stemags

Heres another on the topic,,,the secondary sun visor,,which Im really enjoying because I drive during the sunrise hours and now I can get coverage for the blaring sun while driving south!!
When did they add that little feature?
And while Im on it,,the "one touch" sunroof button,,very nice ,,and a little late for a car such as MB.

hyperion667

haha, I think I have used my sun visor about a dozen times, hehe.....
but if I'm not wearing some sun glasses forget it......
and YES on the one touch business too.....
I've never had a car that did that before now, not sure of that history either but I recall some friends in the past that had one touch down buttons, and I always wondered why they were one way you know?
I really get a kick out of the windows retraction when you leave your finger in there, that was a really cool feeling, and a bit exciting too, as if your hand would be tromped by the window and then......not......
haha

hyperion667

K-A

Being a $60K car has nothing to do with it really, as it's the same deal with the S-Class, and the SLS (if it has such a feature), etc.

Apparently it's a safety related situation as to why it doesn't move on its own, i.e if it got accidentally pressed while driving, or even while parked, moving the driver into a compromising position. It probably has more to do with litigation though.

captj3

My infiniti had the seats move automatically when using the memory button, it didn't work when moving. MB has a lot of catching up to do with the Japanese and their options. My e550 would still lag behind even if it was fully loaded compared to the other car manufactures.

golfster

On a positive note, the car is a comfortable place to sit while we're waiting for the seats and mirrors to adjust.

stemags

Jees I dont know how I missed this one,,and the main reason I will never remove the hood star.
I use it almost as much as the sterring wheel or the brakes. Im over 6' and I have the seat way back and low,,when Im driving I use the Star to tell me where the hell the right side of my car is in relation to the curb,,or the lane stripes,etc.Absolutely vital
Yeah if I moved the seat up I could do without the aid of the ornament,,but then I'd mess up my coiff.

hyperion667

Originally Posted by MCF
Good trick, but Jesus for a $60k car we I have to press and HOLD 3 to get my seat and mirrors correct as its my wife's car. That takes about 8 seconds of holding. Then I have to press and hold 2 to back up. That takes about 2 seconds. Then to go forward press and hold 3 again. This car has a lot of shortcomings for a $60k car.


LOL, this is why you're blocked from my view, LOL

MCF

As are you jackass....now why don't you go troll the AMG forum you ****.

CEB

You're in good company at least. Methinks that hyper has most everyone blocked so he's holding conversations with himself.

golfster

can we, can we all get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sONfxPCTU0

CEB

There is actually a good reason why both mirrors don't move down on reverse. The driver's side mirror does not move so that you can still see oncoming traffic. Since parallel parking on the off side is unusual, the work around of setting the third memory for those unusual circumstances works quite well and will be infrequently used.

My sister's RL has both mirrors moving down and it is quite distracting when trying to park.

captj3

There is more to life than mirrors that move when in reverse. I actually shut that off when I had my FX50. A luxury vehicle like MB should have all the features that other companies have as standard equipment. Now don't get me wrong I really like my MB, but it is lacking in options and features that I have been use to for the last 20 yrs.

CEB

What features in particular are you "missing" in the MB?

Quite frankly, German cars in general have fewer "features" but the ones they have are generally well thought out and implemented better than the ones on lesser cars.

For example - most every car has cruise control, but what cars outside of European cars have cruise that slows you to your preset speed when driving downhill?

captj3

First let me start with this being the first european car that I have owned. I have learned the hard way and should have ordered the car with the right options. Live and learn.
My FX 's cruise worked like that as well. The mirrors, all around viewing cameras, seats that move back on exiting, real a/c seats, memory seat buttons that work with one push instead of holding them, Bi xenon headlights should be standard. It is more the small things that a 60k+ car should have as standard. There is more. Hopefully this gives you an idea where I am coming from.

CEB

German car manufacturers (and German drivers) have a different view on what should be "standard" in a car. The things that you are describing are either intentional (having to hold the memory buttons assures that you are watching to see that nothing gets pinched and an accidental push won't cause issues) or just a "nice to have" feature that brings nothings towards the goal of driving - getting from point A to point B quickly and safely.

I remember being told by a MB executive that MB will never have an adjustable steering column as it is currently in the perfect position. Why would anyone want cup holders?

Remember also, that most of those things are available as options and - given the quality of the basic car - would price the car in the same range as a basic car in Germany.

Suzuki makes a nice cheap car with lots of gadgets. It is priced in the mid $20k range. The switchgear feels cheap (because it is) and the overall quality screams " great for a mid $20k car."

You get what you pay for.

