I think for most of us, the love affair with the automobile begins in our teenage years. The ultimate goal is simple: four wheels, an engine, and the freedom of the open road. The 'best' car was simply the one you could get your hands on.

As we get older, our priorities evolve. For many years, my own focus was purely utilitarian—a reliable conveyance to get from point A to point B. The analysis was simple, and the 'best' car was the most practical one. But with time and a bit of good fortune, that mindset can shift. Desire begins to play a larger role in the calculus.

We find ourselves in the privileged position where the conversation is no longer just about practicality, but about the very nature of modern luxury and the features that create a truly special experience. And that brings me to the topic of this thread.
As enthusiasts, we tend to be a cynical bunch. We study the order guides, we dissect the package lists, and we pride ourselves on knowing the difference between a true engineering marvel and a flashy, overhyped gimmick.

My perspective is shaped by my direct, back-to-back experience with two different model years: a 2023 EQS 450 4MATIC and now my current 2024 EQS 580. This has given me a unique opportunity to see how certain features have evolved and to discover new options that weren't available on my previous car.

With that in mind, I'll be the first to make a few confessions of my own—features I was convinced were frivolous, but that have since become indispensable parts of my driving experience.
1. The Automatic Closing Charging Door

This one is personal. With my previous '23 EQS, especially when traveling on long road trips, I had a recurring problem. I'd charge up, get back on the highway, and then minutes later, I'd glance over at the passenger mirror only to see that damn charging door flap wide open, mocking me from the side of the car. Cut to my new '24 580. The first time I unplugged, I instinctively reached to close the door and nearly lost a finger as it silently and automatically retracted. Is it a necessary feature? Absolutely not. But it's a piece of silent, invisible luxury that solves a minor but persistent annoyance, and for that, I love it.
2. The MBUX Interior Assistant (The "Ghost in the Machine")

This is a feature that feels like pure magic until you realize it's just brilliant, thoughtful engineering. The other night, I was fumbling around on the dark passenger seat for my wallet; before I could even think to look for the light, the passenger-side map light magically faded on. The same uncanny intelligence applies to the mirrors. You simply look at the driver or passenger side mirror and reach for the controls on the door, and the system automatically selects that specific mirror for adjustment without you ever having to press a button.
3. The Active & Automatic Lane Change Systems

This is a key function of the Active Distance Assist DISTRONIC system. The standard Active Lane Change Assist is great—you tap the signal, the car moves over. But the true "game-changer" is the more advanced Automatic Lane Change. On a long highway trip, as you approach a slower vehicle, the car will, entirely on its own, identify a clear lane, signal, and seamlessly move over to pass, and then move back after. It’s a profound step towards a truly autonomous future.
4. The Burmester® Personal Sound Profile

I've always been a skeptic of "branded" car audio systems, which are often more about marketing than true fidelity. The standard Burmester® presets are fine, but the real magic is hidden in the settings. Creating a Personal Sound Profile tunes the audio to your specific hearing, and the result is a level of clarity and immersion I've never experienced in a vehicle before.

• Pro Tip: The system's true potential is only unlocked with a high-fidelity streaming source. Mercedes has a partnership with Tidal, and their HiFi Plus tier provides the lossless-quality audio that this Burmester® system was designed for. It elevates the experience to a level that genuinely rivals a high-end home setup.
  

5. Gesture Control (My Favorite Absurdity)

The "V-for-victory" sign to activate your favorite massage. Is it a ridiculous, James Bond-level gimmick? Yes. Do I use it almost every day with a stupid grin on my face? Also yes. It's a solution that is completely unnecessary but undeniably cool.
6. The 10-Degree Rear-Axle Steering

This is a feature you can't see, but you feel it every single time you make a U-turn or pull into a tight parking space. It is a physics-defying game-changer that shrinks this 17-foot-long behemoth's turning circle to that of a compact sedan, making it maneuver with the agility of a runaway shopping cart in a crowded supermarket aisle.
7. The "Lava Core" Rapid Heating Seats

Every luxury car has heated seats, but the "Rapid Heating" function in these cars is on another level. They are "surface of the sun" hot. For anyone with occasional back pain, it stops being a comfort feature and becomes a genuine automotive-grade therapeutic device. It's a true "god send" on a cold morning.
8. The 360-Degree "God's-Eye" View

My initial take on the 360-degree camera was that it was a crutch for the spatially challenged. Then I had to navigate a ridiculously tight parking garage designed for a Fiat, not a 17-foot flagship. With the 360 view, you're not guessing where your corners are; you're watching a live, top-down satellite feed of your car as you place it with millimeter precision. It's a situational awareness tool that completely eliminates the anxiety of maneuvering a massive car in tight quarters.
This is my list for now. I'm genuinely curious:

What's your confession? What's the feature you rolled your eyes at on the options list, but now you can't imagine driving without?

