atsf

Due to suggestions, I’ve consolidated my four part review posted previously, provided [UPDATES between brackets] and added a new COMAND Overview/Tips section about 1/3 of the way through. This is a lengthy post, please view it as a reference and search for subjects important to you.

Over the years, I've benefited greatly from this forum, so I hope to return the favor a bit by posting a detailed review of my 2015 E400. I initially posted this review in four parts.

The Car:
2015 E400, Lunar Blue Metallic, Silk Beige Leather
Sport Package, Adaptive Lighting Package
Premium, Keyless Go
Ventilated Seats, Active Multi-contour Seats
Driver Assistance Package, Parking Assistance Package
Coming from a 2006 BMW 550i Sport with Active Roll Stabilization

Summary:
All-around great car. Competent handling & acceleration, beautiful interior, nothing gimmicky in my opinion about any of the features. Hard to go wrong with this choice unless you want something very specific out of your vehicle. A little louder and a little more vibration than I’d expected, including compared to the 2015 E350. [UPDATE: If a smooth ride is very important, e.g. because you deal with bad urban roads, it’s important to get the Luxury rather than the Sports suspension which you will find too choppy]. If looking to save money, I would suggest the following compared to my build, in order and presuming availability: get the 350 instead of 400 (you won’t miss much in terms of engine performance); drop the leather/ventilated/multi-contour seats (standard interior is quite nice and the Premium package gives you heated seats); drop Parktronic package (it’s mainly the 360 camera piece of the Package that’s useful and then in urban driving, and Premium already gives you a rear view camera)

The engine/drivetrain:

Smooth and competent. Not as linear as a BMW: the MB requires an accelerator kickdown or running in Sport mode to show off its power, which in all modes is much more than adequate for any daily driving and passing situations, including on steep hills. Shifts are imperceptible. Generally, very satisfying. I’m not a fan of engine noise, and wish there was less of it. It’s not unpleasant, but I find the E400 sounds more like the E250 Blutec than the E350 gas engine. Note the E400 comes with a different tire package than the E350 (wider in the rear). I should say that despite my recent sedans’ engines, I’m not a big-engine guy. If you are, you’ll like it even more. [UPDATE: Engine start/stop is unobtrusive and better than my experience with BMW & Audi’s versions.]

Handling/suspension:

Lovely. The car doesn’t have the tightness/stiffness of some sport suspensions, but it also never feels perturbed. Plunge it into a corner, and it will dip a bit but then stay composed in that stance throughout. On badly maintained urban roads, you feel and hear the surface, but no harshness shows up in the cabin. A curious note: my kids say the back seat ride is similar to the 550i (i.e. as stiff/bumpy). This may be because the seats haven’t broken in yet, and I had put better tires on the 550i (Michelins) than come stock with my E400 (Continentals). [If comfort is major priority and you drive and poorly maintained roads, you need to get the Luxury package and its suspension].


Interior / Exterior:

The leather seats, the stitchings on the door and on the dashboard (the latter’s leather is dark brown) are high quality and elegant in the opinion of my wife, who has the better eye for such things. Everybody loves the Lunar Blue / Silk Beige leather combination. The Beige tends to run on the dark side. I will try to post photos later.

I like the accessible MB layout more than BMW’s or Tesla’s, although they are all beautiful and endearing in their own way. For example, I prefer seat adjustments on the door, rather than hidden out of view like the BMW’s, and similarly I prefer a button on the ceiling for the sunroof rather than access through the “iPad” screen on the Tesla. [UPDATE: I miss the BMW’s ability to save each drivers settings in their keys and re-set the car upon entry.] The MB screen, evidently the smallest in the luxury category, doesn’t bother me except a bit when using the parking cameras.

In general, MB cabin amenities are a better match for my preferences than other manufacturers in terms of utility lighting, storage compartments, ergonomics, function access via buttons and similar amenities. For example, storage tends to be ample, no compartment is overly huge, and neither is too “specialized” for holding one thing or another. As another example, trunk lighting is on the sides of the trunk, pointing deep into the interior, versus on the trunk hood and at a sub-optimal angle when the trunk is open on some other brands.

