Mercedes stalk controls - Why everything on one?

[Bobby Dazzler]

The more I think about it, the more I realise that someone at Mercedes really hasn't thought this through in detail, especially from a users perspective and have stuck with their way of doing it just to differentiate themselves from other cars.

Mercedes don’t have “someone” to do this stuff, they have “some teams of ergonomics and user interface designers”, so I think they’ll have thought it through.

Many of those designers will drive a Mercedes and will have driven cars from other marques, so they’ll be a user too. I’m not sure that your view is that widespread.

What makes the functionality being co trolled all from on a single stalk more confusing than that same function south being split across two stalks?

The functions and associated control movements still need to be remembered whether they’re found on one stalk, two stalks or a stalk for each function.

 

[as400]

Lost count of the number of times I have intended to spray my windscreen and ended up flashing someone.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Lost count of the number of times I have intended to spray my windscreen and ended up flashing someone.

That’s never going to stand up in court. You need a better excuse, like you’ve recently lost weight and so your trousers are a little loose and your belt doesn’t tighten enough.

 

[HappytalkAgain]

I’ve never really thought about it. Which means it mustn’t have registered as an issue in my mind.

I personally love the D/P/R/N stalk. I think the centre console looks much nicer without a gear selector and hand brake

 

[Pontoneer]

I drive my wife's GLB on an occasional basis and everytime I do, I am still confused as to why Mercedes insists on putting pretty much all the controls into one stalk on the left with the right stalk controlling the gears and not doing much else during a normal drive whereas the left one feels overloaded.

Surely putting in another stalk for gears if Mercedes insist on having the gears on a stalk rather than a button on the dash (as an example) frees up the right stalk to be used for other functions like wipers (front and back) as most cars do?

This isn't a question but more of a slightly bemused wondering whether this annoys anyone else.

RHD column change was always on the left , with LHD column change on the right - why the confusion ?

 

[tonysmb]

I don't see what the problem is. MB have used the 'single stalk' idea for 50+ years, possibly longer: my old 107 series had one. To be fair, there isn't really one stalk on many MBs now, even ignoring the column gear change, ie there's a cruise/speed limiter stalk as well. What does seem to be an oversight, though, is that on one of mine the cruise control stalk is the upper one, on another it's the lower one; why?

 

[Stratman]

Save a euro on a million cars and you've saved a million euros.

 

[Phil1968]

What does seem to be an oversight, though, is that on one of mine the cruise control stalk is the upper one, on another it's the lower one; why?

Exactly what I said further up the thread. In my 2020 Vito it's below the indicator stalk, in my 2006 CLS it's above.

 

[Petrol Pete]

That's a step back imo, because I find the stalk quite intuitive to use

Stalk control much better , I drive a lot of rental cars and they all have cruise control on the steering wheel . I find the 4 way movement (plus push in for limiter) of the stalk way more intuitive.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

Stalk control much better , I drive a lot of rental cars and they all have cruise control on the steering wheel . I find the 4 way movement (plus push in for limiter) of the stalk way more intuitive.

I heard and read several times that the traditional Mercedes cruise control stalk is a marvel of simple and effective design and I think they’re right. For me it’s never quite as intuitive in cars other from other brands, and that’s not just familiarity talking although it no doubt helps a little with any car.

 

[tonysmb]

Exactly what I said further up the thread. In my 2020 Vito it's below the indicator stalk, in my 2006 CLS it's above.

That'll teach me to read threads properly before commenting

 

[Pontoneer]

I drive my wife's GLB on an occasional basis and everytime I do, I am still confused as to why Mercedes insists on putting pretty much all the controls into one stalk on the left with the right stalk controlling the gears and not doing much else during a normal drive whereas the left one feels overloaded.

Surely putting in another stalk for gears if Mercedes insist on having the gears on a stalk rather than a button on the dash (as an example) frees up the right stalk to be used for other functions like wipers (front and back) as most cars do?

This isn't a question but more of a slightly bemused wondering whether this annoys anyone else.

The multi function stalk originated in the early sixties and initially just had indicators and headlamp flashers on it ( back then even the dip switch was a button on the floor ) . With passage of time wipers were added , and when intermittent wipe became a thing this was added too .

