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W223 Touchscreen and the end of the W221/222 COMMAND Wheel Setup
In 2006, the W221 S-Class debuted Mercedes' COMAND wheel setup, with two large screens serving as an instrument cluster and an infotainment system. This was their answer to BMW's iDrive system (introduced in 2002) which used a rotary wheel in front of the armrest as well. But in my opinion, Mercedes' version was a much better take on the concept. While not revolutionizing automotive entertainment, it was a highly effective take on the idea of just sitting back, turning the the rotary wheel to tune the radio or access the nav, while looking at a screen that was safely eye-level with the road. It lasted for more than a decade as being the infotainment setup that was used in the "best car in the world" and was a proper top-of-the-line luxury car experience as far as in-car entertainment was concerned. Now it is used in every other Mercedes model, and other less luxurious brands have followed suit.
At the same time, Mercedes resisted the temptation to put touchscreens in their cars like many other manufacturers did, pointing out that fingerprints on the screen was less than aesthetically-pleasing, and perhaps also because the touchscreen technology wasn't exactly very intuitive or as conventional as having wheels and buttons to touch and feel--especially for the old folks (in many cases the buyers of a new S-Class).
Now we have word that Mercedes will be using a touchscreen set up in the new S-Class (again, this the car that is supposed to debut groundbreaking innovations). My guess is that this touchscreen COMAND will be one of the centerpieces of the new S, in that it will most likely debut the automotive-touchscreen-entertainment-setup in Mercedes cars and take it to the next level. It has to, because that is what the S-Class is all about. If not introducing new features to the automotive industry, the S-Class is streamlining today's top features into the most easy to use and reliable formats possible. I'd even expect things that are close to "fingerprint proof" touchscreens and perhaps an operating system that is actually reliably-intuitive for 80 year olds.
Just wanted share the prediction before we see it. Looking forward to the new S.
01-18-2020, 09:13 PM