I find the aggressive grill, giant star and the rear spoiler a bit off-putting, but they’ve gotten complements from a diverse group of people, which indicts my boring taste rather than the cars design!

Premium Package:

The navigation system has accurate maps, displays them clearly (once you change the settings to eliminate some of the POIs from the default display), directions are accurate and the re-routing for traffic conditions acceptable (not as good as Waze, though). Biggest annoyance: far too many re-routing suggestions, often to save only 1 or 2 minutes. Minor complaint: it takes too many clicks to get to some frequently used items, such as Home destination. Voice recognition for addresses is excellent, especially after using the “training” function available in the voice settings.

The HK Logic 7 audio system included in Premium is excellent. The quality of iPhone media and Satellite radio broadcasts really comes through. Adjustments (balance, fader, etc.) are easy to access and intuitive.

iPhone integration is works just fine but short of BMW’s: you can’t activate Siri via the steering wheel and incoming text messages are harder to get to. Phone calls / manual Siri activation works well via bluetooth. For best media access results, it helps to plug in the media cable rather than to use the Bluetooth Audio interface.

Less-than-intuitive is how various functions are broken down between the instrument cluster display (ICD), the dashboard screen (DS) and how they are accessible via various buttons. For example, cabin ambiance lighting adjustments are only accessible via the ICD, the clock settings are only via the DS, and so on. Multi contour and massage settings are accessible via the DS, with a shortcut button by the COMAND controller (rather than by the seat adjustment buttons on the door). And so on. More about this in the COMAND section below.

Professional reviews of COMAND often complain about how slow the system it is. I don’t have a point of comparison with a recent model competitor, but I don’t find the system slow at all, except when accessing MB Apps, which are painfully slow to start up.

Miscellaneous Premium features: Voice control for general COMAND use is effective but you need to get used to “Global” versus “Local” commands; seats heat up rapidly; folding rear seat implementation is excellent with releases in the trunk; power window shade is good looking and operates smoothly but slowly.

*** NEW SECTION: COMAND OVERVIEW AND TIPS ***

As mentioned above, the system is perfectly suitable for basic functions, and no less intuitive than most similar auto systems (Tesla is the stand-out IMO). There are some novel and unique functions, but COMAND (and as an aside, the auto parking feature) has a habit of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Here are some of the system’s features/shortcomings: excellent voice recognition once you train it a bit, but this is the only way to input NAVI addresses on the move; the screen is small but very sharp with good color palettes; NAVI traffic info requires a monthly fee (free on BMW, Tesla, amongst others); no ability to activate Siri from the steering wheel or see text messages automatically in the Instrument Cluster; no heads up display available; excellent ability to import huge music libraries; push-button easy-line-of-site access on the dashboard (rather than center console) to critical functions, e.g. NAVI. Bonus: the CD player also plays DVDs when the car is in Park. We keep a children’s movie in the CD player in case of an “emergency.”

In my opinion, the system is neither good enough nor bad enough to influence the purchase decision. As such, I’ll focus on observations that will help new owners save time in adapting to the system.

I suggest new owners do the following immediately:
- Eliminate many of the default points-of-interest (POIs) to clean up the NAVI view
Turn off audible updates of traffic conditions (way too frequent in urban areas)
Find the “User Manual” under the Globe icon in the upper right of the COMAND System screen as this resource is much more comprehensive than the print booklet
Presuming you’re an iPhone and prioritize accessing media on your phone, get an extension cord so your phone can rest near the cupholder area while connected to the Media Interface inside the center armrest storage, thereby also enabling “Hey Siri” access
Unless some offering is crucial to you, forget about MB Apps which are painfully slow to start up, and seem like a pot-shot at a “recurring revenue model” that charges a monthly fee.

