ddruker

With my GL 350 in the shop for a week getting the timing chain and tensioner repaired, I've been driving a brand new 2016 C300 loaner.

The head unit and entertainment system on this brand new 2016 model still stink. Really no improvement over my GL, which was already pretty lame. I connected my phone to it, and every time the car starts I get the message "unable to sync contacts, out of memory" Seriously? In 2016 when 32 gigs of storage costs less than $10?

The problem is that the bar is so high now - we all have iPhones or Androids - which set the bar for how consumers want to interact with electronic systems. Great graphics. Amazing live maps. Simple. Always connected to the Internet. Self updating. Hundreds of thousands of apps.

But on the Mercedes - even the very latest 2016 - Clunky complex menus, non-touch interfaces, small memory, not designed with the understanding that the Internet would always be there. Small 8" screen. 3 different sets of controls - mouse, console buttons and steering wheel. Just crappy. Compare to Tesla that really "gets it."

I remember when I test drove the GL back in 2010, I assumed the head unit in the GL was a touch screen - and the salesman said "Mercedes engineers know that touch is not effective in vehicles." It was a load of crap back then, and it's a bigger load of crap now.

Your thoughts?

dieseldoc

I had a 2008 GL command not great. I have both a 2014 C Class and a 2016 GLC. They both work fine with my 128 gig iPhone. I do wish they were touch screen. The voice command on the GLC is amazing and makes up for it not being touch screen. I gave my son my old 2011 VW Jetta TDI with NAV and voice command. It had touch screen. It worked really well.

BlownV8

Don't know but it is frustrating. They over techno engineer everything else but their command units have been consistently 5 years behind in technology.

alx

If you know anything about how infotainment is developed for vehicles you will be able to answer your question ... Multiple vendors, hardware restrictions, mechanical and ergonomic restrictions, constantly evolving interface to the vehicle, safety considerations, environmental considerations (temp, vibrations, etc).... The intersection of those parameters barely exists let alone be pretty...

Lastly, remember that at least in German cars the infotainment is provided by the folks that consider cup holders a non- requirement and strictly an afterthought for Vehicles destined for the American market...

2010GL550

I still think DDRUKER has a valid point. I get that MB US market is about 50% of it's European sales, but come on. I'm sure this is naïve, but couldn't they just form a relationship with a company that has already mastered the NAV/radio/etc interface (Pioneer, Jensen, etc)? It wouldn't resolve all the complaints, but I am saying that would be a great place to start.


My 05 Acura and 06 Ford Explorer had better units than my 2010 GL...but a long shot.

2010GL550

That last comment was supposed to say, "BY a long shot"

aggst1

I agree with alx's comments regarding complexity. Also there is something about touch screen technology that makes German engineers cringe. I have read all kinds of comments as to why they don't do touch screen - they even claim safety as one reason. Who knows! What I know is the OP is correct, the technology used by MB and even BMW is outdated. In my view all car manufacturers should stop equipping new vehicles with radios and/or navigation systems. Instead they should provide better interfaces with existing smartphones. For me, the size of my iPhone 6S Plus is plenty big for my needs. Traditionally manufacturers don't do well with infotainment systems. Aftermarket companies do better. Let's see who will jump on board to fix this.

ddruker

I totally get Alx's point. I think the big legacy issue is that hardware refresh cycles have traditionally been a bear for the OEM entertainment systems. The OEM's have to support head units for the lifetime of the vehicle and beyond, whereas your iPhone has a 2 to 3 year life and is essentially disposable. So the OEM's justify having crappy technology because they only update it every 10 years.

But I think Alx hit the problem on the head - the designers for these systems seem to still be operating in the same way they did in the 90's, with the same level of engineering arrogance.

Part of my job is user experience design in the software industry. This gives me a critical eye for how awful the UX in COMAND is. It's just dated and horrible - with 15 year old human factors. As soon as you see menus as the primary software navigation interface you know the designers are not up to date - you'll note you don't have menus on your iPad or droid, nor on modern consumer websites or mobile apps.

Look - Tesla has it right. Their head unit is basically a giant iPad. I just think Mercedes doesn't get it. The main point of this post was that I am surprised they have made almost zero improvement in the 5 years since I purchased my GL, now that I've experience the brand new 2016 COMAND which is essentially unchanged. That's kind of horrifying.

Fourdiesel

The biggest influence on the obsolescence of the electronics is the production lead times for the vehicles. By the time the computer interfaces are set for a production run (and the lead time for the various vendors to design, produce and ship the necessary components) at least a couple of years have passed. with this system it is virtually impossible for ANY German manufacturer to be any closer than 2 years behind the technology cutting edge. Japanese manufacturers pay a lot more attention to this and do a much better job but they are still behind before they start. Electronics technology changes so fast the time gap is painfully obvious.