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Quick E350 CDI Sport Estate Review

You are missing out on a great system Mark. Voice commands are quick and easy and there's not much to learn. Much better than manual input, which I now only use on the rare occasions that silly woman can't understand me. For some reason, she can't do Poole or Ewell, no matter how carefully I anunciate it :doh:

I was never aware you have to train the system...but perhaps you do...!

Well maybe this is just down to me not reading the manual but when I have played with the system I have found that the voice command only seems to work with whatever mode the system is set for.

So if I am in Nav mode, only Nav functions are available. Likewise if I am in Phone mode I can only control the phone.

So if I am using Nav and want to make a call, first I have to take my hand off the wheel and select phone and then press the voice command button.

This seems to negate the benefits of such a system.

On the last car, if I pressed the voice button and said a command (such as dial) it didn't care what I was doing at the time.

Or maybe I am missing something.
 
Yes Mark, you're missing something, linguatronic is more powerful that you've led yourself to believe.

For example, when I'm listening to the Music Register with the Nav screen up, I can say "Radio 2" and it'll immediately swap the audio over to the radio without changing the screen.

From anywhere, I can say "Call Home" (I have a contact set up called "Home") and it will place the call (after a couple of confirmation screens).

It's worth playing with as there's more functionality than there is implied in the manual.

Basically, when you press the speech button, your options aren't limited to the screen full of commands that it show you.

Surely there's a thread around somewhere with linguatronic tips like this?
 
Yes Mark, you're missing something, linguatronic is more powerful that you've led yourself to believe.

For example, when I'm listening to the Music Register with the Nav screen up, I can say "Radio 2" and it'll immediately swap the audio over to the radio without changing the screen.

From anywhere, I can say "Call Home" (I have a contact set up called "Home") and it will place the call (after a couple of confirmation screens).

It's worth playing with as there's more functionality than there is implied in the manual.

Basically, when you press the speech button, your options aren't limited to the screen full of commands that it show you.

Surely there's a thread around somewhere with linguatronic tips like this?

Yes I do the same, simply change mode by voice command, from radio to media interface (iPOD), CD, phone, Nav etc...

I find it really good, only occassionaly it gets it wrong to embarass me when I trying to demo it to someone else lol.
 
Mark, it is very good - well worth trying and using. You'll use it all the time!
 
I find it really good, only occassionaly it gets it wrong to embarass me when I trying to demo it to someone else lol.

This is one for the "why oh why" thread on here somewhere.
 
I find it really good, only occassionaly it gets it wrong to embarass me when I trying to demo it to someone else lol.
What you haven't appreciated is that the Linguatronic system takes an input from the passenger seat occupancy sensor. If the seat's empty it responds to every verbal command with aplomb; if not, the "random response" mode is automatically and silently engaged in order to make you look a proper tw@t. Well, that's how it works on my car anyway... :o :D
 
Well, the journey up the M40 to work yesterday morning was pretty fun in the rain and howling gales. But just a case of turning the radio up, holding on tight and gritting my teeth through it.

And trying to dodge smaller cars being blown out of their lanes, the poor chumps.
 
What you haven't appreciated is that the Linguatronic system takes an input from the passenger seat occupancy sensor. If the seat's empty it responds to every verbal command with aplomb; if not, the "random response" mode is automatically and silently engaged in order to make you look a proper tw@t. Well, that's how it works on my car anyway... :o :D

...and I thought it was just me...:doh:

On the individualisation point, I confess I have only just found that facility in the handbook - a few paragraphs on the very last pages of the separate Linguatronic handbook! But this is just fine tuning as the system is pretty intuitive without any adjustment - possibly necessary for strong Scottish or Geordie accents!!

Agree with the other comments re ease of use - I would find it hard now to revert to fiddling with manual control...
 
After a few weeks of ownership, I've finally managed to find a seat/wheel position that's really nice and comfortable. I've always been used to the low, laid back position that makes the BMW so comfortable and had to adjust to the higher, more upright stance that the E class seems to want.

Pulling the wheel back toward my belly and low down makes it into a nice comfortable tourer, resting my elbows on the arm rests with full control of the wheel. Makes me feel like a taxi driver.

I'm also getting much more used to using the paddle shift to put myself in the right gear for any quick response. It really helps with the mushy feeling you get when trying to fight the low rpm.
 
After a few weeks of ownership, I've finally managed to find a seat/wheel position that's really nice and comfortable. I've always been used to the low, laid back position that makes the BMW so comfortable and had to adjust to the higher, more upright stance that the E class seems to want.

Pulling the wheel back toward my belly and low down makes it into a nice comfortable tourer, resting my elbows on the arm rests with full control of the wheel. Makes me feel like a taxi driver.

I'm also getting much more used to using the paddle shift to put myself in the right gear for any quick response. It really helps with the mushy feeling you get when trying to fight the low rpm.

Funny you say that Pete, I was loaned a 212 and felt the seat, even on its lowest setting, was too high. I wanted my bum to be lower, and my knees raised higher than its range of adjustment. The 211 seating is better
 
Interesting comparison.

I think I prefer the meaner, Megatron look of mine though! :D
 
Funny you say that Pete, I was loaned a 212 and felt the seat, even on its lowest setting, was too high. I wanted my bum to be lower, and my knees raised higher than its range of adjustment. The 211 seating is better

I'm guessing that the sport seats have a bearing on comfort here. I'm looking forward to putting a lot more miles into this seat set up and whether it really is comfortable in the long terms.
 
This is Pete said:
I'm guessing that the sport seats have a bearing on comfort here. I'm looking forward to putting a lot more miles into this seat set up and whether it really is comfortable in the long terms.

Sport or normal seats. They are the same bar sport ones have larger bolsters. Personally I didn't like the 212 seating, the seat base was too short for me. The 204 ironically I find way more comfortable
 
Oddly, I can't seem to be able to enter a postcode through lingatroninc, or I've not found the method of doing that yet.

Experimentation pays dividends here.

Just say "Enter post code" and you go right to it. It's a complete doddle.
 
Yep, the new seat position is turning out to be extremely comfortable. Can't believe how lazy I was before in not getting things set up right.

Last night, when the roads were quiet, I played a little with the handling.

Quick exit from a t junction had the back end squirming around a fair bit. I could feel the movement, but esp wasn't at all harsh or juddery. It just felt as though I still had full control of where the car was going.

Suitably impressed indeed.
 
Ok. On the way back from the office, I set myself the task of seeing just how much MPG the V6 is capable of. This is a 90 mile journey, following the A43, M40, A404, and M4. Between 55 and 60mph as much as I possibly could.

6797006165_64e30f6153_b.jpg


I saw the average trip mpg very briefly go over 48. At this mpg, a full tank gives over 800 miles of range.

Interesting though this experiment was, this is no way to drive a car like this.
 
What about doing the same trip at a cruise controlled 70mph?

47 mpg doesn't strike me as outstanding for those speeds.
 

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