Some insights on phone/media functions that will hopefully assist you in starting with the configuration that’s right for you:

- If phone functionality is of primary concern, the Bluetooth connection works consistently (we use an iPhone 5s and 6) and speakerphone quality is good enough for client calls at highway speeds. In this mode, Siri is accessible through the car speakerphone by manually pressing the phone’s Home button. Phone media will not stream, although strangely Google Maps and Waze audio will come through the car speakers, but not Apple Maps or other native app audio.
If a mainly “static” music library is important to you, I recommend you download your library to a memory card (e.g. an SD Card) and leave it plugged into the Memory Card interface on the dashboard. This gives you access independent of phone set-up and you can select music via COMAND. COMAND handles nested folders nicely, so I recommend you consolidate your music into folders (by genre, for example) for easy access.

If streaming audio or protected media (e.g. most audio books) are important to you, plugging your phone into the Media Interface is likely optimal. The 10GB Music Register, Bluetooth Audio, Media Interface, and the USB Interface are described below.

The Music Register is a defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory feature: media on this 10GB driver is easily searchable (including decently so from Voice Command), is intuitively accessible, and can’t be moved/stolen like the Memory Card, but here’s the catch: the ONLY way to get media on to the Register seems to be by ripping tracks from a CD inserted into the dashboard slot. In other words you would need to burn your music library onto CDs, then import them at the rate of several minutes per CD onto the Register. I did this with a handful of CDs that my wife appreciates, making the Music Register her personal, uncluttered media repository. Beyond that, it’s just too much of a hassle to populate the Music Register.
Bluetooth Audio delivers the audio through the car speakers but you have to select media on the phone — they’re not accessible through COMAND. Also, I find that I have to manually reconnect Bluetooth Audio almost every time, even though the Bluetooth phone pairing takes place automatically. Siri remains accessible through the car speakerphone via manual activation using the phone’s Home button. Every audio source I’ve tried gets delivered through the speakers (native apps e.g. Podcasts, as well as third party apps such as Google Maps and The Economist spoken articles).
The Media Interface and USB Interface are both accessible via supplied outlets and cables in the center console armrest. You can plug your phone into either connection, while the USB Interface can also be used in the same manner as the Memory Card Interface to plug in a memory stick. Both will charge your phone and will enable “Hey Siri” hands-free access (which requires your iPhone be plugged in). Neither interferes with phone functionality via BlueTooth. The Media Interface allows the use of COMAND to select media from your phone’s native apps (including Podcasts, but not iTunes Radio), but activating Siri can cause stability problems which require rebooting the phone. USB Interface doesn’t allow media selection via COMAND (you need to directly manipulate the phone) but causes fewer stability problems when accessing Siri. One hint: mute media audio via COMAND, then access Siri. This seems to reduce occurrences of instability.

General tip: any media on the Music Register, on a Memory Card or on a USB stick needs to be “unprotected” to be accessible. Otherwise, the media needs to be on an authorized device, i.e. you must connect your iPhone via an interface or via BlueTooth. Generally, iTunes music files are unprotected. However, for tracks purchased more than a couple years ago, you may have to delete the tracks and re-download them via iTunes Match — this will make sure your library files are in “unprotected” formats. Copy your music files onto an SD card or USB stick, organize the files into folders, and they’ll be readable by the various COMAND interfaces. Note audio book files are almost always protected, so you need to stream them from your phone via one of the noted connections.

Two final notes on media: Voice Command can search for music by name, artist, etc. for any files that are accessible via the Music Register, Memory Card, USB stick or Media Interface but not files that are on a phone connected via BlueTooth Audio or USB Interface. A defeat-from-victory stumble: the excellent Voice Command can’t understand “FM 88.5”: you need to first ask for radio mode and then ask for the station. This is about 7 years behind BMW.

