konigstiger

Much sportier look overall. Actually follows the angle of the door when viewed side by side. I like the stitching better, the cup holder is a well needed improvement, however do not care for the sliding door or chrome side strips. Most unacceptable is the removal of the armrest leaving only a narrow surface to rest one’s arm.

Baby Jocko

Yes, it is silent and smooth. But, I wonder how long that would last. It will get weight of your arm, and over time, that may affect the shape and movement of the door.

As I said, it may look pretty, but it is not functional as an armrest.

Baby Jocko

Here is a pic of the climate control. Notice no REST and several icons have changed.

alewifebp

My experience with those types of doors is that they begin to operate poorly after a while. So, it looks like you gain a useful cupholder design, but loose space in the compartment for things, and have an arm rest that is not really an arm rest that I would not want to lean too hard on. True, the previous design arm rest was not that great either. It took me a long time to remember which one is which, and it is not very comfortable as an arm rest. This was compared to my Lexus that had a sumptuous feeling arm rest, and usable cupholders and storage space, all at the *same* time.

Seriously, I don't know what they are thinking with this one. Hey, maybe this will be the encouragement to upgrade to the CLS, since it has the pre 05 center arm rest design.

Fastbuck

One of the things that this new design has got going for it is that you don't have the bother of lifting the arm rest lid upwards and behind you to be able to access things inside. The look will take a bit of getting used to though.

glojo

I am fascinated to read of drivers that actually drive resting their arm on the 'arm rest'.

I say this purely out of curiosity and I am certainly NOT criticising anyone. It just seems 'strange'.

Why have an arm rest if it is not to be used????

Is it there for the benefit and relaxation of the passenger?

What would you do as a driver if you did not rest your arm on the 'arm rest'

Regards to everyone,
John
Bed time in Torquay

Oops....... Thought I had best explain my curiosity.

I learnt to drive with the Royal Marines and the Sergeant driving instructor had a steel rod that he used as a 'reminder' and corrector of 'bad habits'

Woe betide anyone that dared to apply the handbrake without depressing thhe button, (one Royal Marine actually had a finger broken)

Hands not at 'Ten to Two'..... whack!!
Cross your hands whilst steering.... whack!!
One hand resting on the gear lever.... whack!!!

Hence my curiousity to speak to someone without 'bruised knuckles'


Goodnight all.
Me bad habits?????? No Sergeant, not me sergeant

Guest0001

Nope. This is the C-Class interior/ armrest. This is an 05, but my 03 has the same armrest.

CALBenzo

Definitely sleeker, but I prefer the older style and look. The cup holders are more functional for sure, but now there is less storage space, and no place for my Ipod (which I have mounted in the cup holder slot). Lastly, I like the additional wood finish. But for the cup holder, it seems like a step backwards.

Why is it MB has so much trouble designing a decent cup holder that can be integrated into the dash or console like every other manufacturer?

jrthiele

My sense is that the overall console height (and basic shape) is the same. I didn't measure it but I'd be surprised if it's much different. The rear air vent assembly looks identical and it needs to match up with those pre-existing parts so again I'd guess it's at least identical at the rear.

I enquired with the phnoe specialist at the delivery center store about the UHI cradle. I was obviuosly not the first to ask about it. He seemed very knowlegable and was strightforward. I didn't push it any further and accepted what he said. He claimed the problem with the US phone system was that it isn't just for GSM but must also accomodate CDMA, TDMA, and analog and that that makes it much more difficult for MB than just the GSM system they have for the European cars.

Barry45RPM

Good Pix! Its nice, It flows, its sporty looking in a "swoopy" sort of way and it looks like you have real, correctly designed cupholders! Pop a little tupperware cup in 1 of them & there's your change holder! A winner! Enjoy! The old shape is only 2 years old, (03-04)and you've got something nice there. We've all been screaming for good cup holders. Here they are for all markets! Nice! I wasn't sure at first, but the new pix are good.

ATS

I have seen both in person and although it looks nice in pics, the old one looks better.. As I said earlier the old style matches the interior, the new does not.. You really have to see it with the seats..

