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