A-Class (W176) [Official] Mercedes-Benz A-Class (W176)

[HighestOfHigh]

Oh that is adorable! I'm sorry they don't sell it over here.

 

[alebonau]

the a200 I sat in seemed to have very good integration with a blackberry, hopefully we get the same with iphone !! would be very dissapointing if it isnt the case. Especially since in oz this is something merc have made a big thing re smart phone integration and what not. if not fully compatible with iphone will be a bit silly.

can imagine a jan build will land here in march mr merc. seems crazy little info on the net from a250 or other A class owners. arent there many out there ? seems a bit odd such excellent cars and so little owner feedback ! also wondering when the A class / A250 already in oz will be either given to pre to review or propective owners to test drive ! what are they doing with them ?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Hi Al. According to a dealer up here there in an embargo on the A untill March 1st. Dealers are not supposed to be showing the A-class to anyone. I don't believe that is really the case, as the dealer in Melbourne clearly had the car on show. So we are still waiting patiently up here to see any variant in the flesh. Why don't you think a January build will land here in March? 2 months shipping is usually sufficient from my past experience.

It is odd that there aren't more reviews of the A250 around, but I think they have just started being delivered around in Europe as of December. So maybe in a few more weeks they'll be more feedback.

I've made the decision that I simply will not buy the car unless there is some way of getting the online features to work with an iPhone. It's ridiculous on MB's part that it has taken them close to two years to resolve this, and what is the point in Command Online if it does not operate correctly with the most popular smartphone on the market, let alone the majority of other smartphones. I will be in contact with Benzmod sometime this week to see what he says. He seems to be more clued on than the dealers.

 

[alebonau]

not sure what the embargo business is all about, no probs re jan build to be here in march. should be fine to get here in time.

yep hanging out for more a250 owner feedback. hopefully as you say where released in other parts of the world owners post through some early impressions for the likes of us and others wondering what its like

ps re iphone, would have to work with the a250. theyve got a bit of time to get sorted. so fingers crossed look forward to what you find out from benz mod

 

[Wolfgang]

So far this seems to apply only to countries where MB offers the Drive Kit Plus, mainly Europe:

Drive Kit Plus availability plan including Drive App and SIRI
Model series Quarter Model
A-Class available W176
B-Class available W246
C-Class available W/S204
E-Class Q1/2013 W/S212, C/A207
CLS-Class Q1/2013 C/X218
S-Class Q1/2013 W/V221
SLK-Class Q1/2013 R172
GLK-Class Q1/2013 X204

Can be combined with the Audio 20 CD radio or COMAND Online. An App for Android is in preparation.
http://drive-kit-plus.com/en/#s/start

Navigation covers these countries at present:
Europe: Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, Vatican. North America: USA, Canada.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Wolf are you able to get some 100% solid information regarding the A-class Command Online system and iPhone compatibility?

 

[Wolfgang]

COMAND Online works fine with the Drive Kit Plus, where available, but is not so popular so far, as the online functionality is somewhat restricted, e.g. when the car starts moving. What do you want to use the online functionality for, Mr. Mercedes?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

I just want to use the basic online functions such as sending route maps to the car, checking the weather. Facebook would be a novelty.

 

[Wolfgang]

Thanks Mr. Mercedes. Agree, it's time for Mercedes-Benz Australia to get their COMAND Online connectivity figured out.
If they can not offer the Drive Kit Plus, they have to wait until the updated Bluetooth profile in the COMAND Online becomes available lateron in 2013.

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

MB Germany needs to sort their SH** out LOL. First they launch a Command Online system that does not support the profiles used by the most popular smart phones on the market, and then they tell us a solution would be coming shortly, then they say January 2013 and now they say later on in 2013.

 

[Wolfgang]

Agreed, phone connectivity is often delayed at MB. From an interview last July: "You can use COMAND Online from next year with the iPhone and the Bluetooth Pan-profile". Suspect it means sometime in 2013 now. Here's the link again.

http://www.faz.net/aktuell/technik-motor/mercedes-benz-a-fuer-allzeitvernetzte-11835705.html

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

You had kindly supplied some information stating that January build vehicles would support the PAN profile, which now does not appear to be the case. It seems to have been delayed beyond this date. Not your problem Wofl, but its just something Mercedes globally needs to get their act together on.

 

[Wolfgang]

^ From the CLA release in case you missed it.

The COMAND Online multimedia system has also been extended. The latest generation offers improved, photo-realistic map display, an additional Bluetooth®profile (to enable the internet to be accessed by iPhone®, for example), the display of images additionally in bmp and png formats and the real-time transfer of traffic data.
http://media.daimler.com/dcmedia/0-921-1555796-1-1564831-1-0-0-0-0-1-11694-0-0-1-0-0-0-0-0.html

PS. Would expect this upgrade in the A-Class with model year 2014.
PSS. http://www.mercedes-benz-mobile.com/ has not been updated yet.

 

[Kdcorp]

I'm starting to wonder if i shouldn't change my order for the Audio 20 then rip it off and have a Parrot system installed instead These things seem to do all what Command Online is failing to.. http://www.parrot.com/usa/products/asteroid-range

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Loved hearing this:

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[LaArtist]

^ noice

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Wolf, my car is scheduled for production tomorrow, with arrival here in late March. Supposedly it has the updated Command unit.

 

[alebonau]

wow thats good to know mr merc how did you find that out ? amazing to know when your car is being made ! hehe

 

[Kdcorp]

Wolf, my car is scheduled for production tomorrow, with arrival here in late March. Supposedly it has the updated Command unit.

Hey Mr. Merc, you ordered the A right? or CLA? I'm confused
That's good new for me too then, production late March/early April if on schedule
Got more info about what exactly is updated in the Command unit?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

Thanks Al. I asked the dealer, and 4 days later that's what he told me. But I will certainly confirm again if I am to take delivery of the car. Not sure what additional features it has, apart from being able to use the online functions with an iPhone. I hope they have a song search function like iDrive.

KD, I have ordered an A, but it's subject to me actually seeing the car and liking it. Given that test drives etc. start in March, and mine is due to land at the end of March, I should have plenty of time to decide. If I don't end up in the A, I'll look at the CLA when it arrives if it's within my budget.