jimbo1mcm

Why is Mb so slow to recognize advances in Navigation technology? We are laughed at by Japanese imports with Nav systems presenting touch screen and 3D views. Even the tiny Garmin 350 is light years ahead of our Nav systems. Here is a link to what might be coming. ( Although Benz might not have it for 5 years ). www.physorg.com/news11115.html

Our best case Nav discs are probably at least 6 months or a year old when we get them. The Garmin can download new data at regular intervals. The future nav system will have a hard disc with wireless capability to download at regular intervals, or even get real time data on traffic etc.

If there is anyone out there who can figure out an upgrade for our Nav systems to present 3d or better, they can make some money, either hardware or software or both.

Barry45RPM

They may not be cutting edge, but they really are good enough to get you someplace you've never been to before without getting lost. I'd rather MB spend its time on bringing the cars up to where they used to be quality-wise. The rest will follow. They have a lot to learn on how to be a first class 21st Century car Manufacturer. They had lost their way, and the automobile market/business is changing right under their noses.

If you're charging "top dollar", give me quality & rock solid dependability, along with 1st class reasonable service facilities first. Then follow it up with world class, state of the art gee-whiz consumer features & you'll keep your customers. Otherwise, the winds of change are blowing.

All in all... probably the next generation E class will have a "better" NAV system. Don't forget the current one was probably designed in 2001 or 2002, and the big improvement then was a DVD based system so there was no CD changing as you travelled & ran "out of map" on the currently inserted CD.

DWP

Other Benz models - like the new S-Class - use different and more advanced navigation systems. The company has gotten a lot of grief for reliability problems resulting from over-complexity lately, though, and so they probably aren't in the mode of adding new technology to the E-Class right now. They're more in the opposite mode, as the deletion of SBC brakes and parking assist from the E-Class indicate. People who visit online car forums aren't particularly representative of car buyers as a whole; we're more attuned to the fine technical points of navigation features than your typical Mercedes buyer. So, yes, it would be nice if the E-Class navigation system had all the goodies of (say) the new G35 sedan's navigation (hard drive, voice input, perspective views, 3D building outlines, real-time traffic overlays, lane guidance) but life is full of tradeoffs. The E-Class has its own virtues that the Infiniti does not.

SushDawg

Was in Houston few weeks ago and the Nav told me to make a left turn down a 1 way street. Was not impressive with clients in the car.

thegeneraltso

My Sienna nav is easier and more friendly to use. It also placed high on the center dash.

ATS

How old is your disc? It could have been a 2 way street at the time if your disc is from 2004.

SushDawg

Got a 2006 disc

starbrite

If it's 2006.1, the file dates are May of '05, which means the actual map data
is prior to that !

Double Eagle

I agree in TOTAL with your concerns. Our E-Class NAV is one of the worst on the road and the discs are equally bad. It can't even get me to my house correctly and we've lived here over 20 years. While the new S-Class Nav systems look a bit better, they still have the expensive update discs associated with them Updates should be free and automatic with a "State of the art system. My portable Magellan is better and easier to use than the factory installed nav in my E-500.

If enough of us complain, maybe MB will get it right with the major E upgrade in 2009.

vraa

I may be wrong, but Houston streets haven't really changed much in a few years.

thegeneraltso

I have the same problem with the Mercedes nav. i live in the dc area around the 'mixing bowl' (6 different highways coming together) which is under construction. they have just put in a new flyover ramp onto 395N into the district which is parallel to a separate 395 HOV lanes. The flyover 'cuts into' the HOV lane. So everytime I use the nav to get me into the district, i keep getting the turn-around warning because the nav thinks i am on the HOV portion of 395 (separate lanes with barrier so you cannot just move over). It would do this the entire way (7 miles) until I cross over the Potomac river (14th street bridge).

I have no problem with the Toyota Sienna nav. It would readjust itself after about 1/2 mile or so.