What has M.B come to?

[BEJ]

I have not driven a Merc since I sold my SLK, but recently I had occasion to rent a C200 estate auto .
OK it drove as a MB should, quietly and smoothly and was reasonably comfortable BUT the infotament system!! As it was a hire car there was no handbook or nav sd card so I had to go on intuition and guesswork. Trying to find the radio programme that I wanted was near on impossible until I stumbled on it on the third day. Likewise the display in the instrument cluster, took for ever twiddling various knobs and buttons.I came to a stop in a queue of traffic and it would not let me pull away, some kind of message about the handbrake - which I had not applied. Took two changes of lights and a lot of honking from behind before I must have done something - don 't ask me what - and I was able to proceed.
Compared with my last car, a Volvo xc60 and my current car, a VW passat estate GT, the MB system, in my opinion sucks, and as for that Ipad stuck on the dash as an afterthought, words fail me.

 

[sc3992]

I think that the current infotainment system is ok.

It isn’t the best but it isn’t the worst but they are easy to use.........

 

[Eddy77]

I think you can level the same criticism at most new hi-tech cars. I find our new Audi very confusing. Messages and icons everywhere. I’ve no idea what they all mean! Much prefer my 10 year old clk!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

Technology has been advancing a lot more rapidly than people change cars.

 

[GeeJayW]

RTFM...

 

[190]

BMW's fault for introducing the i drive then others followed suit. It's a gimmick that I've hardly ever used and never while driving. Crazy to design a control that requires you to take your eyes off the road.

I can do without electric parking brakes too.

 

[BEJ]

I think that the current infotainment system is ok.

It isn’t the best but it isn’t the worst but they are easy to use.........

think you can level the same criticism at most new hi-tech cars. I find our new Audi very confusing. Messages and icons everywhere. I’ve no idea what they all mean! Much prefer my 10 year old clk!

The systems in the Volvo and the VW are very much easier to understand than the MB one fitted to the 2017 C class that I had.

 

[tron]

Then the Mercedes must be dire indeed. The VW system was worse than that on a BMW - constantly irritating and dangerous. As for RTFM- no. Stuff it. You are wrong. I can pick up any phone or computer of much greater complexity and use it within seconds but I am far more likely to have to hire an unfamiliar car. Am I to spend half a day learning how to use it?
Really? Feck off.

 

[219]

I have not driven a Merc since I sold my SLK, but recently I had occasion to rent a C200 estate auto .
OK it drove as a MB should, quietly and smoothly and was reasonably comfortable BUT the infotament system!! As it was a hire car there was no handbook or nav sd card so I had to go on intuition and guesswork. Trying to find the radio programme that I wanted was near on impossible until I stumbled on it on the third day. Likewise the display in the instrument cluster, took for ever twiddling various knobs and buttons.I came to a stop in a queue of traffic and it would not let me pull away, some kind of message about the handbrake - which I had not applied. Took two changes of lights and a lot of honking from behind before I must have done something - don 't ask me what - and I was able to proceed.
Compared with my last car, a Volvo xc60 and my current car, a VW passat estate GT, the MB system, in my opinion sucks, and as for that Ipad stuck on the dash as an afterthought, words fail me.

I hope you complained to the hire company about the lack of the manual and their failure to properly brief you when handing over the car .

It’s still wrong that cars aren’t completely intuitive in use though .

 

[MrRight]

unfortunately watching a YouTube video or two to familiarise yourself with the system is really useful if no one has taken the time to explain how it works. it is complicated and there is a learning curve but is very feature rich. MBUX couldn't come sooner .

as for the stuck on ipad, it does indeed have terribly large bezels , however the practical placement for a driver to view the system is exceptional.

 

[Mattns]

For me the most annoying item on all the recent hires and my current 2019 Passat is knowing which items can be viewed, selected and changed from the steering wheel controls (Menu) and which are in the centre unit.

 

[rf065]

The systems in the Volvo and the VW are very much easier to understand than the MB one fitted to the 2017 C class that I had.

I find mine very simple to use, you just did not know how it worked. That is two very different things.

 

[PenelopePitstop]

It took me 1 day to work out how to change language from Swedish to English on new C-class. Car was throwing some errors constantly but couldn't understand it until I managed to change the language.

Errors were:
-failures of ABS sensors which switched off half of other systems together with cruise control
-failure of headlight

It was brand new car with 1800km on a clock, but I will never agree to rent one again in Polar Circle in winter. Absolutely wrong car for the place.

Also hated all chrome on every button and dial as it made them extra cold and unpleasant to operate without gloves.

I never had similar problems with rented car in the same or worst conditions. Even Fiesta was doing ok.

 

[wivenhoe]

It took me 1 day to work out how to change language from Swedish to English on new C-class. Car was throwing some errors constantly but couldn't understand it until I managed to change the language.

Errors were:
-failures of ABS sensors which switched off half of other systems together with cruise control
-failure of headlight

It was brand new car with 1800km on a clock, but I will never agree to rent one again in Polar Circle in winter. Absolutely wrong car for the place.

Also hated all chrome on every button and dial as it made them extra cold and unpleasant to operate without gloves.

I never had similar problems with rented car in the same or worst conditions. Even Fiesta was doing ok.

View attachment 86792 View attachment 86793 View attachment 86794

Looks like the sensors have difficulties at -20C to -30C so as you say, wrong car for the region.

 

[219]

Looks like the sensors have difficulties at -20C to -30C so as you say, wrong car for the region.

Poor design then since they sell cars into those regions .

 

[Monkeylegend]

RTFM...

RTOP

 

[rf065]

Poor design then since they sell cars into those regions .

These cars are tested extensively in the Arctic region before they go on sale, we don't even know what the fault was caused by. I'd be very surprised if it was anything to do with the temp.

 

[SlimJim]

Can’t quite understand the thread title. Just because a particular radio station couldn’t be found.

 

[219]

These cars are tested extensively in the Arctic region before they go on sale, we don't even know what the fault was caused by. I'd be very surprised if it was anything to do with the temp.

Indeed yes : it has long been standard procedure to test cars in all environmental conditions prior to release , so would be interesting to know if this is an isolated incident.

 

[219]

It took me 1 day to work out how to change language from Swedish to English on new C-class. Car was throwing some errors constantly but couldn't understand it until I managed to change the language.

Errors were:
-failures of ABS sensors which switched off half of other systems together with cruise control
-failure of headlight

It was brand new car with 1800km on a clock, but I will never agree to rent one again in Polar Circle in winter. Absolutely wrong car for the place.

Also hated all chrome on every button and dial as it made them extra cold and unpleasant to operate without gloves.

I never had similar problems with rented car in the same or worst conditions. Even Fiesta was doing ok.

View attachment 86792 View attachment 86793 View attachment 86794

Re the language issue - that comes down to programming , and it would be good practice for the system to offer language selection on start up as a default ( with an option for users to select ‘ don’t show this again ‘ once they have made their selection . For a hire car I would expect language selection to be left on .

I wonder whether , if you returned the car with it set to English , it would have flummoxed someone in the hire company, or the next customer...