Just took delivery of my new E500 today - I absolutely love it. I'm thinking of adding navigation and the phone option. I see several messages about Nav being available in 03. Anyway to add the phone option on my own or after market? Dealer wanted a fortune to add. Any other options or choices to save a couple buck, I spent all on the car!

 

Congratulations and good luck. You will enjoy it more each drive.

You might check with the dealer to see if you can add the navigation deal at $1625 (including dealer installation) now even though you took delivery. When available in '03 it will be $2125 factory installed. There may be an add-on for installation for dealer installed and you don't do the deal now.

I don't know about the phone. Their's is expensive at $2595 dealer installed including voice activation. But we have it on our '03 SL and it is fabulous. I am sure you can get a cell phone installed elsewhere with some car kit for less. But, I doubt you can get the voice activation or integrated controls (radio mutes when you make or receive a call, etc.). I think it is worth it.

 

Also, You should remember that COMMAND II is probably going to come with bluetooth built in. The selection of bluetooth phones is pretty poor in the US right now....but you can pick up a phone like the Sony-Ericsson T68i with Bluetooth for $300 ($ 50 if you do a one year deal with T-Mobile). Its a 10x better phone than the MB V60, and it's an arm and a leg cheaper, even at $300. Also, the lack of bluetooth phones will change soon...Motorola has already announced that they will make batteries enabled with bluetooth for their phones....so just pop the battery on, and you have a bluetooth enabled product. Either way, you'll get the freedom of a seemless, wireless connection; anytime you step foot in your car with the phone on you.

 

I saw Sony-Ericsson T68i for $149 at Fry's (ATT) couple weeks ago. So, probably in Januray you could get this phone with subscription for free.

 

Bluetooth will allow you connectivity, but will it provide integration with the steering wheel controls and dashboard display?Somehow I doubt it. Those are the reasons I elected the MB phone option.

 

I paid through the nose for COMAND, phone, and voice control.

I can't say I can justify the money, but I don't regret the purchase. They combination is immensely cool!

If you can get over the ridiculous price and just go for it, then do it! I'd do it again (and plan to, next year ... E55 ... Yum!)

 

My time fooling around trying to get something else to work with the MB system is just not worth it. Whatever I would save by going aftermarket non-MB would undoubtedly end up costing me more in aggravation ("I am sorry sir, it is an MB problem" followed by "I am sorry sir, it is a XYZ Cellular problem" etc,) and probably money (my time=money). In addition, the warranty covers all of that functionality for 4 years and 50,000 miles. For me, well worth it.

 

pic of new COMMAND

 

The flip side though is that if you can make the Bluetooth phone work, typically the phones are far, far superior to a V60. For example, the T68i has internet access, picture capability (with additional module, etc).

I would really like to have anyone's input that may already have seen COMANDII in Europe or early development, etc., because if this Bluetooth support is there, I may cancel the phone option before my car is built.

One more thing with Bluetooth is that you would not even have to take the phone out of your pocket to integrate with the car (assuming it works as rumored). The Bluetooth (kind of like a wireless LAN) should be able to automatically talk to the COMAND system from your pocket and integrate with the car.

 

Wow, that bluetooth would solve the problem we encouter in our '03 SL of forgetting the phone in the cradle when we get out of the car. But, does it still integrate into the functions and use the antenna?

 

I would expect it to integrate, unknown about the antenna....but this is why it would really be nice if there is someone with more knowledge about the situation to jump in here.....just to step back for a minute, has anything official from MB confirmed that the COMAND II will have Bluetooth access, or is this still a rumor that is everywhere on the internet..

 

Yes, it will. Steering wheel controls are controled by the actual head unit. Think of the phone as a wireless router, and your cars system as the computer connectig to the router. Funtions of dialing, hanging up, and so on are controled the car it self.....the bluetooth in this case is simply providing a cellular connection.

However, nothing is 100%, and the head unit might not even have bluetooth.

 

Does anyone see the slot where CD's would go? I cant seem to see it in that picture.

 

Too dark with the shadows. I'd like to see a straight on shot. BTW, just compare this beautiful interior with that of the spy shot of the New 5 series. The new e wins hands down IMO.

 

I found this site, but it is completely in German. Anyone speak German out there want to give us forum members a quick summary.

http://www.mercedes-benz.com/d/cars/...ck/comand.html

 

You can use use altsvista.com to translate the whole webpage (just copy the URL). However, thats the old COMMAND system, not COMMAND II.

 

Because of the above link, I took a look at the german site also...i found some good news, and bad news...first off, that site is listing COMMAND II on the "build your own" section. I take that as meaning the NAV unit isnt too far off for us. But the bad news is, I also found a pic....which doesnt show a second slot. So unless the DVD/NAV disc is hidden away (like most other NAV units), people who didnt order the changer are going to be really pissed.

 

If you go the MB in the UK and go to the E and then features. then select "telematics" and the Comand APS

They are showing the same picture as above, althou they are not calling it Comand II they are describing it as a "complete overhaul"

In additon they describe two units:

The operating system (Comand)

and a navigational module located in the "boot" (which we call the trunk!)

They go on to describe DVD map with many countries in them!.

Also on the October 11, 2002 German Cars fans site the describe the Comand II as having a seperate slot for VIDEO DVD and AUDIO CD.

They do not state this slot is for NAVIGATIONAL DVD!

GCF go on to say an optional TV monitor in the rear can be added to allow the rear passengers to watch TV whilst a differnt funtion is in use for example the navigational system or radio.

I believe the Navigational DVD is in the trunk, and the single slot we all see in the front cabin is for VIDEO DVD or AUDIO CD.

Hopefully MB will be making a leap forward with this new system.

 

I've not read anything anywhere about 2 slots so I would guess that the 1 slot is the way this will work.

 

I made the previous post before reading MitchE500's post. MitchE500, can you post the links to German Car fans site?

 

Go to www.germancarfans.com

It was the October 11, 2002 date.

I can not find the link to the article, click on News and the have an archives section for older articles.

Althou when I tried it it did not go anywhere.

This aticle was about the New E55 but the Comand II is the same for the E320 and E500.

Sorry I can help further, also check out the info on the MB UK site.

 

Go the GCF the archives works, just takes a while after you select.

Sorry dont know how to copy the link

 

http://www.germancarfans.com/news.cf...011.002&Page=1

Try this link for the article on E55 and in depth on CommandII

Hope it works!