Still in it…

The little door hatch in the center console, just above the air vents, is where the video display comes out when you activate it.  It will show the navigation screen and the stereo system display.  There are a lot of buttons there but in practice you don’t really have to use them.  Just behind my furry little car mascot in the cup holder is a little knob that you can use a bit like a joystick when the video display is active, and cycle through a series of menus that control just about everything.

Below the stereo system controls, just in front of the shift lever is the climate control.  The knobs on either side set the temperature for the driver’s side and passenger side independently.  In the center of the speedometer is a display that you can cycle through with the buttons on the steering wheel to show you things like the odometer and trip odometer, miles per gallon, miles left before you need to refuel, the direction of travel, your street location, what’s playing on the iPod, and the caller ID when there is an incoming call on your cell phone.  The car talks to my iPhone via a Bluetooth wireless interface and when the phone is in the car I can take and make calls via the voice control system. 

The wood trim is real burled walnut.  Mercedes backs the wood panels with aluminum so if there is an accident the wood won’t splinter. Some Mercedes fans are bellyaching online that they don’t like this new dash design but I just love it.  I really hated the look of the old C class cockpit.  This new look really appeals to me.

The car wants to do a lot for you automatically.  I’ve been running the climate control on auto and just setting the temperature and its always been right.  There are sensors that determine the ambient temperature inside and out, and which way the sun is beaming down on the car, and adjust the AC and fan speeds and vent openings accordingly.  You can also set the headlamps on auto and the car will figure out when and which ones to turn on and how bright to set them.  The turn signal lamps each have a backup, and when the active one burns out, and the backup is being used, you are notified in the speedometer info panel that you need to replace it. The dealer had to tell me about that because, she said, I might one day see a notice that I’ve got a burned out turn signal and I’ll go look at it and see that it’s still working and I might think the warning system is broken.  But no…I really do need to replace the lamp.  The rearview mirror is not adjustable for day/night operation.  There is a sensor in it that darkens the mirror when it detects headlights behind you.  The darkening varies according to the intensity of the light coming in behind you.  The sideview mirrors do the same.  I can’t begin to tell you how nice it is to have auto darkening sideviews.  So many times I’ve had to turn my sideviews away when some idiot, particularly in an SUV, comes alongside with headlights that aren’t aligned right, and then reset them after they’ve passed.

You notice I’m not even talking about the ride.  That’s mostly because I can’t push it yet.  I’m still in the break-in period.  I’ll say more about the ride when I’m free to do that.  I’m looking forward to it.  They say this car is as good on the road as any Mercedes sedan ever built.  Not quite as good as the best of the E class…but good.  And that’s probably way better then most other sedans.  One thing I am noticing now though, is the difference between a rear wheel drive and the front wheel drives I’ve been used to driving since 1993 and my Geo Prism.  But my first cars were rear wheel drive and it’s more like remembering how it was then learning something entirely new.   This car has a very solid feel to it on the road.  In part that’s probably because it’s heavy.  But it’s also a Mercedes sedan, and they just feel like that.

There’s a lot I still haven’t tried yet, particularly the voice command system.  I’ve been using the joystick to control the Nav system and the stereo.  And I’m still working on a way to copy my iPhone’s phone book over to the car.  The car will accept vCards, but the iPhone doesn’t do vCards yet.  However the Apple address book does.  There’s a slot in the console that accepts a PCMCIA memory card and I’m working on transferring the phone book that way.  Once I get the phone book transferred, I can not only make and receive calls with it, I can get directions to the addresses in it from the Nav system.

The cockpit is so…sensual…to just sit in.  When you buy a luxury grade car, you get (or damn well ought to for the price) a degree of fit and finish above the basic.  It’s not just the finer quality materials, it’s the degree of care that goes into the making of it.  Everywhere your eye looks, everything is fitted together just so…nothing is misaligned or out of place.  You can see the care that was taken in the assembly of the car everywhere you look.  It’s not the bells and whistles.  it’s the solid feel of quality and care throughout the whole passenger compartment, and every other part of the car.  It’s the real thing.

The folks who put this car together can be proud.  It is a real fine piece of work.  It was made in Germany, so the whole car actually rode the boat over to the U.S, unlike the previous two Japanese cars I’ve owned, which were made in factories here in America…the Geo Prism in California, the Honda Accord in Kentucky.  I have the Mercedes factory tag with the chassis number, order number and production number info on it…in German.  I’m still looking around the car to see if I can find a sticker somewhere with the actual factory location and production date on it.

[Edited a tad…]