The thing I'm talking about is the round knob thing in the center.
Maybe MB calls it iPod. Isn’t it identical to BMW’s iDrive? Did MB
buy the patent right to it?

Anyway several months back .. when I was thinking about going
back to MB (I had 3 in the 80s) I took a test drive in an S550. It
drove, handled and rode beautifully!

BUT I totally HATED the round knob and REALLY hated the phone
thing that protruded, in the way, and partially covered it up!

What a center console mess! (The armrest was nice.)

My around-the-bush question:

Is this ‘iPod’ if that’s what it is called, considered a great feature
wherein we may expect it on the W212? Or, as I would sincerely
hope - has it been viewed as an albatross in which MB will likely
work its way out from?

jimm

==========

In days - ‘08 E350 Sport, P2, Black/black,
Parktronic, Voice, Bluetooth, Burl Walnut,
Split rear seat, Rear mud flaps, nose star

 

It can't be called iPod, since Apple Computer owns that name for their MP3 Player.

 

MB calls it the "Comand Controller". Audi has the same setup with the MMI but is much more intuitive and easy to use (according to articles, haven't tried it myself) than both systems.

They have the new Comand in the S-Class and new C-Class, so there might be a good chance it'll make its way into the E. Personally, I didn't find it that bad at all. It was pretty easy to use and there were still a few shortcut buttons in the center console (in the S).

I think in terms of ease of use and 'intuituveness' I think general consensus is MMI > Comand > iDrive so I'm not complaining. It's a lot better than iDrive which although updated and eased up a bit, still unintuitive.

 

The manual calls it "COMAND controller". It is not like iDrive, not even BMW uses the original iDrive, they improved to towards what MB has now.

There is no other way really to have all the stuff controlled that can be controlled on e.g. the W221 except a menu based system like Comand. If you only had buttons, you would not have enough space in the front of the car. It is a lot more convenient to use the controller (I would call it 11-way navigator) than selecting menus from separate "soft keys". The most important part of the MB implementation is the availability of important short cut keys for most frequent settings.

I don't know if BMW has the IPR on the controller, it could equally be MB even if BMW came first, or it could be a parts supplier company (Siemens, Bosh, ...)

I have no problem with the phone keypad, I guess this all is quite much of a matter of taste after all.

 

Why don't use touch screen? Even iPod has touch screen now.

 

You can't. Europe mandates that nothing such as pressing virtual buttons on a screen take away from driving the car. Since this is a European car we - the US - get the 'benefits' of that rule.

That is also why all new MB models will have the same setup as the S and C have now with a knob behind the gear selector to navigate the COMAND system (-or whatever it is called in the new models).

 

Ok, now I see why iDrive is only European car feature. Americans and Japanese use touch screen instead. Anyway, I like more European way, since I can operate navigation when car in move.

 

I'm so glad you brought that up. Our portable navi has the option to lock all features when the car is in motion, when I first got it I forgot to disable that and it was so annoying having to pull over to do anything.

 

Last I checked Honda's could be used during movement.
Lexus's can't

 

thats why... awesome... I never had an answer to my friend who is a die hard acura fan...

Him: "you mean your $70k car doesnt have touch screen... its a total heap of *****"
Me: uh Im not sure why...

 

Hi Jim,

Sometimes, as we get older, we tend to fight the things that may or may not be progressive. Change is a hard thing to conceptualize and even harder to realize.

I hope I am not offending you, because, I say this with myself in mind. I have a Palm Treo 650 and like using it. I just never got the "ipod/ powerbook/ iphone bug. I constantly have to remind myself that the iphone/ ipod/ powerbook people are just seeking an alternative technology to the mainstream dell/ window/ palm market.

BMW's iDrive, Merc's Command Controller, Audi's MII all offer essentially the same thing. Intuitive-user friendly controls. I come from a BMW background, thus I always drive with one hand on the gear lever (just in case I want to down shift around a corner).

Features such as Command Controller, offer easy access to everything in your car without you having to shift around in your seat, especially if you are driving long distances or you are a shorter person with shorter reach.

I, for one, sincerely hope they put it into the W212, as BMW has in their 3, 5, 6 and 7 series.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that the w212 will exceed the majority of expectations and certainly include w221 proven/accepted technologies and more. Mark my words Dieter will not accept anything less!

 

I have used a friends new S Class and I found the I Drive quite easy to use and understand. It seems very intuitive. It surprised me that it seems quite a bit easier than reaching over to push buttons on the command.

 

Well .. I guess the most of you are probably right. On some things
I have been a “little” slow toward change.

But - I still can’t get out of my mind what an obtrusive, protruding
nuisance that phone thing was - that stuck up in the way! I simply
wanted to knock it off!

The rest of it, I'll take your advice and rethink it. Maybe, I'd like it
after a while. (I give in so easy.)

jimm

 

I am a tech and gadget *****, so this thread is perfect for me. I have tried all three of the systems mentioned above (MB COMAND Controller, Audi MMI, and the BMW iDrive) and I also just bought the touch screen iPhone.

The BMW iDrive is the worst, I'm sure everyone can agree on that, even after their "improvements." The Audi MMI is not bad, but it uses "soft keys" and the keys are on the console that correspond to functions on the screen. This requires you to take your eyes off the road and figure out where the soft key is. The Mercedes COMAND Controller is the best. It is incredibily intuitive, I was able to sit down the first time and get to any menu or function that I desired--I cannot say that for any other system I have ever used in a car.

Touch screens are nice, and I can tell you the one on the iPhone is outstanding, however it does present a problem when you are moving. If you try to type on the iPhone while walking you miss keys very frequently, more than if you were using an actual physical keyboard like on a BlackBerry. The same would be true in a car, you have to lean foward to reach the touch screen and then as your arm moves, because the car is moving, you have to hit the precise area on the screen. With the Mercedes system you keep your hand positioned on the knob and keep your eyes facing front. Also the Mercedes (and I think BMW too) have "resistance" so when you get to the end of your menu choices it will not allow you to turn the knob any further. Unfortunately the W204 C-Class does not have this resistance feature.

Even better than the knob style interface is the voice control system (called Linguatronic in Europe) on the W221 S-Class and W204 C-Class. This is the first voice control system in a car that works efficiently and without any prior training. You do not have to take your eyes off the road at all, you simply press the voice button on the steering wheel and can operate almost any function. The W204 system is even more advanced than the W221 and for the first time allows you to say full street and town names rather than spelling them out.

The voice system in Lexuses is the most irritating I have experieneced. You push the button on the steering wheel and everytime it says "After the beep please say a comand," and then it beeps. This wastes so much time, the Mercedes just makes a simple elegant beep noise and then you know you can speak.

 

Just order voice control and then you dont have to manage the dial.

 

Sounds good. Maybe I should lease the '08 that's on order and then go to Singelfingen to get a new W212.

 

In days - ‘08 E350 Sport, P2, Black/black,
Parktronic, Voice, Bluetooth, Burl Walnut,
Split rear seat, Rear mud flaps, nose star

jimm