mike82212

In the upper left hand side of the screen when using the nav there is a digital clock. To that left there appears to be a analog clock but doesn’t seem to always have the correct time. Any idea what it’s for? Can’t seem to find it in the manual. Thanks

ua549

That is showing delays en-route. There is also an arrival time in the display.

JTK44

Query:

Do you use MB navigation or Waze?

I have tried both and find Waze much, much better - far better with up to date traffic than MB navigation so much so, I never even bother with MB navigation.

Basically I find MB navigation useless and wonder why Mercedes (and other car manufacturers as well) even bothers: reminds me of 25 years ago when cars had built in telephones (very, very expensive) which were then replaced by cell phones!

WIth Apple play, I find Waze map on my digital screen fantastic!

Just my $.02.

rustybear3

Love the MB navigation; especially when paired with live traffic. Beautiful animations and intuitive detours when necessary.

I find WAZE too cartoonish and use Google satellite maps occasionally just for fun. Never have to worry about cops cause with my speed limit checked off, my distronic automatically adjusts for speed . I don't think you can beat the MB navigation system and use the ME Connect app often to send addresses and POI to the navigator.

mike82212

I’ve seen the delays enroute but I guess without a destination it just shows the little clock grayed out? I’ve had the car for a few months and just noticed it.

ua549

I looked at waze quite awhile ago, but it required a cell phone which I won't use wile driving.

JTK44

You plug the cell phone in and forget about it - better yet when you do, it keeps your phone charged at 100%!

You do realize that with Apple play, you are not looking at your cell phone but at your digital screen, correct?

ua549

I don't use any Apple products or Android Auto. AFAIK they both monopolize the display. COMAND navigation and traffic works very well for me, especially the voice features, without needing to use the entire display.

whoover

When using Android Auto, you can toggle between the head unit or the phone driving the display. It's a single gesture to move from one mode to the other. I imagine it's the same with CarPlay.

Similarly, a short press on the voice command lever and you're talking to the car; a long press and you're talking to Android Auto. Long press and "Navigate to ..." invokes Waze (or Google Maps, as per your default). If will bring up Android Auto on the screen. But you can always go back to COMAND with the controller, even while Waze is navigating. All told, the integration is pretty cool. The only (slight) annoyance is that you have to use a USB cable, but that's the fault of the current BlueTooth technology. It doesn't have enough bandwidth to support the phone driving the screen. That will be fixed in future hardware, both phone and head unit.

JTK44

Couple of points:

Very, very easy to toggle between Apple Car Play (Waze) and anything else. I do it all the time without every taking my eyes off the road.

USB cord is necessary - but no big deal: I have a small USB cable, coiled and ready for use.

On trips I have toggled between Waze and MB navigation system to see which one is better - as a test: For example, with traffic on I 95 from New Haven, CT to my home on Longs Island, where there are many choices including bridges, hands down WAZE is so superior to avoiding traffic jams (and Google maps as well) as compared to MB navigation it will make you want to cry. Being stuck just once using MB Navigation and you will swear it off forever - as I have done!

I find the graphics from WAZE using Apple play on my digital screen to be superb.

NC19E450

How do you toggle between Android Auto and Command with a single gesture?

ua549

A USB cable is a big deal. I am in and out of my car every few minutes and would have to disconnect/reconnect every few minutes as well.
Bluetooth (24 mb/s) has faster average cellular upload data speeds than cellular - AT&T 14.8 mb/s, Sprint 4.6 mb/s, T-mobile 21.8 mb/s, Verizon 21.0 mb/s. Download speeds are faster over cellular. That said, 24 mb/s is fast enough to support any navigation application. Requiring a USB cable is simply relying on old technology.

whoover

When you're in Android Auto, any Home button returns to COMAND. Pull down on the controller and the main menu can take you back. Or long-press voice.

NC19E450

Thank you whoover. On a side note, I found that when in Waze, moving the controller to the right initiates Google voice.

whoover

Android Auto has the phone's graphic hardware take over the COMAND screen. For a high-res display, 24 mb/s is insufficient. It's not shipping data to the head unit; it's driving a couple of million pixels, each with at least 30 bits of color depth. With lots of refreshes per second. Yes, it's old technology. It's called BlueTooth. USB 2.0 is 480 Mb; USB 3.0 is ten times that. That's why you need the cable.

JTK44

Dear UA549:

You wrote:

A USB cable is a big deal. I am in and out of my car every few minutes and would have to disconnect/reconnect every few minutes as well.

I doubt you need WAZE for a few minute drive! I use WAZE on long trips, not few minute drive to golf course, church, super market, etc.

whoover

BTW, the fix is WiFi. The next generation of head units will support WiFi communication with phones, which will use new WiFi channels in parallel with BlueTooth and NFC. We will finally have almost-Gigabit wireless connectivity between phone and car, removing the need for a cable for these high-bandwidth applications. But it will be a few years before both phones and cars have the support. Until then, use a cable if it's worth it to you. Or don't.

rustybear3

Exactly. Plus let's not even go there comparing graphics. Which would you rather stare at while you're driving? The cluttered cartoonish WAZE interface, or the slick and sleek graphics of the Mercedes Benz system; coupled with live traffic and X to car communication? Plus with the new MBUX Augmented Reality navigation system in the new 2020 models, it's one of the best Nav systems on the market! p.s. I've never been stuck in traffic, or been detoured inappropriately with the MB NAV. Best car system I have ever had, bar none.

TugboatBill

Holy cow! WTH is all that supposed to mean? No wonder there are so many accidents because someone is on their phone instead of paying attention.

Cambridgehank

Here is the benefit of WAZE. Group notices from the drivers on my road ahead of me. They let me know about police hiding on the side of the road, accidents ahead, and speed cameras ahead.

Courthaven

I just get confused with the color scheme accuracy when using MB Nav and honestly, need help. When I am going from point A to point B it always shows me 2 lines of traffic going my direction, one with the arrow and one without. No matter if I am just stuck in traffic it still traces the route that I am going in blue. I would think it would be red. I am just so confused and this late I can't even properly type my issue... Sorry. But please help if you can. Maybe I can articulate it better later.

rbrylaw

Not a big fan of Waze, but Apple Maps works really well. This was my recent solution to having access to my phone while in Apple Car Play:

rustybear3

Not only that, but during the LA fires this app lead motorists in street areas directly in the line of the fires. Some large cities are fed up with WAZE rerouting patterns that jam side streets and block in residents of homes for hours.

whoover

Red would mean heavy traffic. Red and yellow traces in your direction are how it indicates traffic. I agree the previous, Sirius-based, traffic map was clearer.

ua549

The biggest benefit I get from the nav screen is the real time traffic congestion indicators and the delay info in minutes. I also use the traffic camera app quite a bit.