When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Does this gimp MercBenzKing really think it's impressive you can tell your car "I am tired"? The car's advice... "you should take a nap at the next rest stop" . What a waste of air time.
Seems like they offered him to review this if he'd talk the car up. I can't imagine the heads at MB not seeing hearing and reading the comments all over the world about this drastic change.
Change is exciting, when done properly.
Anyone here remember New Coke?
It's always interesting to see how new cars and designs are perceived in different countries. In Germany for example, the comments on the new S are very positive (just like the E-Class facelift) and so is MBUX. The current models are simply being viewed as getting old and the updates looking fresh and modern.
They would literally not understand most of these comments posted here.
Personally I assume that the trend you are seeing here on the new S will rapidly spread to other models and accelerate.
I may be in the minority opinion pool here.
Overall, I'm pretty excited about W223.
Personally, I'm not a big fan of touchscreen controls. I prefer physical buttons with proper amount of feedbacks & resistance. that makes the controls feel very much more premium.
but I understand that tablets, big screens, touch controls are the industry direction. MB can't ignore that.
Audi has gone very much touch control on a lot of their audio/hvac buttons. I haven't seen any drops in their sales....
about the concerns about distraction and safety, I haven't seen any data associating display controls and increase in accidents. of all cars, we would see a significant number of accidents from Tesla owners if that's the case...
I think this is just the way the whole industry is going.
one thing I'm absolutely sure is that W223 will sell just fine. I'm willing to wager that.
one of the biggest factor in sales decision is comparison to alternate options. W223 competes against BMW 7, Audi A8 and some domestic ones.
Can you honestly see a tsunami of S class sales going to others? I just don't see it.
I totally see the points people are making. and I concur with many of them.
when my W222 lease is done this year, I have no doubt that I'll be going into W223 lease. I'm actually pretty excited about that..
It's always interesting to see how new cars and designs are perceived in different countries. In Germany for example, the comments on the new S are very positive (just like the E-Class facelift) and so is MBUX. The current models are simply being viewed as getting old and the updates looking fresh and modern.
They would literally not understand most of these comments posted here.
Personally I assume that the trend you are seeing here on the new S will rapidly spread to other models and accelerate.
I get what you re saying. I felt a loss when the screens replaced the analog gauges now you don't even give it a second thought and in some cases it's considered an upgrade. I am surprised though that anybody doesn't see putting an A class dashboard in an S class as a downgrade. To me it just looks cheap which one might expect in the A class but the S Class is typically setting the standard for elegance.
I went car shopping this pst weekend and its just a fact that all cars have these screens end of story. I looked at everything from S8 to new G90 and its just tech overload.
Last week they lent me a new GL450 and it just looked cheap to me. I did like the virtual reality style navigation but really didnt ever see when I would use a 1/10th of the tech.
Luxury used to be considered high end finishes and touches now its tech and what the car can do for you.
The new 2021 E63 interior looks amazing and Im hoping the S will look similar.
2019 SL450, 2019 E450 Luxury Trim Wagon, 2024 BMW I7 xDrive60
Originally Posted by DABRONX
I went car shopping this pst weekend and its just a fact that all cars have these screens end of story. I looked at everything from S8 to new G90 and its just tech overload.
Last week they lent me a new GL450 and it just looked cheap to me. I did like the virtual reality style navigation but really didnt ever see when I would use a 1/10th of the tech.
Luxury used to be considered high end finishes and touches now its tech and what the car can do for you.
The new 2021 E63 interior looks amazing and Im hoping the S will look similar.
Well yes, they all have “these screens,” but I believe only the Tesla currently has this HUMONGOUS screen, which really devastates the center stack and console areas. This monstrous screen is such a wild and shocking departure from tradition, in a vehicle that has—at least appearance wise—pretty much been a traditional looking luxury car over the decades. I just feel that this gonzo screen is too much, too soon for a luxury car like the S Class. They should have put it in the AMG GT sedans first and tested the waters, or they should have rolled it out first in the EQS. The more I look at it, the more I like my 2018.
I'm in the market for a new daily driver and have been planning to order the 2021 S Class this summer for a late-fall delivery. I loved my 2014 CLS550 and have been looking forward to returning to MB for a few years now despite taking a couple of detours into other brands. It appears as though I've left it too long. Unfortunately, the gorgeous, elegant interior of the current car has been completely abandoned in favor of a hideous (but trendy!) "floating" driver's screen plus a Tesla-lookalike center panel.
