Miken12

I am trying to decide on a GT53 or 63 vs the new model S7/RS7 when they come out. I was surprised to hear the 2020 GT53/63 will not come with MBUX. How big of a deal is this? I hate to spend $150k on a car that doesn’t have the latest tech. Thx

bigarmsinc1

It is a pretty big deal, i feel like the 2020 model should already have MBUX especially considering the cars price will be close to 180-190,000 with all my options...

Thats crazy.

Why would they not include MBUX in the most expensive sedan they manufacture??? Smh..

superswiss

It has to do with the electrical architecture of the platform. The GT sedan is based on the current E-Class, hence it inherits the older electrical architecture. The system is the very latest COMAND with aspects of MBUX. The UI is very fresh and it has some of the functionality of MBUX. It's the same in my new '19 C63S I just acquired. The question has been asked there as well why no MBUX and the answer was the electrical architecture doesn't support it. MBUX was introduced with the all-new A-Class and requires a new architecture. The facelifted GLC for some reason is getting MBUX, though. Well, sort of a hybrid. It gets the same digital dashboard as the C-Class and the facelifted GT Coupe, but the center screen runs a version of MBUX, so I'm wondering if MB might eventually push out a software update, but we'll have to see. This latest COMAND system can be updated over-the-air.

MBUX definitely has some cool stuff like the augmented reality navigation and of course the much touted AI voice recognition, but personally while I'm all for the latest tech and gadgets I find the latest COMAND system pretty cool as well. It has lots of new features compared to the old COMAND system such as satellite overlays and 3D terrain modeling. The voice recognition is also much improved, but certainly not the AI level of MBUX. At the end of the day I bought an AMG because of the driving experience it offers and not as an iPhone on wheels. The previous COMAND system felt definitely way outdated compared to this new one and was a big reason I waited for the C-Class facelift, but the new one is very current and up-to-date and as said like MBUX can be updated over-the-air, so MB can keep it fresh.

Tirgoman

Good explanation, but don't bet on an update from what you get in the car to get you to MBUX, aib'y going to happen. The car companies just can't move at the speed that tech evolves. It'd be great if the could do OTA updates like my phone but they don't look at the issues with Mercedes Me which MB can't get right. If this happened to the car you'd be dead in the water unfortunately. If you don't like the tech, don't buy the car.

ChargedMB

100% this. MB has really dropped the ball in many tech/interface areas when it comes to retrofitting. I expect nothing will be added if the car doesn't come with it. Had this issue with CarPlay and had to go a 3rd party option (JoyeAuto) for that.
I learned that some head unit updates are not even permitted unless a severe issue is warranted. Not only that, but they have to gain permission form HQ to do such an update. I tried this to get my headunit updated to the version with CarPlay, but it was not possible.

MBUX is so much more advanced, that I would probably hesitate unless I got a killer deal. The augmented reality nav + the merc AI is really a cutting edge feature that a $200k car should have.

PhantomX2K

I can offer an opinion here since I own both the A220 and the GT63S. The new MBUX is cool and it does work well but here is the reality of it.

• You won't use most of what you get with it beyond the first few days. You can only tell it to open the sun shade so many times before that gets old. It does some other stuff but honestly beyond open the sun shade and make warmer or colder (by the way Ford Sync has had all of this forever and I never used it there either, just push the button it actually takes less time)
• It has a big catalog of commands you'll never remember beyond the 2-3 things you always ask it to do. You'll spend more time searching for a command to tell it than just doing it.
• You can control the radio but you need to know exactly what you want
• I think you can turn up/down the volume and tell it play certain types of music but here's another reality, most of us use Android or CarPlay and we use the Siri or Google assistant and it already does all of that and can be controlled simply by calling out "Hey Siri" which we are already used to vs "Hey Mercedes"
• Besides the volume control is right by your thumb just turn it up or down to exactly what you want instead of asking the car 5 times to get the desired volume. And your thumb is quicker to do it anyway.
• it's cluegy when you use the car voice command vs apple car play for example because it bounces in and out of the carplay/android UI to the car UI and back again.
• The neat site nav stuff they built in looks WAY COOL, however another reality is we use our iPhones when car play is engaged (which is 100% of the time) so we actually don't use the cars nav which is more clunky than the iPhone or Android to get around and doesn't recognize as much from a voice and directions catalog as Siri or Google.
• The only thing I like about the A220 is you can touch the screen. Now that isn't a big deal for me because I'm so used to using the mouse pads on the steering wheel that I don't care I can't touch the screen.
• The benefit of not touching the screen is it always looks pristine with no fingerprints all over the inside of your $190K car display
• The most annoying thing I find about it is anytime someone in the car says the word "Mercedes" it shuts everything off and asks you what you want even when you aren't talking to the car.
• The actual UI and using the two systems is virtually identical when looking at the screens and running through the menus.

So is it a deal breaker, for me no not at all as you can already do virtually everything you want with your smart phone and the couple things you can't aren't worth saying no to the rest of awesome you get. Now if it didn't have CarPlay THAT would suck but even then with your smart phone connected to bluetooth you can do almost all of it anyway but you have to be a little more creative (that's a non issue though they all come with it).

OzSL55

In all honesty, I rely on Carplay daily much like the previous poster is getting at. So Siri and Carplay is always going cut across any OEM automation system anyway. Therefore the care factor about MBUX about MBUX, as cool as it looks and as well as it seems to work in some of the video reviews of other models I've seen recently, is extremely low. Main thing is my GT63 amazing to drive (especially now it's been to the tuner for ECU/TCU and exhaust work). Even on longer drives, I just want Waze working along with easy iphone access to make calls etc., plus Tidal and Spotify when I want tunes..