What a Stupid Place to put a Cruise Control

[Smeesh]

Had a fun day today trying out my just purchased E350 Coupe Cdi Sport Blue Efficiency. What a machine .. Automatic and drives as smooth as Baby's Bum (Can I say That ? ) Tried out all the toys and all work. Impressed with the response after giving it the Gypsies Warning safely of course .

Even though did a round trip of over 100 miles today was expecting worse on the MPG and was more than happy with my average just over 40 mpg but realise this is only a rough estimate.

Had a good look under the bonnet at that massive V6 Cover and is just impressive. cannie wait to get it into the warmth of the Fire Station and have it that clean that you will be able to eat yer breakfast of it.

But !! What a stupid place to put a Cruise Control switch. The amount of times I used it as the indicator was sending me nuts baring in mind it was my first real clutch today. Why did they not put it at the other side of the steering wheel ?

So anyway one very happy MB owner and at last behind the wheel of a Mans Motor....

SMEESH....:bannana:

 

[dozypillock]

I have got used to mine being there now. I find it harder to find the indicator when driving the other car though, as that has the audio controls on that side. The Merc has 3 stalks on the left on mine, and none on the right.

Neil

 

[gIzzE]

You get used to it, plus the fact headlights, washers etc. are all on that stalk too. haha

It does a annoy me though that Mercedes don't swap this to the right hand side for UK cars, it makes a lot more sense when driving a LHD car, you can leave your arm on the arm rest and everything is in reach. Very relaxing.

 

[E55BOF]

Had a fun day today trying out my just purchased E350 Coupe Cdi Sport Blue Efficiency. What a machine .. Automatic and drives as smooth as Baby's Bum

You have the advantage of me; I've never driven a Baby's Bum...

 

[Rory]

If it's the same as mine then I really like it - easy one-touch fingertip operation.

The one on my wife's VW is a right pain - a very stiff switch on top of the indicator stalk which is very tricky to operate without operating the indicators, and then a rocker switch on the end of the stalk to increase / decrease speed.

Don't know if current MBs are the same but the complete lack of any indication that cruise is engaged is a bit odd in my car - I find it's easy to come out of 50MPH roadworks and then not realise it's still on until slowing down later.

 

[IanMSpencer]

Moving the stalk below the indicator was a good move - on earlier models it was far easier to accidentally engage, and if set to speed limiter you are sat wondering why the car won't go faster than 20mph.

More recent cars have differing displays. I prefer the older W204 C Class central speedo with lit segments than the new C Class with the offset speedo and an indicator in the display showing the cruise speed set.

 

[219]

..... cannie wait to get it into the warmth of the Fire Station and have it that clean that you will be able to eat yer breakfast of it.

But !!

SMEESH....:bannana:

So you work for SFRS ?

I'm based at the WSDA HQ in Hamilton , where are you based ?

Glad you're enjoying the car

Re the cruise - on my earlier cars the multi function stalk was on the outside and cruise on the inside , but with the W203 I had , both were on the inside which was annoying since every Merc from the 1960's onwards always had the stalk in the same place .

My R129 also has the multifunction stalk on the 'wrong' side , which is annoying when I jump between it and my 190 . Since neither of my current cars has cruise , retrofitting will be on the agenda for both ; and I'll also be looking at swapping the 129 multifunction stalk round to the other side , to make it the same as all my other cars have been ( I may have to source a W201/124/126 stalk , or a LHD steering column head to do this ) but that's a job for later .

 

[Lotiman]

As others have said, you do get used to the relative positioning and it will become second nature. It's regularly changing between my cars that foxes me, as the indicator stalks are either on the opposite side altogether or in a slightly different position, thus I might turn on the wipers when really I wanted to indicate left!
But if you think the indicator stalk positioning can be confusing, I occasionally drive very old cars where the brake pedal is on the far right and the throttle pedal is in the middle, next to the clutch. Now that focuses the mind, I can tell you!

