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2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by marzillo
Regarding the Superscreen, I think the value is dependent on your needs and what you value. I'll agree that it's not necessary strictly speaking, but it does add value. At the very least, it will add resale value if you ever decide to sell it. I ordered an E450 with the package and have a E350 lease with it as well. I think it will come in handy on road trips with a passenger in the car that can use it for their own entertainment. You are supposed to be able to watch some streaming services with it but I have not tried yet. You can also listen to a different audio source than what is being played in the car speakers on a Bluetooth headset. The passenger can operate the navigation system giving them easier access to it where they don't have to lean over to operate the touch interface. While not being used or when no passenger is in the seat, it can display some static images of E-Class cars but I don't know why anyone would want to do that. You can also have flying stars, a functional clock (analog with no numbers), and a functional compass. I use the latter and like having it there when driving. It's easy to see and includes elevation information.
If you price a 5 year old Mercedes on KBB.com you will see that two cars with the same mileage and same condition, but one fully loaded with a MSRP of $80,000 plus vs. a basic one at $65,000. the difference in value will be between $2K and 5K.
In other words options, like the superscreen loose most of their value over time.
As to your reason to have it:
On a road trip your passenger can watch a movie: imo, this could be the silliest reason to get the superscreen. Have you heard of conversation, a book or an iPad?
Streaming services: are you talking about when you are parked or again for your passenger? Remember for safety sake, the driver cannot see the screen.
Different audio: At home do you and your significant other in the same room watch different TV programs as well?
Navigation system: Yes, but if you need to input a different address, you could just pull over and do it or better yet use voice commands
Static images: Again for safety reason the screen is designed so that the driver can not see it. If there is no passenger, then who will be watching the static image?
Clock, compass, etc. Again for safety sake, the driver is not able to see these images. With no one else in the car, why bother.
To my mind, the superscreen is a total waste of money or worse, an answer to a question that no one has asked or an answer looking for a problem, plus when it breaks or malfunctions, it will cost a small fortune to repair and/or replace.
Just because Mercedes makes it, doesn't mean you should buy it!
If you price a 5 year old Mercedes on KBB.com you will see that two cars with the same mileage and same condition, but one fully loaded with a MSRP of $80,000 plus vs. a basic one at $65,000. the difference in value will be between $2K and 5K.
In other words options, like the superscreen loose most of their value over time.
As does the whole car. A car is not an investment and for the most part, buying a MB is an indulgence. There are plenty of other safe cars for far less.
Originally Posted by JTK44
On a road trip your passenger can watch a movie: imo, this could be the silliest reason to get the superscreen. Have you heard of conversation, a book or an iPad?
Of course I have and your snarky reply is not necessary. On a 12+ hour road trip, there is only so much time used for conversation and I would prefer to hear music. My wife and son, the two primary passengers if I were to be on a road trip get car sick if they read in the car. We don't use an iPad but, we have android tablets. Perhaps some do not want to hold one over long periods of time. The extra screen just provides another option and since we are all different, options are good.
Originally Posted by JTK44
Streaming services: are you talking about when you are parked or again for your passenger? Remember for safety sake, the driver cannot see the screen.
No, when you are driving and I'm fully aware of the fact the driver cannot see the entertainment being displayed on the screen. I have one. Do you?
Originally Posted by JTK44
Different audio: At home do you and your significant other in the same room watch different TV programs as well?
Of course not, that would be silly. I have a home theater room that I use when I want to watch something different from my wife while she is in the main living room. Believe it or not, we don't always want to watch the same things and we don't like all the same music. We have a lot in common and our music preferences are similar but not exact. Of course, she or any passenger can always listen to music from their phone with ear buds or headphones and you do not need the car to provide that function but again, options.
Originally Posted by JTK44
Navigation system: Yes, but if you need to input a different address, you could just pull over and do it or better yet use voice commands
Again, options. Sometimes the passenger wants to be the co-pilot and navigation is a function of that. If you want to pull over or use voice, have at it. I'll use my voice when alone but if I have a passenger, they can contribute by using either the center screen or, with the passenger screen if equipped. Did I mention options?
Originally Posted by JTK44
Static images: Again for safety reason the screen is designed so that the driver can not see it. If there is no passenger, then who will be watching the static image?
Clock, compass, etc. Again for safety sake, the driver is not able to see these images. With no one else in the car, why bother.
Wrong! The static images, clock, and compass are specifically for when there is no passenger. The driver can see them while driving without issue. I know because I actually have one.
Originally Posted by JTK44
To my mind, the superscreen is a total waste of money or worse, an answer to a question that no one has asked or an answer looking for a problem, plus when it breaks or malfunctions, it will cost a small fortune to repair and/or replace.
Just because Mercedes makes it, doesn't mean you should buy it!
