cars = lots of liability.

 

BMW's use the same system now, I believe...I personally like having door locks, but I can see your point

 

Love that Hurst tool - the ultimate car opener.

Biker, who in a former life used to handle one of those things.

 

Consider yourself lucky...but look at where I live...the car theft capital of North America.