Kalgaon

I love this new car and it's met and exceeded almost all of my expectations. Just one quick question regarding the Easy Entry 2nd row fold down option - is there a way to get them back up just as easily (automatically) or is that a manual process?

jtse

Yes, that would require you paying an extra $100K a year for the Easy Exit option. You basically hire a chauffeur to move the seat up for you. :-P


Joke aside, no, there is no way to automatically come back up. Very silly design, makes me wonder why I even got the option in the first place.

fabbrisd1

Putting the 2nd row seat back up is a manual process - from Mercedes side a safety thing - if mechanized return - more likely risk to catch little feet/legs...

jtse

They could have engineered with a much less effort putting back mechinism.

Using my weak arm, a guy like me even dread doing it and using a large amount of force to put it back in place. A much stronger hydraulic is all it needs.

My wife cannot do it period.

lauwersp

Interestingly, my issue here is not that the seat doesn't have an automated return mechanism... it's that the headrests and the seat in front don't have automated return to position mechanisms. The second row headrests are a pain to put back up and the front seats should easily move back to their original position (pending rules like they haven't been sat in or the car driven since they were automatically moved forward).

That would help immensely.

jlim

Don't worry. In 2020, GLS will have powered headrest in 2nd and 3rd row for a cool $2000 option and another $1000 option for powered 2nd row return.

lauwersp

I'm not sure why you feel the need to be so sarcastic here. There are a LOT of things in these cars that are power operated for convenience. If you don't want those options, don't buy them. I don't care. IF you're going to have a power operated way to fold the seats for CONVENIENCE of getting in the third row, and that entails lowering the headrest which happens to make the seat it's in horribly uncomfortable to sit in without reraising it, I'd think that it would be nicely convenient to reraise it. I have 7 and 10 year old daughters who initially wanted to use the third row, but the difficulty for THEM to reraise the headrest has made them change their mind. That's not terribly useful to me if I need to be the one that ushers them into and from the third row because they aren't strong enough to perform the tasks necessary to do it themselves.

jlim

When I wanted to install aftermarket DVD screens, I took off the seat backs to route the wiring. I saw the mechanism to lower/raise the headrest. The driver seat is quite bulky compared to the other row seats. Putting in something like a powered motorized headrest is not a simple task and if Mercedes does this, they will definitely charge a pretty penny for this feature.

I used to work in the auto industry. Changing a small part is a huge effort. We think it is easy to reduce 10lbs from a 5000lbs vehicle. Trust me, it is not a simple task. You are talking about adding at least 4 motorized contraption which would add at least 100lbs or more in hardware. Adding 100lbs to a 5000lbs vehicle, you would think is not a big deal. It is if you are in the business of building cars.

lauwersp

I'm no stranger to weight in a vehicle. My 2006 Phaeton weighs 700lbs MORE than the same year S-Class