Also, as the person with the C class showed, their cup holder is outside of the interior console.

jprescott

Form meeting function is an important aspect of any car, luxury or basic. Most of us agree that the old cup holder and operation of the origional center arm rest left plenty of room for improvement. The new style gives up a bit of form (in my opinion) but shows tremendous gain in function. A step in the right direction.

DavidNJ

The chrome seam cover is tacky...it usually is used to cover a poorly fitting seam.

Other than the people on this board, I don't think anyone will notice it even changed.

The CLS does not have the old console, rather what I thought the new console was going to be with a single door on top.

And, Baby Jocko, that is a nice looking car!

akbro93704

the chrome strip looks very tacky and out of place, but the new console design looks better, but where the heck is the armrest?? I think they're trying to make it look more similar to the CLS, it's rear seat slider between the two seats looks very much like the one on your E--

PS--- What was the build date of your car?? It will say on the sticker on the bottom of the drivers door post when your open the door...

Baby Jocko

I only found a sticker that says "Manufactured in Germany 08/04."

ToyCollector, thanks!
DavidNJ, thanks!

F1Fan

Just fyi, I have an 05 with a build date of 06/04 and it has the older style center console.

ENEM

Having seen the pictures, I have to say it looks better to me. Very much a matter of taste, but I certainly would not be happy to have expected a car with the old arm rest and received one with something quite different.

BTW, did any one ever have a casual passenger who could get things out of the old centre console (underneath the phone?)

glojo

The pictures are excellent. How vunerable is the wood to scratching though. (I'm thinking obviously of cuff links etc)

Regards
John
Overcast morning in Torquay

Gunther

Hey BabyJocko --

I'm in Atlanta too....what dealer do you go to? Amazed they
did the switch for you!

TPAbnz

Thanks for the first super clear photos of this change. Let us know how you like it after living with it for a while. I'll admit, the cup holders look more functional.

plocjim

Overall the redesign is beginning to sink in and it's not that bad - the chrome seam cover looks way out of place, but other than that I'm beginning to warm up to the changes. Seems like a loss of storage space in the console, but the cup holders at least look functional - the passenger won't be banging into their cup! Still don't know where I'd put my right elbow when I drive...but that's minor!

ATS

I would say that is a pretty big thing.. The benz is set-up so that your right and left elbow fit perfectly on the armrests and your hands in the side part of the wheel.. It is a perfect fit. Although.. The leather is a nice thing and I know there isn't much you can do to change the console.

Can you put your elbow on the edge of the new armrest comfortably?

DWP

I'm not quite ready to ask the dealer to swap my '03 console for the new version, but based on the better pictures, I could get to like the new one. My arms are short (32" sleeve) so I'm not in the habit of resting my right arm/elbow on the console anyway. We also don't eat or drink in the car (no chilled candy bars in the lower compartment) and so the option of removing the cupholder unit and putting the space to better use is attractive. Our '03 console is basically two separate collections of junk (pens, pencils, credit card receipts, gum, spare change, etc.) and there is something to be said for having the junk collected in one pile.

That's assuming that the tambour door continues to be smooth and quiet in operation. If it starts to rattle or jamb, fugettaboutit.

pa28pilot

My dealer had one new car come in with the new console style, so I raced over to check it out yesterday. I am pretty dependent on an arm rest as mentioned earlier, and the console, while not unattractive (except for the chrome seam cover, IMHO), is not much use as an arm rest. The downward slope to the front made my arm slide down to the shifter lever. I would also worry about cufflinks scratching up the door.

I don't want to jinx the process by saying too much too soon, but my dealer (who is both creative and responsive) seems to have found a mechanism by which I can get an actual armrest console hopefully without spending too much.

I'll get to experience driving with the new style console when I take delivery in Germany, so I have time to decide whether I can stand the new one, but the odds aren't good for it.

CALBenzo

I really like having two separate compartments for my junk. The upper one is for just junk, and the lower one is for really junky junk.