For Navigation, remember that to display soft-key menus on the screen, you need to press the COMAND controller. The RPT soft-key at the bottom of the screen repeats the last audible navigation instruction. The Destination soft-key allows you to input waypoints and record your route amongst many other things. A great feature is the ability to display a Google Street View of the destination which you can scroll around with the COMAND controller. Defeat-from-victory alert: this is only accessible in the destination input screen and never again once you’ve started navigation. Too bad, as it’s one function that might have justified at least part of the optional monthly subscription fees. Also inexplicable is the inability to use addresses from the Phone Book (note the Tesla can access your calendar for navigation purposes).


The Phone functionality works as expected. A useful feature is the ability to program the keypad on the center console for one-touch dialing, e.g. press and hold “9” for 911. The phone number is stored in the car, and so is independent of the connected phone. Also note a feature not highlighted by the manuals: all primary phone functions (“Dial Number”) can be directly accessed via Voice Control regardless of what function the COMAND is currently displaying. Ditto media interfaces (e.g. “FM radio” or “Bluetooth Audio”). This is notable because generally Voice Control offers choices that are a subsidiary of the displayed function, so for example “Enter Destination” is not recognized unless COMAND is in NAVI mode.

After a couple weeks, the various controls and functions become natural to use, somewhat surprising because the logic and division of labor between COMAND hard- and soft-keys, the Instrument Cluster (“IC”) display and steering wheel controls are a mess. For example, the IC has a number of screens which really should be part of the Settings menu in the COMAND display — why do I need to use steering wheel buttons to scroll left or right past 2 to 3 screens of settings-type info to get to the far more critical next-turn NAVI instructions? Also, the steering wheel buttons don’t default to controlling the selected media. For example, if I switch to radio via Voice Command or the COMAND display, I also have to manually select the media screen on the IC to be able to manipulate radio station pre-sets. Even if I were viewing NAVI next-turn instructions in IC, the steering wheel buttons are inert in that mode so I don’t see why they can’t select stations/media tracks. Another gripe: why is “Phone” one of the IC display modes you have to scroll past even when no phone calls are active? Yes, you can go through your phone book on the IC to select a number to dial, but how many people have a phone book small enough to make this practical? To give credit where it’s due: the dedicated phone buttons, including a mute (!), on the right side of the steering wheel, is a real plus.

MB has done a great job of placing physical buttons within eye-sight and easy reach. However, the relative placements and labeling make no sense and slow down the learning curve. For example, on the driver’s side of the COMAND display the following physical keys are present, in order: RADIO (for FM, AM, SAT), DISC (repeated pressing will scroll through media interfaces except those controlled by RADIO), NAVI, TEL, MUTE, SYSTEM, DIAL and HANG UP. The soft keys in the COMAND display are, in order, NAVI, AUDIO (which includes all functions accessible by the RADIO and DISC hard-keys), PHONE, and VIDEO (which only works if there’s a DVD in the CD drive which is otherwise controlled by the AUDIO menu). If this paragraph is hard to read, it’s because it’s hard to write a couple sentences with parallel logic, as the logic is missing in the layouts. I can understand some of the re-segmentation between RADIO hard keys and AUDIO soft-keys, but why change the ordering, i.e. why is NAVI third in the hard key sequence but first in the soft keys? Why is it a “TEL” hard key but a “PHONE” soft-key? And why are the MUTE, SYSTEM, DIAL and HANGUP physical keys clustered together with the TEL physical key above them? Last gripe-y example: the SYSTEM button pulls up a screen where the soft-keys I described above are listed at the top. Along the bottom, you have SETTINGS which does what it says; TIME which sounds like it should activate a clock function, but rather pulls up a clock settings menu because a clock is already displayed; 360 CAMERA which actually activates the camera function with no settings available; and SEATS, which pulls up a menu of combined settings and function activations.


KeyLess Go:

Works as similar systems do. Not much to report other than intuitive and reliable operation so far. For our E400, KeyLess Go does not include the Electronic Trunk Closer (it became a standard part of the package last week). We don’t have the ETC option but don’t miss it too much: the trunk door is light and very well balanced for easy manual operation.