Just my $.02
In other words, it's your opinion that it's a waste of money or an answer to a question that "you" have not asked. And that is perfectly all right. To many, buying an $80K+ car is a total waste of money too yet there are millions of people who do. I'm not going to say that the superscreen is totally awesome and a must-buy. However, it's "worth it to me" and that's all right too! I figured if I'm going to spend nearly 6 figures on an automobile, then I want everything "I want" in it, and I decided I wanted the superscreen. Can I live without it? Absolutely! However, I think it looks better with it and I like the added functions for my passenger. I also got rear side air-bags and rear heated seats. I'll never use them myself, but I care about the passengers in my car so I got them too.
As does the whole car. A car is not an investment and for the most part, buying a MB is an indulgence. There are plenty of other safe cars for far less.
I think the poster was referring to the fact that getting options with the sale price in mind is not a reason. I'm in Europe but the situation is the same. After several years it practically doesn't matter what options a car has. All that matters for the sale price is the engine. So get the option if you like it yourself, but not for the resale value because there will be none.
I agree the SuperScreen is kinda silly. But the look with that large space filled with what? The drab black? “Flowing Lines in either black or maple???
Personally I wish they would simply extend the leather trim up/ down into that space. The W212 and previous generations seemed to do a better job of presenting that side of the dash. In my opinion it just looks like a slab of space they had to fill and simply took the easy way out.
What a beautiful car - except the “passenger side slab”. Anybody agree?
Do you have the option with the black wood and illuminated stars underneath in the US? In Europe it's a very cheap extra to get it. The wood is a bit thinner in some places and the ambient lighting shines from underneath in the shape of Mercedes stars. It sounds tacky, but I test drove a car with this and it looked pretty nice.
Do you have the option with the black wood and illuminated stars underneath in the US? In Europe it's a very cheap extra to get it. The wood is a bit thinner in some places and the ambient lighting shines from underneath in the shape of Mercedes stars. It sounds tacky, but I test drove a car with this and it looked pretty nice.
As does the whole car. A car is not an investment and for the most part, buying a MB is an indulgence. There are plenty of other safe cars for far less.
Of course I have and your snarky reply is not necessary. On a 12+ hour road trip, there is only so much time used for conversation and I would prefer to hear music. My wife and son, the two primary passengers if I were to be on a road trip get car sick if they read in the car. We don't use an iPad but, we have android tablets. Perhaps some do not want to hold one over long periods of time. The extra screen just provides another option and since we are all different, options are good.
No, when you are driving and I'm fully aware of the fact the driver cannot see the entertainment being displayed on the screen. I have one. Do you?
Of course not, that would be silly. I have a home theater room that I use when I want to watch something different from my wife while she is in the main living room. Believe it or not, we don't always want to watch the same things and we don't like all the same music. We have a lot in common and our music preferences are similar but not exact. Of course, she or any passenger can always listen to music from their phone with ear buds or headphones and you do not need the car to provide that function but again, options.
Again, options. Sometimes the passenger wants to be the co-pilot and navigation is a function of that. If you want to pull over or use voice, have at it. I'll use my voice when alone but if I have a passenger, they can contribute by using either the center screen or, with the passenger screen if equipped. Did I mention options?
Wrong! The static images, clock, and compass are specifically for when there is no passenger. The driver can see them while driving without issue. I know because I actually have one.
In other words, it's your opinion that it's a waste of money or an answer to a question that "you" have not asked. And that is perfectly all right. To many, buying an $80K+ car is a total waste of money too yet there are millions of people who do. I'm not going to say that the superscreen is totally awesome and a must-buy. However, it's "worth it to me" and that's all right too! I figured if I'm going to spend nearly 6 figures on an automobile, then I want everything "I want" in it, and I decided I wanted the superscreen. Can I live without it? Absolutely! However, I think it looks better with it and I like the added functions for my passenger. I also got rear side air-bags and rear heated seats. I'll never use them myself, but I care about the passengers in my car so I got them too.
Thanks for your spirited response, and no disrespect, but I see the Super Screen as a gimmick. It is aesthetically beautiful, but is it practical? Since you have one could you elaborate, and again no disrespect, skip the clock and compass since both of those are available without the Super Screen. For example, the Head Up Display shows compass direction (at least it does on W213 HUD). What happens if you are listening to SiriusXM, and your passenger wants to take advantage of "his/her" screen to do anything that has audio? Crazy Birds would be more than annoying if it has sound.
My experience is that whomever else is in the car is either engaged in light conversation or already starring at a screen, usually on their smart phone. And when they are "engaged" with their phone, do not even attempt to hold a conversation. I guess what I'm saying is the Super Screen providing yet another distraction that prevents conversation.
No denying it looks 1000% better than a slab of "real wood trim", and, by Mercedes standards, not that expensive..
Can anyone else comment on the backlit option in lieu of Super Screen.
The superscreen reminds me of the screens mounted on the back of front seat headrests some years ago. It was a premium feature so the kids could watch something while on road trips. As soon as everyone got tablets they became obsolete.