The whole design philosophy was to have each function controlled in a different way so that confusion was not possible . Your gear stalk is really a throwback to column mounted gearchanges , which were common in the 1950s and allowed for a front bench seat , with capacity for six passengers , or for a loved one to snuggle over for a cuddle as you drove along !

Look back to what you had before ; in my 1957 Ponton there was a row of identical looking pull switches for various functions , and the indicators were actuated by turning the horn ring in the middle of the steering wheel ; by the time the W110/111/112 and 113 Fintail/Pagoda cars came out , most of these switches had gone and the earliest iteration of the multi function stalk had appeared ; with the 'new generation' of cars in 1968 ( the W114/5 or /8 series ) the windscreen wipers were also on the stalk , with a little rocker switch set in to allow for fast or slow speeds ; also the high beam was now on the stalk and the foot pedal was for the screenwashers ( instead of a plunger opearating a squeezy bulb to squirt water , and you still had to turn the wipers on separately ) .

Later , with the advent of R107 , W116 and W123 , the stalk got to almost where it is now , with a twist action for the wipers and press in for screenwash . This has been a long evolution over the last 70 years .

One thing that has not changed is the Mercedes-Benz light switch which has remained basically the same since the W136 170 series , itself a model carried over from pre WWII , and while rear fog lamps have been added , it is basically the same as on any M-B built since WWII .

 

[ALFAitalia]

I've lost count of the number of times I've yanked the cruise stalk when meaning to indicate on the A Class.....I'm going to snap it off one day. Does not help that the indicator stalk is too high and the CC stalk is about the same height as in my ALFA.

 

[Pontoneer]

The left stalk, from memory:

• Indicators
• High beam on
• High beam flash
• Front wipers on/off/intermittent
• Front wash
• Rear wipers on/off
• Rear wash

That's a lot of funtionality on one stalk whereas all the gear stalk does is to select D/P/R (wrong terminology to say change gear) and is not used.

So, from a user experience, you have a lot of fucntionality loaded into one stalk which does quite a lot of functionality that one needs to do in a typical drive whereas the you have the whole right side of the steering wheel that is not being used for anything other than selecting D/P/R.

The more I think about it, the more I realise that someone at Mercedes really hasn't thought this through in detail, especially from a users perspective and have stuck with their way of doing it just to differentiate themselves from other cars.

Actually a great deal of thought and study into ergonomics has gone on at Mercedes , far more than at all the lesser makers . Every function is easily accessed and operated in a different way from every other function - so no possibility of confusion .

 

[Pontoneer]

Yes, but wouldn't it better to stand out from the crowd in terms of excellence, service, quality etc rather than sticking with a method that is not actually user friendly, doesn't offer any tangible benefits and actually makes it harder for an older generation to use their vehicles if they are switching to Mercedes?

It actually is extremely user friendly , and also , if you have been driving Mercedes - any Mercedes - the controls in every other one work in the same way and fall easily to hand .

 

[Pontoneer]

Lose the rear wash/wipe and add cruise control and you have the LH stalk (RH is where the transmission selector lever resides) on my 1999 Chevrolet.

So Mercedes have no differentiation over others and very likely my Chevrolet is typical of many USA vehicles. Which kinda suggests the real reason for Mercedes to have adopted (not invented) that layout.

The one thing Mercedes did badly was when they deviated from the standard layout with the multi function stalk to the outside of the car ( right on RHD and left on LHD ) where it had been since the 1950s , and started putting it on the wrong side ( as in my W140 and R129 ) before that , every car from the Ponton to the W201/124/126 had the controls in the same place .

I learned to drive on Column change ( W115 ) and then had my Ponton and Fintail , so two RHD cars and one LHD car , all column change , which worked really well . You could also have automatics with column selector and the PRNDSL indicator in the cluster ; when cruise came along ( or Tempomat as M-B called it ) on the W116 , they just added another stalk ; which makes it easy to retrofit also ; I still have to finish that particular job on my W124 .

 

[Pontoneer]

I’ve never really thought about it. Which means it mustn’t have registered as an issue in my mind.

I personally love the D/P/R/N stalk. I think the centre console looks much nicer without a gear selector and hand brake

Apart from the W201 and W113 I struggle to think of any Mercedes with the stick type handbrake in the middle . It is either an umbrella handbrake next to the steering column , a pull out handbrake next to the door , or a fly off foot pedal type .