Ventilated Seats / Active Multi-contour

All the functionality is meaningfully and unobtrusively implemented. You can’t really hear or feel the ventilation come on, but you can tell the seat is getting cooler. I’m guessing it would be able to reduce but not eliminate the side effects of hot/humid weather. The air bladders and massage functions are quite noticeable when adjusted/activated, with a wide degree of useful adjustability. The massage is two rollers that run up and down each side of your spine. I don’t have much experience with long distance driving with this vehicle yet (~ 2 hours max drive length) to vouch for the usefulness for that application, but it’s not obvious that these things will make a difference. Note the air bladder functions are not storable as part of the seat memory, and so less useful for situations like ours when multiple people use the same car. Also note both of these are only available for the driver.

Adaptive Lighting

Three major features here: curve-following headlights and turn-illuminating fog lamps; automatic high beams; LED lights.

The curve- and turn-related functions work as expected. They are responsive with an excellent field of light. If you haven’t had them before, they provide a significant improvement in safety in my opinion in urban and country settings and probably justify this option package on their own.

The automatic high beams work extremely intuitively although a bit more conservatively than desirable. Taking into consideration vehicle speed, ambient light, and vehicles in front, the beams switch to high almost exactly in the same circumstances that you would want them too, with a soft transition by default and a rapid one when needed (approaching car crests a hill and suddenly comes into view). The caveats, in order: speed needs to be ~30 mph or greater, ambient light from a convenience store on an otherwise dark road can prevent high beam activation, and vehicles at distances that would seem insensitive to my high beams sometimes prevent activation. I don’t find the caveats to be major detractors of the Packages value: high beams at <30mph certainly increase confidence but not really reaction time, and I can see the rationale for being conservative when there’s any danger of blinding other drivers (on the road or if they are turning in from a convenience store stop). [UPDATE: to activate auto high beam, set light turn-switch to “Auto” and push the “high beam” stalk on the steering wheel stock back. A high beam icon with an “A” will appear in the instrument display.]

The LED lights run a little more white/blue than Xenons and Halogens. I’ve noticed red reflectors look a little purple in this lights and sometimes the edges of the light field appear with a blue tinge in my peripheral vision. I don’t think “LED” is the main value point in this package.


Driver Assistance Package

Excellent implementation and utility, at least for my uses. There are three features that interact with the driver frequently: Distronic Plus with Steering Assist (DPSA), Active Blind Spot Assist (ABSA), Active Lane Keep Assist (ALKA).

DPSA is a distance-sensitive cruise control as has been available for years, but with an ability to steer the car in most circumstances. It functions like “curve sensitive” steering: in the same way that variable-ratio and speed-sensitive steering alter steering response in particular scenarios, when the car senses an upcoming turn it only requires a nudge from the driver in that direction for the car to provide most of the required steering input from that point on. The steering input isn’t a full-time function, DSPA needs to be active. The system requires your hands on the wheel at speeds greater ~25 mph, but will steer without assistance below that speed. Activation is intuitive and easy via the cruise control stalk. I’ve been surprised at how often I use the system and how much it contributes to reducing fatigue.

