pmb600

...I admit I was one of them. But finally, I got to sit in the new C-Class and play with it a bit. This weekend I was at MBUSA headquarters in Montvale, NJ for the MBCA 44th Annual June Jamboree. They had the C350 Sport from the NY Auto Show in the lobby and were letting us take a look at it. The new COMAND system is incredible, it is actually improved from the W221 S-Class COMAND. The only negative is that it does not have the feedback of the COMAND Controller in the S-Class. The interior, like the exterior, looks so much better in person. The car is stunning, and looks substantial and expensive. One of the only major complaints I have is that the headrests are no longer able to be folded down. They are the typical chunky headrests that every other make uses.

pmb600

atiqa

Is this June Jamboree still going on? Or was it just a one day thing? I'd really like to sit inside that darn car already!
Thanks for the pictures, I never doubted it though haha. It was love at first sight for me back in February.

jay_mark_paul

Thanks for the great pics. I still have major issues with the re-designed exterior though. But......I'll reserve my comments until I see it in the "flesh".

MercedesFTW

I feel that the dash could use some more trim up top.

I can't wait to try one out.

QQQ

Does the plastic panels (e.g. the globe box and the passenger air bag) have a soft touch feel or it is hard plastic?

My brother drives BMW, but he finds the C attractive and has it on his wallpaper.

Dema

I agree, interior of C and other Benzes gets too plastic feel. Exterior reminds me Lexus somehow. I should see the car in person.

pmb600

Sorry it was a one day only.

pmb600

Good idea, I judged it too quickly, in person it is just great.

pmb600

Yes, I wish they had used more wood. I do really like the Black wood that they have in this C350 Sport and the 2007 Sport Sedans. Unfortunately the C300 Sport will have the aluminum trim.

pmb600

The plastic was suprisingly good. It looks like its going to look and feel really cheap, but in person it feels substantial and solid.

The SLK has the cheapest, ugliest feeling plastic I've ever seen in a Mercedes.

AsianML

It may feel good, but it looks so cheap!! That's no good. Good thing it's beautiful enough to make that a small issue.

pmb600

It doesn't look bad in person though. I think the flash makes it look shiny and cheaper than it looks in person.

tlbeedy

My only question is why didn't they incorporate the gps into the dash somehow instead of the pop-up? If I owned this it would be in the open position all the time & my opinion is that it makes it appear as an after-thought. The material on the dash appears to be what is now used on my moms ML. If so, I'm definitely not crazy about its texture as it looks more like plastic. It's kind of cushy but just doesn't look good. I do however prefer the exterior over the previous C.

pmb600

I'm really not sure why they chose to make the display pop up. It is definatley in a much better position and more in the driver's line of sight which is good for safety. It does look pretty cool when it goes up or down. I don't understand either though, since I would keep it up all the time as well. The audio and nav instructions do work while the display is closed. Since this COMAND system will feature DVD video playback in the US (finally), is it possible that the DVD playback will work while the car is in motion, but only if the display is closed? In theory you could listen to the audio of the movie and have the screen off and closed, and this would comply with laws as far as I know.

Capt Nemo o2

A theory as to why they have it as a pop up... On the current command, you cant turn the display off and still use the radio. At night, many drivers find the screen very distracting. A lot of other car manufacturers allow you to turn off the screen. I know a bunch of people who didnt get nav for their car because of that.

Another reason is how many times can you redesign a pop up cup holder!

AsianML

With the way the dash was designed, I don't think it could look good any other way. I do like that even though it's a pop up screen and may be out of the way most of the time, they even added nice touches to it with the chrome and whatnot unlike the pop up navs on Volvos.

pmb600

Funny thing is that pop-up Volvo nav is used on the Bentley Arnage, Azure, and in Aston Martins...all part of Ford.

360_iti

It was a big relief to learn that more and more people liked the interior after they had seen it in person
I think this model will be successful.

WaveyKat

is the navi touch screen?

Untertürkheim

I believe Bentley is owned by VW, Ford has Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Volvo, among others.

AsianML

I think it's completely COMAND controller driven. I don't think MB is going to go the touch screen route for a while.

tlbeedy

A bit off topic but Ford no longer owns Aston Martin. It was sold March 12, 2007 to a British consortium although it will still retain a 15% stake in the marque which is featured in the James Bond movies. It also sounds like Ford is to consider selling Jaguar & Land Rover.

jan ken po

Sport package with Panoroof is only way to go with this car...BUT, but I still need to see it, cuz pics still aint doing it for me.

pmb600

You're right, I don't know why I put Bentley in there. My mistake.