BudC

Jim, you get the phone integration package (MHI) with the P1 option package. To get Bluetooth, you have to buy the Bluetooth puck. This may change in 2008 but I doubt it will be tied to Voice Control.

Speaking of Voice Control, it would be nice if in '08 they added support for SAT radio and for the Nav system. I doubt they'd do it this late in the W211 cycle since I'm sure we'll see it in the W212's in 2009. Since May 9th is the cutoff date for changes to keep our production date, I doubt we'll have enough Info to make any order changes by that time. I'm almost tempted to gamble and put Voice Control back into my order in the outside chance that they'll enhance it.

jimm

Several have said that “no real changes will be made for 08 because they
want to save all the changes for 2010.”

That philosophy might be fine .. if MB was the only car maker.

But, MB has to continue to compete against other car makers who will be
improving their models each year.

So, for MB to hold back everything for 2010 just doesn’t make sense.
Especially on items where they are already distanced. (Yes, like the Nav.)

jimm

BudC

I'm not so sure it's a matter of saving all the changes for the W212 as it is not wanting to invest in a major update with only two years left in the W211 life cycle. I can see some repackaging of options and making some things standard. I can see adding enhancements that can be accomplished by reprogramming firmware. I don't see a redesigned Nav system that uses a hard drive or enhancements to options like Voice Control.

I'm assuming that my '08 E350 won't be changed much from the '07. Any enhancements will be a pleasant surprise.

Barry45RPM

Its too late in the life cycle to design new stuff for the 211's. Its almost an out of production car. All they will do is rearange option packages, include or delete some things. No new technology.

Almost everything that GM adds to a Caddy model year after year was planned from the introduction of the model to be added in various years to entice people to trade for a new one. These items weren't developed and then put into the next year's model, "just in the nick of time". They were planeed that way at the inception of the model. MB, on the other hand, fell to the bottom of the barrel in quality ratings and then woke up and was busy fixing all the problems in the 211, thats why so many things were deleted/deactivated. There wasn't time to redesign, only to fix them or turn them off.

Next model will have what you crave.