One way to evaluate the usefulness of DPSA to you is to note where it works best (almost-stop & go traffic, highway speeds, country roads) and where it’s least useful (roads with controlled intersections & stop signs; circumstances with frequent lane changes by others). This categorization is drive by certain limitations/quirks: from an extended stop DPSA accelerates the car too late and too slowly compared to a human; doesn’t recognize red lights and stop signs; is late recognizing traffic moving into the MB’s lane resulting in disconcertingly late automatic braking; [UPDATE: can confuse traffic moving out of the lane with a turn in the road; occasionally accelerates and decelerates too aggressively when spacing changes suddenly]. The first issue, the delay in getting the car going from a full stop can be counteracted with manual acceleration (this doesn’t disable DPSA, which picks up where you leave off), so it’s not a show-stopper but still a detraction. The red light/stop sign shortcoming means that you will be manually breaking often when faced with them, which deactivates DPSA, and requires that you re-start the it via the control stalk — again not a big deal, but it interrupts the serenity that the system buys you in more suitable circumstances. Note the red light limitation goes away if you’re behind another car at the light (presuming it stops at the light!). The system’s abruptness in handling lane changes by other cars makes me too nervous to use it in lane merge scenarios (e.g. major lane consolidation when approaching a bridge or tunnel). Generally, object detection is highly reliable (i.e. DPSA will maintain the appropriate distance to the car in front in day and night, and regardless of road markings ). The steering assist is not quite as reliable: low light and complex road markings can confuse it a bit, especially if there’s no car to follow. These steering shortcomings are not major, they just mean what should already be obvious: YOU are still driving the car.

ABSA and ALKA augment the typical visual/audible/tactile warnings with steering interventions (executed via asymmetric braking). The ABSA in my opinion is the least elegantly implemented of the various systems: the red warning triangle in the mirrors light up at highway speeds whenever someone is in the blind spot, regardless of whether you’ve activated a turn signal or are providing steering input for a lane change. You get two loud beeps if you activate your turn signal while the red indicator is lit. The indicator is fully off when no one is in your blind spot. At low speeds, it generally stays on with an amber color, just so “you remain cautious” according to the dealer tech. Annoying, as these are sizable and bright indicators. I haven’t had occasion to see the “Active” part in action on the ABSA, but I have in the ALKA: it is a quick, unobtrusive yank back toward the lane center. It happens with a speed and subtlety that leaves the related symbol in the instrument cluster as the most obvious indication that the car made an intervention. In less serious circumstances, the ALKA provides haptic feedback (similar to modest rumble strips), and it is quite reliable but when it errs, it tends to miss lane drift (especially onto the shoulder) rather than providing false warnings.



Parking Assist Package

This package includes Parktronic with Parking Assist, which has two major components: distance indicator lights on the dash and above the rear window (nicely visible in the rear view mirror) and automatic parking. I prefer MB’s indicator light system (with associated audible tones) to others I’ve seen: they are directly in your lines of sight out of the front and rear mirrors, with intuitive yellow/red lights to mark distance. The several yellow indicators begin lighting up at about 3-4 feet of separation, adding one red at ~12 inches and two red at ~ 6 inches. I live in a city and don’t feel like I need much else, but a quick glance at the rear view camera helps with confidence. However, I think most people will find the 360 degree camera view that also appears during parking to be very helpful, and possibly their primary resources parallel parking. The images are reliably synthesized, with complex environments an exception, e.g. a garage with bikes, garbage cans, etc. along the sides.

The automatic parking feature will, I’m guessing, be especially helpful to anyone with a physical limitation, e.g. a neck injury. I find the system to be fairly quick and accurate, but with an activation interface that is clumsy enough to substantially reduce the usefulness of the system. For example, you can’t manually force the system on. Rather, it has to auto-detect a suitably sized spot on the side, and that only happens at speeds <22.5 mph. The system offers its help once you’ve pulled up and put the car into reverse, but any slight action other than clicking the “Yes” button (e.g. inadvertent tap of the accelerator) will irretrievably deactivate the system.

The package includes 360 degree camera view which is independent of the Parktronic function and has turned out to be extremely useful, not just for parallel parking, but in all manner of circumstances, e.g. 90 degree parking with one-shot centering between the markings. For this reason, I have programmed the “Favorite” button by the COMAND dial to pull up a panel that includes this view (unfortunately, one more click is required to zoom in on the 360 view). You can also pull up other angles (to the sides, etc.) via icons at the top at the screen, but I find the combination of the tiny icons and COMAND controller fiddling that’s required to pull up those views too cumbersome to use during a typical parking workflow.