With the GLC F-Cell debut, the updated interior is said to be the refreshed ‘18 C Class interior. With the new COMAND system, they’ve adopted a larger widescreen format (finally) as well as a (wait for it...) touch pad input device. I’m curious to see how this system works compared to the Lexus remote touch interface.


I’m also seeing some references to it being found in the new E63 but I cannot read German.

https://www.mercedes-fans.de/magazin...-steller.11382

 

SOOOO many buttons on that steering wheel hah. Nice graphics on the 'tablet', and the screen ahead of the driver looks crisp.

 

ugh, I am really annoyed by this. I have the E class which has both the touch pad and the rotary dial. I find myself never using the pad and it is not as responsive or intuitive. In addition, the handwriting function is useless. For some reason, it doesn't understand what I write, and adds a foreign macron or umlaut to everything...

 

Ohh no, why change something just for the matter of change? Current Command and iDrive are the best out there right now.

 

But how do you like the thumb pads on the steering wheel? I absolutely loved them in the new E-Class, and found the new COMAND interface logic and layering worked really well with the steering wheel thumb swipe and select motions, never had to remove my hands from the wheel. I would imagine the new pad in the center would mimic that control with added abilities for the handwriting (which i've found the handwriting recognition in the BMW and Audi has been quite good). Obviously strong voice recognition would be best for input while driving, but it was nice to be able to write things out rather than trying to input and use the virtual keyboard.

 

Thumb pads are great. I find that I only use the left ones, which control the instrument cluster. Even though the right one controls the nav screen, I still find myself using the rotary dial. I rarely drive with two hands on the steering wheel, and my right hand is usually resting on the arm rest. Plus, the volume scroll is down there by the rotary dial. Maybe I'm just set in my ways.

 

I’ve yet to try out the thumb pads found with the newer Comand systems. The South Florida International Auto Show was postponed, thanks to Irma. I was especially excited this year with so many new models I’m interested in debuting.

 

Took a quick video for you guys. Im not crazy, the system is impossible. I think you will agree I am writing "o" on the touch pad. I get two different things each time, and I have no idea why it thinks I am adding a circumflex? WTF

 

It does not like your o’s lol.

 

It's european, they use a lot of accents there.

 

Yikes that's definitely an issue, but maybe that has to do with the glass type surface that MB currently uses? The refresh video seems to show more of the matte/grained type of surface that Audi uses. Although BMW does use a glass top on some of its iDrive *****. I just think maybe MB wasn't as committed to adding handwriting recognition with the current gen COMAND. The top of that glass pad was more for swipe functions.