 

My car is connected to Spotify. Am likely going to give Tidal a try, however.
Anyway, I love being able to ask "Hey Mercedes" to play whatever song happens to come to mind at any given moment.

 

I'm a Tidal mobile user, and a fan of audio quality wherever I play it. The app does essentially download the song to your phone storage however, so it will take up digital space.

Trenton O. Gibson
tgibson@highline-autos.com
Highline Autos
Direct: 602.909.9216
Office: 480.348.0777

 

@ScottC2 and @Highline-Autos.com ,

You have both raised such excellent and nuanced points regarding the MBUX Tidal integration that I felt a simple reply wouldn't do the topic justice. It's clearly a source of widespread confusion and deserves its own definitive, in-depth analysis.

To that end, I have taken the liberty of starting a new, dedicated thread to do a full "deep dive" on the subject.

You can find it here:https://mbworld.org/forums/eqs/91759...free-data.html


Let's continue this important discussion there.

 

#1 - my wife can never close the door on my E63 as in her GLS it closes itself (pulls itself shut). It is like closing my doors is impossible for her....

 

@OldManAndHisCar ,

That's a perfect and highly relatable example. The soft-close door is another one of those features that falls squarely into the "superfluous but brilliant" category.

Your story reminds me of an issue I had years ago with another tightly sealed sedan. My aging parents were having the exact same problem; they just couldn't get the door to latch without slamming it. After some experimenting, I discovered the culprit was the air pressure inside the cabin creating just enough resistance.

The trick I found was to crack a window just a fraction of an inch before they closed the door. It equalized the pressure and allowed the door to close with almost no effort. It's a subtle, old-school fix for an old-school problem.

Of course, the soft-close door is the far more elegant, modern solution. It's another one of those features you'd probably dismiss on an options list, right up until the moment you realize you can't live without it.

 

don't most modern cars have a pressure valve into the trunk area? This is to eliminate ears popping with doors slamming, no? (Air extractor near the bumper etc)

 

​​​​​​You are absolutely right. Modern cars, especially well-sealed luxury sedans, do indeed have cabin pressure relief vents (often called "air extractors") in the rear to allow air to escape when closing a door or running the HVAC system, preventing that "ear-popping" feeling like you said.

However, my "old-school fix" anecdote comes from experience with a particular generation of sedans that were famously over-engineered for NVH (Noise, Vibration, and Harshness)—the prime example being the legendary W140 S-Class of the 1990s. On a car like that, with its double-paned glass and bank-vault seals, the standard passive relief vent often couldn't displace the sheer volume of air quickly enough, resulting in that last bit of stubborn resistance just before the latch.

Cracking the window a fraction of an inch was essentially a way to temporarily "supercharge" the pressure relief, making the door feel weightless. It's a perfect example of a low-tech solution to a high-tech problem. I recall when I owned a 2022 Lexus ES 350, trying the same trick on that car created a distinct, cheap-sounding "ping" from the door frame as it closed.

A great point that adds another layer to the discussion.

 

It's human psychology. Thick door, feels heavy, gotta slam it.. The psychic spans across all ages. Damn kids at the elementary school used to slam doors all the time. But a couple of times I drove up in a loaner Corolla, no slam.

Back to the thread. "Hey Mercedes. Tell me a corny joke!" "Hey Mercedes, read my messages."

 

I used to be a big fan of Stephen King.
At one time, I had read everything that he had written, even under his pseudonym.
One short story of his was named “The Mangler” as I recall.
It was a particularly dangerous machine, that had injured quite a few people in its tenure. Somehow, it became sentient and started chasing its prey.
That, and Skynet have made me retreat somewhat into the land of the Luddite.
Anything that is automatic, can automatically ignore a hand or other appendage that gets in the way of its automatic operation.
The auto operation could even have built in safeties, to preclude injury, but safeties and sensors never fail, or become spurious.

 

A brilliant analysis with two perfect references from the "malevolent machine" school of thought.

While Skynet is a classic, my own personal brand of technological paranoia was permanently installed by the Final Destination film series. That franchise has completely ruined my ability to drive behind a logging truck, or one of those flatbeds carrying a single, massive steel coil held on by one suspiciously thin-looking chain. And I'm now convinced every roller coaster is a self-disassembling death trap.

So, when my 5,800-pound car decides to automatically retract a piece of machinery inches from my hand, my brain doesn't just register "convenience feature." It immediately starts calculating the absurd, Rube Goldberg-esque chain of events that this seemingly innocent action could trigger.

It's probably fine... but has anyone checked the torque on the wheel bolts lately?