Nastinupe

Ok... how can I say this. Well I’m beyond upset at how horrible the MBUX system works. I’m also disappointed in the ergonomics of the whole GT63 set up. The buttons, the dials, everything. It’s just off. You have to go through way too many buttons and swiping just to.... well change the freaking channel or get to the next song. WTH Mercedes! And Apple CarPlay is constantly disconnecting. And what’s up with the touch screen being so far out of reach in a normal seated position? And the cup holders are worthless. The opening is too narrow. And the switches above the cup holder are placed way too low. My cups are constantly hitting them and to warm up the car I have to position my hand in an awkward position just to hit the switch. That’s if you don’t have a cup there. And there’s also no gap in the middle console for the phone chord to hang out of.

The interior design looks beautiful but is awful at execution. I can’t be the only one feeling like this. I almost feel like selling my car I’m so disappointed.

ColeBlooded

I have a 2020 so I don't have mbux. But the ergonomics of the interior are fine to me. Did you not test drive before buying?

rc11

I agree. MBUX is counterintuitive, skipping to the next track takes too many presses. The screen is definitely a little too far away to easily touch while driving. I felt all of these things in the first two weeks of ownership. My advice? Give it some time. You will get used to it, I have developed muscle memory on skipping tracks (btw, you can just hit the next track icon on the touch pad and then swipe right quickly to advance to the next track). I don't mind it at all anymore.

Now as far as carplay disconnecting, ask your dealer about that. I don't have those issues.

Nastinupe

Nastinupe

I did but I honestly was too concerned with how the car drove to worry about CarPlay integration and where the “next track” buttons where and so forth.

superswiss

I have COMAND 5.5 in my car, but had a few loaners with MBUX and I have to agree. I was very enthusiastic about MBUX when it came out, but I've come to the conclusion that version 1 is a kludge. The UI is designed for touch, yet the touchscreen is very poorly placed as OP has observed. At 5'11" I can't reach it even in a A Class w/o leaning forward. The UI being designed for touch then means that trying to navigate it with the physical controls involves swiping multiple times all over the place to get to the right control. So, the placement of the touchscreen makes one wanna use the physical controls, but the physical controls are frustrating to navigate a touch UI. In addition, CarPlay is not full screen with MBUX, but it is full screen with COMAND 5.5. I'm generally not a fan of the side-by-side screens in the GT, E Class etc., because the steering wheel always blocks part of the center screen, which is I think why CarPlay isn't full screen. The placement of the touchscreen with MBUX 2.0 in the new S Class and C Class is much better and as much as I hate touchscreen only control in a car, I think the physical controls just don't work well with touch UIs, especially w/o a jog wheel.

NovaOne

Don't understand the issue. It takes two swipes to change the track or station with the touch dot on the steering wheel if you configure the inset sub-display to Media. You do the same thing with the touch pad in front of the shifter. You can also use voice control, and of course the touch screen.

nycebo

Two swipes is still one swipe too many.

Nastinupe

exactly. For a sports/ performance oriented vehicle there shouldn’t be any swiping involved. There should be forward and back on the steering wheel and on the console. They have a million buttons for everything else but none for those basic controls. If I want to change the exhaust or suspension I don’t needed a dedicated button.

NovaOne

The touch pad requires only one swipe to change tracks, plus there is literally a "next" button on the touchpad. Did you guys not consult the user manual to learn how to use and operate something you paid six figures for?

I get the ergonomic frustrations, we all would like an expensive thing to work exactly as we want it to. The GT 4Door had some other considerations aside from practicality. The cupholders are a pain because of how deep they are, but at least it fits a 20 ounce bottle, unlike the Maserati I used to own which will only fit a can. The layout is also very similar to other MB cars, so the blocking of the controls is not unique to the GT 4Door.

People used to joke that the impractical parts of a special car is what gives them character. We learn to live with and ultimately even enjoy these quirks, likening them to a ritual for being a part of a club, or an inside joke. That said, the GT 4Door is a lot less quirky than other 100k+ cars on the market. I for one can't fathom someone who can put up with the harsh ride and loud noise the car makes but wants to sell it because of they find it challenging to figure out at least one of the six ways to change tracks and the configuration of the cup holder.

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ColeBlooded

Well put.

nycebo

I've been driving MB for decades. What you are suggesting is that the thumbpad requires only 1 swipe is and only if you are on the media "page" on the dash. If not, you have to select it, and then you can store to select the next track. However, if that page loses focus, even if it's up, you still have to "highlight" it, and then swipe. In practice, a double sword can become muscle memory, but it's a crap design.

A better design would be that useless menu button. Clicking it up or down for track selection would code the issue and terminate this thread's necessity.

Nastinupe

exactly. People keep explaining how to get to the switch dials, which is the whole issue. We shouldn’t have to get to anything. They should be right there already. There are 5 separate buttons for driving configurations. I never use them except for the too left to change the overall settings. Who goes back and forth changing suspension settings independently? The middle console space could have been better used for the controls that are behind the cup holder. Then that space could have been opened up for a larger opening for the cup holder and we could have had more use of the middle are. Basically like how the 1st generation Panamera was made. The touch screen should have been where the air vents are and slanted back because I can actually reach them without leaning forward. The the air vents could have been where the screen is now.

every problem solved.

aceman

I'm kind of surprised but no so surprised to read this thread. I had a E550 back in 2005 where the arrow button on the steering wheel would not take you to the next preset but autotune to the next radio station. I was shocked at the lack of function on the electronic front with that car. I replaced that car with a 2012 BMW 550, and everything inside just worked. I could scan thru radio presets AND phone numbers (last numbers called/received) with the scroll dial on the steering wheel. Info showed on HUD, eyes never left the road - I drive was great compare to COMAND. I now have a X5 45e, and was thinking of getting a GT53, but reading the issues w/ MBUX, not sure I'm interested in 2 presses to get to a preset. My test drives these days include testing two major functions that I use (surfing presets and phone access). Now my radar is up...I had read so many good things about MBUX...this is disappointing.

Aceman

storm10

If you use MBUX normally, you need to use too many swipes, as you mentioned. However, if you use shortcuts, you can complete most tasks with a single touch, swipe, or voice command. For example, you can use a single touch or a single voice command to change the radio station, even without leaving your current Navigation screen. Just watch this video to see some common shortcuts:

medneedsmeds

to skip to the next track just swipe your finger in the very top part of the touch pad where the little icons are printed