tpj

I am thinking of buying a new CLK but have a question about COMAND.
The navigation system on the BMW 5 series is superb - has anyone got anything to say about the COMAND system relative to the BMW or any others?
Thanks for your time

gbahri

I like my nav system. Granted it is the onlly car ive had. But my dad has the new 7 and I really dont like how it is. It is not user friendly. I dunno, maybe it's becuase I am not use it it. But I like mine.

llakers

I have the Command, it's a piece of S**t.

It only shows you the name of the street you are on. It does not show the names of the street around the street you are on.

My wife drive a Lincoln Navigator it's so much better.

BTW there is no update as of 12/10/03, I was told maybe next year some time.

My 2Cents

04CLK500

I second that. My brother's BMW NAV is so much more simple and easy to use. But I got to say, my previous car (Infiniti FX45) had the best navigation system available in the market.

mmgrad

i like my COMAND... but it could be a little faster... but it does everything I need it to do...

if you want OE look, you have no choice but the COMAND... if you are open to the aftermarket choices, then, there are much better stuff out there... Kenwood makes a good navi system... Pioneer & Alpine have good stuff too...

caigy

I would second the view that the COMAND system is not very user friendly. I did get it with my 2004 Cabriolet, and it has a number of negatives:

Radio tuning buttons are tiny- way too small.
Menu layers too confusing (finding restaurants or other points of interest, for example). Saving locations to memory is a tedious, multi-step task of spinning a knob repeatedly left and right through the alphabet and clicking on the letters you want. Saving CD names is also tedious.


Navigation itself is mediocre at best- it only guides you to a range of numbers on a street, for example 1-21, 22-42, etc. So if you're looking for number 15, it guides you to the street but depending upon which end of the street you approach from, it tells you you've arrived far too early, when you still have to find the exact building. In the daytime this may be okay, but at night it can be difficult to find building numbers. I've used Hertz Neverlost many times and it takes you exactly to the street number you're looking for. Additionally, on the CLK, I still haven't figured out how to delete "intermediate" destinations.


Also, unless you've input a destination, the navigation map displayed on the screen will not display in "heads up" orientation. It will only display "north" heading. This means that if you're driving east or west, your direction of travel appears to move left or right across your screen. If you're traveling south, the direction of travel goes down your screen. Only if you happen to be heading north does the screen point in the same direction you are going. This is very annoying and quite distracting- I tend not to use it for that reason (unless I've input a destination, in which case, as I said, it does display "heads up").

Also, opting for the COMAND system eliminates the pocket below the radio. Some people have commented that aesthetically the car looks better with the 2-DIN COMAND screen. I'd agree. But you lose some valuable storage space for your wallet or cellphone. This car is woefully short of storage space- the center console is very shallow (the lower part is taken up by the rear blower in the cabriolet- I'm not sure if the coupe has that issue) and the glovebox is relatively useless and inconvenient as well (and by the way, it doesn't have a lock).

Finally, a positive: the integration of the COMAND system into the instrument cluster is impressive. You can display your navigation heading in the instrument cluster even if the COMAND screen is displaying the radio station or CD being played. Or you can display your radio station or CD in the instrument cluster while the COMAND screen displays your map. That's handy.

I'm sure that by the time the 2005 model comes out, MB will move to a DVD-based navigation system that will eliminate some of the annoyances of the NAV system. They've had delivery problems from their supplier that limited introduction of DVD to just a few classes of cars and that didn't include the CLK. As for the rest of the negatives (difficult menus, tiny buttons), hopefully MB will design a better interface that doesn't frustrate drivers like the current COMAND system.

For comparison, I also happen to have a new 2004 Toyota with navigation. It is voice-activated, it's DVD-based, it displays heads up if I want it to, and it is endlessly more versatile. The menus take a while to learn also, but they're more user-friendly and intuitive than the CLK's and it has touch-screen technology that does away with multiple tiny buttons and alphabet scrolling. I would say this is a far better system than the one MB is using.

MB- are you listening?


Jason

Josh K

Great/detailed post calgy. I like my COMAND. As someone who drives about 100-150 miles a day it never got me lost and I found it nothing but helpful. As aftermarket options go, Alpine's DVD nav is probably the best aftermarket option, but I'm not a fan of swing out monitors as they always block something when they're in use and you lose the integration of your steering wheel controls. The Alpine screen also has better picture quality but when I'm driving, I don't tend to watch a lot of TV so that's pretty meaningless. LOL

samwzhang

I second that. The integration of steering wheel control and the navigation is the key. When you are driving using navigation, you don¡¯t really look at the map on your Nav LCD screen a whole lot (if ever) but you do and will find the integrated nav directions in you instrument cluster very helpful. Despite of all the downs, OEM navigation is still worth a look if you value form and function over price and technology.

lucycat

It's "adequate" which seems far less than adequate for a Mercedes -- what an embarrassment!
People have mentioned other vehicles. The one on the Acura is also far superior.
My question to anyone - - - -
Since the Comand uses a CD, wouldn't it be possible to get an after-market CD that would have the kind of detail and other features that are found on other systems mentioned ??

opusnron

In order to get the detail mentioned you have to have a DVD based system as all the other systems mentioned have.

pfannenstiel

this can actually be changed. if you go into the menu on the map that includes the map scale, then you chose the north-ward arrow you can have the map be egocentric, instead of fixed.

i actually enjoy the COMAND system. my fiance has an aftermarket navigation in his subaru and it's ridiculously complex- and i'm more technically savvy then he is, so needless to say he hasn't figured it out yet. it doesn't have nearly as many restaurants and fun locations to choose from. the screen resolution is nothing compared to the COMAND. i get a headache from how fuzzy it looks and at anytime during daylight it's difficult to see. the only real advantages that i can see so far are that it's DVD based and it shows the names of the other streets which is related to the fact that it's DVD based and therefore is able to store much more information than the CD.

lucycat

There is one great feature -- and I wouldn't bother mentioning it, but I just found out that some folks seem to be unaware of it -- is that inside the glove box (on the right side) is an audio jack you can use for your iPod (or other MP3), thus being able to play hundreds of songs thru your car audio system.
The Navigation still sucks in my opinion.

IluvS500

I dont even own a benz, but I think the command is really simple. Our friends S500 is a 02 and that command was really easy. The 04 S500 was even easier. I cant stand the BMW navigation system I couldnt even input a destination and I gave up. I really like the newer commands and the older ones are that bad either. I dont understand what the gripe about them is.

SUNILP

I hae comand on my c class and it works fine. Not too great but does everything I need, i get the OEM look, i have the integrated TV tuner installed so I can watch tv on my comand system, I have dual A/V Inputs on the TV tuner for DVD players, I have the integrated Nokia Phone also, optional rear screen output on TV tuner also. What more can you ask for?

ShannonRawls

Just picked up an 2003 s500 AMG. Can someone explain in detail how to make the map egocentric. I can't find the setting anywhere while on the Map screen.