I'm not anti-technology by any means, but I don't want it to be front and center in my luxury car. The entire effect is simply beyond ugly. It cheapens the aesthetic and will absolutely alienate a majority of the car's core demographic. The capabilities should be there, certainly, but the interface should be far more subtle. I still want the primary visuals to be of leather and wood entirely encompassing the glass. Keep the floating screen-forward interiors in the A and C classes. Am I showing my age (54)? I don't care. If I'm no longer the typical S Class buyer, then I'm quite content to be out of touch.
I'm sorry to say, but I'll be looking elsewhere.
Last edited by Corsair66; Jul 9, 2020 at 05:03 PM.
Despite my age (26) I would far rather have buttons for most functions than use a touchscreen. At the very least I want climate, seat, sunshade, and volume control buttons. And I never, ever want to talk to my car. I hate voice control on everything and defeat it on all of my devices.
I love the long horizontal look of the screens on W222 and W213. The short, wide screen is the natural shape to integrate into a dashboard and the transition from dash to cluster is elegant. Not only does the W223 screen flip that aspect ratio the wrong way, the rake is unattractive and ergonomically annoying. I owned a Lincoln MKZ during about 2 months of temporary insanity and the raked screen and center console grew to drive me absolutely nuts. It makes you feel as though the dash is encroaching on your space and it is hard to reach the top if you like to sit far back. Thankfully I came to my senses and got a Mercedes instead...
Overall I'm really hoping that while we've seen the screens and HUD that we haven't been shown the full trim that will go around them and that it will make some kind of tremendous difference. I've always looked forward to new S-class releases, but I'm honestly revolted at this point.
Very much looking forward to picking up a used W222 in a few years with no touchscreen and no MBUX...
S-Class was always known for introducing new safety features before anyone else, always the leader.
This new one is already less safe then the current one, regardless of how many additional airbags or electronic nannies are added, simply by taking the necessary driver's attention from the road ahead to the stupid screen while trying to adjust the A/C.
I can't believe this isn't seen as a massive safety issue.
BMW already tried putting everything into iDrive years ago and even they went back to physical buttons. I remember watching an old official promo video where the guy is just staring at his screen for a full minute while he is adjusting his AC. Unfortunately those of us who live in real life aren't being towed by a camera truck that is just out of view.
I already have cars with infotainment touch screens and they are a nightmare to use while driving. No amount of haptic feedback will change that either.
I can't believe this isn't seen as a massive safety issue.
BMW already tried putting everything into iDrive years ago and even they went back to physical buttons. I remember watching an old official promo video where the guy is just staring at his screen for a full minute while he is adjusting his AC. Unfortunately those of us who live in real life aren't being towed by a camera truck that is just out of view.
I already have cars with infotainment touch screens and they are a nightmare to use while driving. No amount of haptic feedback will change that either.
It isn’t a safety issue at all. More like school thinking... I understand people don’t like talking to their car, myself included, but hundreds of millions are doing this every day in their house and everywhere else via Alexa, Siri and Google Voice...
Reality is that using any controls away from the line of sight (as in anything nearby the center console) is a distraction and safety risk, wether it’s a physical button or a touchscreen. That’s why HUD and voice AI is ultimately the safest combo.
In your example with the AC, just say “I’m hot”. Done deal. MBUX will simply reduce the temp for you or anyone else as the car knows which seat the person sits in that said it. Our GLE does that already...
It isn’t a safety issue at all. More like school thinking... I understand people don’t like talking to their car, myself included, but hundreds of millions are doing this every day in their house and everywhere else via Alexa, Siri and Google Voice...
Reality is that using any controls away from the line of sight (as in anything nearby the center console) is a distraction and safety risk, wether it’s a physical button or a touchscreen. That’s why HUD and voice AI is ultimately the safest combo.
AAA did a study a couple of years back and found that using voice controls required the same amount of the user's attention as balancing a checkbook.
Yes the driver's eyes are still looking at the road,.. but their brain isn't paying much attention to what the eyes are seeing.
A big knob is still king of safety,.. and convenience too. In my 5 year old GM product,.. when I want to raise or lower the volume, or the fan speed, I really don't have to look anywhere. I can see the chrome trim-ring on the knob out of the corner of my eye, and can reach for it and turn it a few clicks without hardly any thought.
Touchscreens and voice take quite a lot of thought,.. with touch screens being the most deadly of them all. LOTS of time looking away from the road, re-focusing the eye to near-field, and holding your finger steady to touch just the right part. Then having continue looking to confirm the screen correctly sensed what you wanted done. Worse yet if you have to go through menus first.
Plenty of fun to play with while you're in the dealer showroom,.. and a real horror show when you're driving down an unlit road at night.