 

[TheFoX]

I wouldn't want my cruise control on the right hand of my steering wheel, because that is where the shifter/selector is.

Actually, the cruise control on the Merc is one of the most intuitive there is. Try a Mondeo one. You have to switch cruise control on before setting the desired speed.

 

[Wheelsnuts]

I agree that it does take some getting used to, especially when driving different cars. When on the subject of control stalks, the other issue for me is why is the gear selector stalk moved up and down? Wouldn't it be much more intuitive if it was pushed forward for drive and pulled back for reverse? Just a thought.

 

[219]

I wouldn't want my cruise control on the right hand of my steering wheel, because that is where the shifter/selector is.

Actually, the cruise control on the Merc is one of the most intuitive there is. Try a Mondeo one. You have to switch cruise control on before setting the desired speed.

Nor would I : every Mercedes since the W110/111 series ( introduced circa 1959 ) has had the multifunction stalk ( indicators etc ) to the outside of the steering column ( on the right in RHD cars , or the left in LHD ) until they decided to mess with it in the early 90's . Prior to that ( in the 50's , indicators were operated by rotating the horn ring in the direction you wished to turn , and high/low beam was selected by a foot operated dip-switch , which stayed up to the W114/115 series ) .

When cruise was first introduced on the W116 , it was always on the other side .

Incidentally , column gear changes are typically towards the centre of the car ( because that was simplest for the mechanical linkage to the gearbox ) so if your car has an electric stalk for gear changing on the outside , that too flies in the face of convention .

It used to be a fundamental part of Mercedes-Benz design that controls were in the same place on every model so that you could go from one to another without having to adjust .

The multifunction stalk evolved from just being a headlamp flasher in the 50's , to also operating direction indicators in the early 60's , then dip-switch in the late 60's , then screenwash function and finally wipers too by the mid-1970's . The stalk itself remains basically the same on my R129 , but has moved to the 'wrong' side ; the main light switch , thankfully , has remained the same since the days of the Pontons and Adenauers , save for having separate left and right parking light positions ( used to be only one then select left or right by means of a separate toggle switch ) and the second pull out for rear fog lamps since their introduction circa 1973 .

 

[219]

I agree that it does take some getting used to, especially when driving different cars. When on the subject of control stalks, the other issue for me is why is the gear selector stalk moved up and down? Wouldn't it be much more intuitive if it was pushed forward for drive and pulled back for reverse? Just a thought.

It is the successor of column mounted gear changes where the 'H' pattern was turned on its side or , if an automatic selector , moved up and down around the axis of the column ( it was a mechanical linkage back then ) .

 

[Wheelsnuts]

It is the successor of column mounted gear changes where the 'H' pattern was turned on its side or , if an automatic selector , moved up and down around the axis of the column ( it was a mechanical linkage back then ) .

Thanks: I can now see how it came about. However, I still think a horizontal back and forth movement in a modern car would be more intuitive. I don't know how many of us are still around from the old column change days.

 

[Teflonso]

Best cruise control of any car I've had.

But the wiper controls on the stalk were designed by an idiot and whoever decided to put the gear lever where the wipers should be must have been on some good gear at the time himself.


.

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[219]

Thanks: I can now see how it came about. However, I still think a horizontal back and forth movement in a modern car would be more intuitive. I don't know how many of us are still around from the old column change days.

I learned on my W115 which was column change , as was my Ponton and Fintail .

I know quite a few others on here also drove them .

 

[herby thr cls]

I learned on my W115 which was column change , as was my Ponton and Fintail .

I know quite a few others on here also drove them .

My Ponton was column change too and both fintails, the 220sec (coupe ) was column change auto which I really liked. I've just remembered that the gear stick retaining collar/nut on the Ponton was worn and when it was in reverse you could pull the gear stick out of its socket and either hide it in the boot or take it with you when parked up in a dodgy area, great anti theft devise for a 1958 motor haha