Has anyone heard which cell phone will be supported on the CLS? Will the Motorola V710 replace the V60?

 

Umm, cellular phones are the same on all Mercedes CARS in the US. V60, V600, V710.

If you go away from the dealer you can save a lot of money and use a lot other phones, but it's probably not that interesting to you because it sounds like you are on Verizon. So you're stuck with a $2500 phone system.

-s-

 

what if you already have one of those phone? is it like the older models that you have to buy the merc branded ones?

 

It's the same system for all the cars! If you have a US-spec phone system, you need a Mercedes USA-sourced phone (V600, V710, V60i (TDMA), V60s). If it is a Euro-spec phone system, you can use any phone of the proper type (current list of phones that work well in the USA with the Euro-spec system are: SonyEricsson T610, T616, T630, T637; Motorola V60i (GSM); Nokia 6310(i), 7250i, 6220, 6230, 6100, 6610(i); Siemens S55, S65, SX65; and there are several more piling up on my testing bench).

-s-

 

why the hell do they do that? its enough they charge us thousends for the system. why cant they just put bluetooth it the cars. it probably costs less and is way better then the curent system. that is one thing that pisses me off about MB's electronic dept. and the other thing is the 6-disc changer they still havent got right.

 

What's wrong with the CLS 6-disc changer? I don't like it because it doesn't have a magazine, but at least it plays MP3s (well, I don't know if the US version does, but one that plays MP3s can fit in the same place).

We've discussed the Bluetooth thing to death before in other areas. But the negative aspects are: no charging, no external antenna connector, compatibility with many phones not guaranteed. I don't know if you've read any manuals on any Mercedes, but you're not supposed to use a cellular phone inside the car without an external antenna connector. If you're using Bluetooth, there's no way to confirm that the user is using an external antenna connector. A hardwired cradle ensures this, solves the other issues, and allows control over compatibility.

The situation outside the US is way better than in the US with the proprietary phones, but there still are certain design criteria that need to be met. The CLS, although new, is still just another Mercedes (and mostly a W211 at that), so it's not going to have anything revolutionary.

-s-

 

what do u mean you cant use ur phone without external antanna? and about the 6 disc changer, i dont how its going to be on the CLS, but i know about the MB's except for the Eclass which is better then the other ones and the clk isnt good b/c it takes up the glove box. dont get me wrong its not like its that big of a deal id just like MB to make the changers like most $20-30k cars already have for years.

 

Thanks scorchie. I am on Verizon and hoping that at least the V710 can be used. I read on another forum that MB or Verizon had not in the USA "certified" the V710 on MB cars as yet.

 

You should go read your S-class manual!

The changer is the same thing as the E-class. The CLS is really just an E-class with new body panels and some interior freshening (center console for rear seat, new dash). So probably over half the parts are sourced from the W211 or its update, and this includes nearly 95% of the electronics.

-s-

 

thats why its similar in price to the E-class.

 

The V710 and V60s are "certified" for Verizon. (The V710 is a Verizon-specific phone.)

However, the V710 has not shipped yet... any day now...

-s-

 

Thank you. Good news.

 

Good news if you don't mind paying ... $600 + $323 + $200 + $935 for a phone system for your car. And that's not even installed... getting it IN the car will cost 1.5 hours labor at your shop's current labor rate.

No wonder I switched away from Verizon, so I could use an UHI system and have a much larger choice of phones.

-s-