Mercedes Benz Floating Ipad Screens.

[renault12ts]

Soon we may graduate to the land of the dreaded " touch screen " where in a car devoid of real controls we can all play hunt the Icon/ menu/ submenu in a virtual reality devoid of tangible controls marked hot cold fan radio on off etc - all the while hammering down your local traffic choked motorway at 70 mph--- can't wait! At least in the event of your death they will be able to identify you from the myriad of greasy finger prints on the dashboard floating touch screen now firmly embedded in your skull.

Agreed. These touch screens can't possibly be regarded as safe. I have one...they are a distraction.

 

[whitenemesis]

Agreed. These touch screens can't possibly be regarded as safe. I have one...they are a distraction.

It'll be something to do, whilst the car auto-drives ....

 

[renault12ts]

It'll be something to do, whilst the car auto-drives ....

...but, until then...

 

[Alexf]

I really like the floating screen, I think it looks great... The larger ones anyway, the smaller ones with the plastic boarder look cheap.

 

[Mactech]

The one in the GLE is sort of 'Floatygrated'.
It's certainly huge step up from the low res Range Rover touch screen and better than the 'Happy Shopper' pop up Audi one.
The hi-res screen is very clear and not smeared by finger prints, but I will only comment on it's ability to navigate when I have more experience of it.

 

[PobodY]

That's not so bad. - I probably wouldn't criticise the GLE.

As I said, it's really where it looks like it's been affixed to the top of the dashboard with superglue because someone wanted to be able to use their iPad whilst driving. - It makes the car look like a taxi (where they've got two phones, a satnav, plus the meter).

 

[Deleted member 126969]

Bet you don't like the Tesla 3 then! The new E class 'dash' still has the 'not attached' look about it, although it doesn't protrude above the binnacle. Have to say, I think the E class interior is chuffin' gorgeous. Proper Star Trek Enterprise.

 

[BrianWSussex]

I hated it enough to choose the Jaguar XE instead of a C Class, but after a year of constant problems and returns to the Dealer I gave in went back to Mercedes and a C250d.
I think the tablet screeen is great now, it suits the dash layout, it's a sensible size with good resolution, and it sits at just about the right eye level to be useful but not intrusive.

 

[timskemp]

The B class has one, to be fair the comment on the TG article that it keeps the scuttle low and the screen in view is perfectly valid, driven it across Europe and it's well placed for navigation.

The SLK has the worst screen in our fleet, impossible to read in bright sunlight and not in line of sight.

As for the E class, that is just blooming spectacular!

 

[kianok]

If you could remove it and use it as a tablet it would make more sense.

I don't like it.

 

[baxlin]

TBH, it was a deal breaker, I disliked it so much. I had thoroughly enjoyed the two years I had with my 2013 C220, but the iPad blu-tac'd to the dashboard meant I looked elsewhere for its replacement. A pity, really.

 

[whitenemesis]

TBH, it was a deal breaker, I disliked it so much. I had thoroughly enjoyed the two years I had with my 2013 C220, but the iPad blu-tac'd to the dashboard meant I looked elsewhere for its replacement. A pity, really.

Ditto ...

 

[nullogik]

The thick bezel makes it look like a mounted cheap no-name Chinese tablet bought off DealExtreme or Banggood.

 

[Alexf]

I think people are missing something here. What is being accused as a slap dash last minute design error is actually a very complimentary and well thought out design.

The curvature of the centre console with the floating screen above it is very much so deliberate and in my opinion looks far better than any standard integrated screen would...

(so long as you don't cheap out and go for the smaller screens with the plastic boarder)

 

[Deleted member 126969]

I agree that the Audio 20 version of the panel really exacerbates the problem if you are at all dubious about the design - looks a LOT better with the larger active area of the COMAND version. If they had used a small case for the smaller screen to reduce the border that might have helped.

But, you can't please all the people all the time. Be interesting to see what they do in the next few model refreshes. The C will be getting the E style dash so maybe that's a sign of things to come.

 

[Deleted member 113659]

I think if they introduced a similar sized screen in the style of the Samsung Infinity it'd look really good.

 

[developer]

Im yet to hear a single owner with one of these complain.

All the haters are people who have only seen photos of them.

Though not a "hater" I've driven loads of courtesy cars with them - I prefer something more integrated, less Blue Peter.

 

[markjay]

I think people are missing something here. What is being accused as a slap dash last minute design error is actually a very complimentary and well thought out design.

The curvature of the centre console with the floating screen above it is very much so deliberate and in my opinion looks far better than any standard integrated screen would...

(so long as you don't cheap out and go for the smaller screens with the plastic boarder)

I have no doubt it was designed from the ground up, but what many people are saying is that the LOOKS like afterthought - so perhaps in this case the design missed its goals? Not everything that looks cool in the lab is successful once released to the great public.

Personally, I disliked it when it came out, but then it grew on me. I was a passenger in a C300 in the US last month, and while I got used to the screen and would have still bought the car (if I was in the market for one), had I been able to choose the screen for my car then this one wouldn't have made my short-list.

 

[B-BOY]

I think some cars are worse than others. My preference is integrated, but I think in the new BMW 5 Seires it doesn't look bad. Saying that someone here posted a link that the facelift C Class will be more like the new E Class inside

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Ironic that the model which seems to have got the most positive reaction in this thread is the GLE, which is effectively an after thought, because the dashboard is a carryover from the ML which was designed for an integrated screen.