Control Issues

2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The most common complaint of navigation
systems is that many absorb some everyday
audio functions, making simple adjustments
that used to be done with the push of a
button or twist of a knob into a more complex,
often multi-step process.

As the world of electronic gadgetry grows, interior designers are faced with the challenge of making all the necessary adjustments easy and intuitive. At first the answer was a daunting array of buttons, but as the electronic wizards kept coming up with new features, available dash space ran out. One of the biggest problems was posed by the now-common navigation system. The required screen--if big enough to be readable--gobbled up a huge chunk of dashboard real estate.

Several years ago, BMW answered the challenge with its joystick-controlled iDrive system, introduced to almost universal disdain from journalists and owners alike. Yet amazingly, other luxury brands quickly picked up on the concept, and whether carried by momentum or just the lack of a better option, it soon became almost universal. Mercedes-Benz introduced such a system on the most recent editions of its top-line S-Class sedans and CL-Class coupes. It has now made its way to the C-Class.

While most newer joystick systems improved upon the initial iDrive configuration (including BMW's own subsequent iDrive iterations), they continue to baffle and annoy. The most common complaint is that many absorb some everyday audio functions, making simple adjustments that used to be done with the push of a button or twist of a knob into a more complex, often multi-step process.

Mercedes managed to simplify some actions, but not all. The audio-volume knob and station-select buttons are thankfully separate, though the latter are questionably positioned to the right of center, making them a stretch to reach. Some actions are duplicated on steering-wheel controls, but tuning in stations not assigned to buttons requires interaction with the joystick knob--as do some other audio functions--making this a system you want to learn and set while stationary. Adding in the optional navigation system and integrated phone (Bluetooth connectivity is standard), increases the importance of a training exercise.

One other advantage of a system study is to learn the language of the voice recognition system included with the navigation package, which seemed quite intuitive and worked well in our brief tests. And on another positive note, the screen rises to an upright position near the top of the dash when in use (and folds down beneath a flip-up cover when it's not) so it leaves more room on the center stack and is closer to the driver's line of sight. In the center of the speedometer is a screen that displays a variety of trip computer, phone, and audio functions, selected by either the joystick knob or buttons on the steering wheel. Add the optional navigation system, and the screen can display turn-by-turn directions.

2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
The 2008 Mercedes-Benz C-Class' navigation screen absorbs some audio functions,
but the audio-volume knob and station-select buttons are separate.

On the audio front, the standard system pushes 100 watts of power through eight speakers, fed by the radio tuner, a single CD slot in the dash, or an MP3 jack inconveniently located in the glovebox. An optional Multimedia Package adds a 450-watt harmon/kardon system with 12 speakers and a six-disc in-dash CD changer, along with the ability to play music from a PC memory card or rip it to a 4-gig hard drive. Another option is a glove box-mounted jack that allows iPods to be controlled through the car's audio system.

Climate controls are well designed, with convenient rotary knobs and clearly marked buttons mounted just a short reach away, though they're situated a bit low for easy, at-a-glance adjustment. Though it would seem simple enough to get all this right, not every manufacturer does, so kudos to the climate-control folks.