Thanks for your spirited response, and no disrespect, but I see the Super Screen as a gimmick. It is aesthetically beautiful, but is it practical? Since you have one could you elaborate, and again no disrespect, skip the clock and compass since both of those are available without the Super Screen. For example, the Head Up Display shows compass direction (at least it does on W213 HUD). What happens if you are listening to SiriusXM, and your passenger wants to take advantage of "his/her" screen to do anything that has audio? Crazy Birds would be more than annoying if it has sound.
My experience is that whomever else is in the car is either engaged in light conversation or already starring at a screen, usually on their smart phone. And when they are "engaged" with their phone, do not even attempt to hold a conversation. I guess what I'm saying is the Super Screen providing yet another distraction that prevents conversation.
No denying it looks 1000% better than a slab of "real wood trim", and, by Mercedes standards, not that expensive..
Can anyone else comment on the backlit option in lieu of Super Screen.
I agree with you that it's a gimmick. It's more a cool gadget than something that is really useful and with most people having handheld tablets these days, it's really not necessary. If there is no passenger then it's only use is as a compass as the clock is faceless and therefore hard to read verses the digital clock that are in the display cluster and the center screen. With a passenger, if they are doing things with it that have sound, it uses a bluetooth headset by default however, there is an option to use the main speakers. I'm hoping that a future update will enhance it's usefulness but for now, it's just a gadget that looks cool.
The HUD on the W214 does not have a compass in it. Or at least, mine does not have it. It shows a speed limit sign (based on both GPS data and posted signs), your speed, and if using navigation a mini-map with turn and destination info. It will also display cruse control info and steering assist icons if set. I'm a bit disappointed in the HUD and driver display cluster config options. Both are limited to just a couple presets. I'm hoping that the 3D display that I included in my order has more granular config options.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
Originally Posted by marzillo
I agree with you that it's a gimmick. It's more a cool gadget than something that is really useful and with most people having handheld tablets these days, it's really not necessary. If there is no passenger then it's only use is as a compass as the clock is faceless and therefore hard to read verses the digital clock that are in the display cluster and the center screen. With a passenger, if they are doing things with it that have sound, it uses a bluetooth headset by default however, there is an option to use the main speakers. I'm hoping that a future update will enhance it's usefulness but for now, it's just a gadget that looks cool.
The HUD on the W214 does not have a compass in it. Or at least, mine does not have it. It shows a speed limit sign (based on both GPS data and posted signs), your speed, and if using navigation a mini-map with turn and destination info. It will also display cruse control info and steering assist icons if set. I'm a bit disappointed in the HUD and driver display cluster config options. Both are limited to just a couple presets. I'm hoping that the 3D display that I included in my order has more granular config options.
I think it just a little bit more than a gimmick: gimmicks are trinkets, minor things. The superscreen is $1,500 plus other mandatory add ons for a total of $2,000!
I think it just a little bit more than a gimmick: gimmicks are trinkets, minor things. The superscreen is $1,500 plus other mandatory add ons for a total of $2,000!
The $1,500 includes a inward facing video camera that allows for zoom/webex calls while stationary so you get a little more than just an extra screen. Still a gimmick and perhaps not worth the money. The only mandatory add-on with the Superscreen package is MB-Tex upper dash trip w/Nappa grain for $350 which is something I would imagine many would get anyway as it's a much nicer option than the soft plastic IMO. It's also a mandatory add-on with the Nappa leather seats so really not an added cost. Another thing to point out is that without the Superscreen package, if you want the natural grain brown maple wood console trim (a $200 option) you must also add the same style trim which is a $1515 option. You actually pay $15 less if you go with the superscreen option verses the natural grain brown maple wood. The only way to save money is to go with the black ash wood or silver metallic mixed fabric.
Part of the description of the Superscreen package includes "Eye-tracking and light-sensing abilities enhance ease of viewing, while the passenger's screen is designed to make moving video content not visible to the driver while the car is in motion.", but I'm not sure if the eye-tracking and light-sensing abilities refer to the center console screen or the passenger's screen. I assumed the center screen is the same for cars not equipped with the superscreen but I'm not 100% sure.
I'm thinking about the new basic version plus the AIRMATIC package. What do you think a fair price would be ? ( non white color).
I don't think dealers are discounting from MSRP so whatever that comes to on the online build tool. Doing a quick build for the basic car with AIRMATIC comes to $66,650 however I doubt you will find such a car already on the lot. Most will have a few options and likely be at least $70K so you would likely have to special order it if that's all you wanted.
I don't think dealers are discounting from MSRP so whatever that comes to on the online build tool. Doing a quick build for the basic car with AIRMATIC comes to $66,650 however I doubt you will find such a car already on the lot. Most will have a few options and likely be at least $70K so you would likely have to special order it if that's all you wanted.
I think you are right. I would wait for the price to come down a bit more. I don't mind doing a special order.
05-04-2024, 02:42 PM
I guess what I'm saying is the Super Screen providing yet another distraction that prevents conversation.