ImInPA

Based on a number of threads on this site, I am surprised more have not listed the Owners Manual as least used...lol

ImInPA

CEB, I recently had a Suzuki Kizashi as a rental car. Not much screens cheap in that vehicle. Very similar to an A4 in ride and feel. Nice interior and soft touch everywhere. Great effort.

mnje350

^^ Exactly ^^,

These cars are designed to be driven at Autobahn speeds in excess of 100 mph. Asian cars and automotive engineers do not think in the same world as the European automobile engineers. Having the seats move automatically by pushing a button could be a disaster if you are driving at 120 MPH and concentrating on the environment changing at a rate faster than 60 yards per second. If you accidentally bumped the button and the seat moved you away from the controls it might be the last move you make.

If you are not familiar with what prolonged high speed driving is like, with traffic moving at speeds significantly slower and faster than you are, take a trip to Germany some time and try it. Believe me, you don't spend a lot of time adjusting the seat, fiddling with controls, except the essentials, drinking coffee, eating a sandwich, or doing anything other than concentrating on the road. In fact, when experiencing autobahn driving, you appreciate all of the little things that are designed in to the car so you don't have to take your concentration away from what is in the windshield.

That being said, with the car in park, the seat could move automatically when the memory button is pressed. Or, if they synced a memory position to a specific key the way Toyota does it, it would be a nice feature. Not being a party to the MB engineering team I speculate that perhaps they are worried about stray RF signals causing the seat to move. If you have to wait for the seat to adjust while the car is motionless, why does it matter if you have to hold the button? Conversely, it is nice to have an auto up feature on power windows. This was designed in to the European cars before it was available on Asian cars; I still don’t think that it is offered in many American cars. The idea is you only have to have your finger on the up switch for an instant and you can put your hands back on the steering wheel where they belong. You design things differently when they are supposed to be driven to the extreme.

We don't really come close to using the potential or appreciate the engineering that these cars are designed for in the American driving environment. For that reason, it is hard to understand why MB does some of the things they do. Drive one at 120 mph with traffic pulling out in front of you or stopping suddenly and you will know why MB, and BMW and Audi for that matter, do what they do. Some of it is certainly marketing but a lot of it has to do with what you think about at up to 250 KPH in a family sedan.

captj3

Comparing what I said to a 20k Suzuki is going overboard a bit. Maybe you are not familiar with the Infiniti FX50 60k+. Build quality is on par with MB even though you may not think so. As for the memory button moving the seat forward at a touch, did you miss the part where I said you could not do it when the vehicle is in motion.

As for wheel position MB has to move with the times to sell cars in the US market.


mnje350

My Fx was rock solid at 100+ mph. Don't be fooled because it is Asian that they can't handle the autobahn. If I had the opportunity I would love to spend some time @ 120 mph. I'm still a little miffed that the speed limiter is set at top speed of 130 mph on my E class, most other vehicles are set at 155 mph.

K-A

Exactly. M-B's and German cars in general have never been known to be the most technologically savvy/innovative in modern times, the Japanese usually do tech better. The Germans build better cars, they engineer their cars superiorly (usually), there's an underlying sense of solidity, power, and weight in how they operate. I've driven many Japanese cars, and even the highest ranges (Lexus) don't operate with the substantiality that a good M-B does, although the Lexus might have more gizmos.

I don't understand the "This or that should be standard in a $whateverK car".

You can get a helluva lot of things in a loaded $30K car, cameras, rearview this or that, etc. So what should a base $90K S-Class do then? Fly? A Base S-Class doesn't come with all that many gizmos itself.

The E-Class is designed to be a $50K car at its core. It's engineered with that price point in mind, without the goodies. An Infiniti XYZ will be engineered to a lesser starting point, however, of course, once you add the Options, it will equal the price of an E, and offer more of said goodies. Just like an E Optioned out to $100K (E63 optioned out) will have more to offer for the buck than a base S550.

mnje350

Make no mistake, i am not, "fooled" by anything. While admit, I have not driven an Asian car on the autobahn for several weeks at a time the way I have driven Audi, Volvo, BMW and MB, I have driven Lexus and Infinity to a lesser extent. I have owned the flagship models of Toyota and Nissan. Asian quality is impeccable in many regards but they have not engineered automobiles for the extreme driving conditions in Europe with anywhere near the experience the Europeans have. My point is that the Europeans have "only" designed cars for extreme driving environment.

Getting to 100 mph is different from sustained 100+ driving with traffic driving at that speed and at speeds 50 mph slower, oh and keeping any out for the turbo Carrera catching you at 60 MPH faster than you. There is no other environment anywhere in the world with driving like that.

I agree that there are things that MB must do to sell cars in the US. And the Asians do things very well, especially for the American driving experience. Autobahn determines many of the engineering decisions MB makes.

CEB

You're right, that was a bad comparison. How about a CTS?

chrisvr6

My Lexus have one touch memory seats and it is such a pain in the *** to not have them. My wife and i switch off daily. And, no the lexus won't adjust the seats in drive. What is this safety bs the germans are talking about with that?

CEB

Another thing to consider is that MB is generally a very conservative company and focuses on tweaking features to make them better rather than add new features that don't contribute to making driving safer.