Ughh, not my cup of tea. I can barely figure out how to turn off the damn rear vents when a passenger puts them up high and exits the car. I'm stuck with a blasting noisy air vent until I scroll through tons of settings to turn them back to 2 or 3 from 7. And I'm sick of trying to figure out how to change the air control on the front vents... or change the radio to a different station as everything is so tedious to figure out. I so miss the days when EVERYTHING had a knob on it... so much EASIER! You turn the knob with your finger to increase air flow, you turn the knob to change channels on Sirius radio or FM or whatever.
Now there's this? I don't know, I'm 59, and am planning on keeping my complicated as it is, 2018 S63 forever. Literally...
Ask me in 5 years though, maybe I'll get my crotchedy a$$ into a new car but I doubt it.
AAA did a study a couple of years back and found that using voice controls required the same amount of the user's attention as balancing a checkbook.
Yes the driver's eyes are still looking at the road,.. but their brain isn't paying much attention to what the eyes are seeing.
A big knob is still king of safety,.. and convenience too. In my 5 year old GM product,.. when I want to raise or lower the volume, or the fan speed, I really don't have to look anywhere. I can see the chrome trim-ring on the knob out of the corner of my eye, and can reach for it and turn it a few clicks without hardly any thought.
Touchscreens and voice take quite a lot of thought,.. with touch screens being the most deadly of them all. LOTS of time looking away from the road, re-focusing the eye to near-field, and holding your finger steady to touch just the right part. Then having continue looking to confirm the screen correctly sensed what you wanted done. Worse yet if you have to go through menus first.
Plenty of fun to play with while you're in the dealer showroom,.. and a real horror show when you're driving down an unlit road at night.
I completely agree with you on the convenience sentiment. and I am 100% behind that. Personally, I prefer physical buttons over touch screen for most of the controls. there's a reason race cars do not have touch screen.
however, I'm not sure if I can agree with how incredibly "unsafe" the touch screens are. I can understand that touch screens distract more than physical knobs/buttons. but we are projecting unrealistic real life images when we paint it like unsafe crashes are imminent.
if touch screens pose grave danger to safety, we would have seen the resulting disaster with all these Teslas these years.
the accident data doesn't support that school of thought...
Last edited by madkow70; Jul 14, 2020 at 06:05 AM.
AAA did a study a couple of years back and found that using voice controls required the same amount of the user's attention as balancing a checkbook.
Yes the driver's eyes are still looking at the road,.. but their brain isn't paying much attention to what the eyes are seeing.
A big knob is still king of safety,.. and convenience too. In my 5 year old GM product,.. when I want to raise or lower the volume, or the fan speed, I really don't have to look anywhere. I can see the chrome trim-ring on the knob out of the corner of my eye, and can reach for it and turn it a few clicks without hardly any thought.
Touchscreens and voice take quite a lot of thought,.. with touch screens being the most deadly of them all. LOTS of time looking away from the road, re-focusing the eye to near-field, and holding your finger steady to touch just the right part. Then having continue looking to confirm the screen correctly sensed what you wanted done. Worse yet if you have to go through menus first.
Plenty of fun to play with while you're in the dealer showroom,.. and a real horror show when you're driving down an unlit road at night.
These studies are completely irrelevant with looking at voice control systems versus natural language AI. Comand is a great example of the outdated Linguatronic tech employed in some Mercedes models. Learned keyword-based commands that are often not recognized is distracting, even infuriating. Whereas few people have problems with Alexa, Siri and other AI assistants as it's the same as speaking to other people and these are constantly evolving systems.
Saying you are hot when you like the car to dial down the AC shouldn't be as difficult as balancing a checkbook
2020 S63 Coupe, 2006 Hummer H1 Alpha, 2018 McLaren 720S, 2022 Porsche 911 TurboS, 2022 Tesla Model X
Tech looks great, Im sure there will be some glitches as there always are but definitely a step forward in terms of graphics, interface, flexibility in use. The augmented reality navigation is a neat feature and the large HUD looks nice and may not be too distracting despite its size if they can project the image to seem far ahead on the road rather than right on the windshield. The "3D" gauge cluster must look great in person too. Crazy how things have evolved since my 2006 CLS55 which had about a hundred buttons and a basic gauge cluster!
But, if that is really the final design for the S-class - and it seems to be - the interior designers are M-B really dropped the ball in my opinion. I think it looks perfectly acceptable for a C-Class, possibly an E-class and the associated variants of them - but S-Class buyers typically want a more luxurious and detailed interior, and they could have incorporated this tech in a far more visually appealing way. In previous generations the S-Class interiors have been competitive with Bentley and Rolls... that doesn't seem to be the case moving forward.
Mercedes SLR McLaren 722 S Is Extremely Rare Example Modified by McLaren
Slideshow: A one-of-one U.S.-spec Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren Roadster became even rarer after a factory-backed transformation at McLaren's headquarters.
