The iDrive: actually a Benz idea after all?

[mini_cooper4]

The only thing that matters is who's the first to bring the thing in production form
I can make a concept where the knob is actually in my a** but that doesn't count
And I do agree with Just_me that i-Drive is getting more praise than Comand

 

[Human]

My 1 Cent.

Scott27, EnI and all other members affiliated with OEM's.

QUESTION: How much does the OEM suppliers (e.g. Bosch, Siemens, Nippon Seiki etc, etc. etc.) contribute not in the development or manufacturing but to innovation of new products? I read Automotive news and the ongoing seminar after seminar between OEM and Suppliers worldwide. The Suppliers does come with millions of ideas and innovations monthly just like Apple, Samsung and Sony to name but a few. Doing it to get bussiness contracts, obviously. Next best innovation @ the right price and quality can make say, Siemens obtain a contract of 100's of millions.

Surely the suppliers play a HUGE roll!?

 

[Hofmeister]

^umm what?

What he's saying is that, in relation to the latest versions of iDrive and COMAND, iDrive is generally said to be the superior system. Doubtless you'll find many reviews where COMAND is perceived to be the best, as it is really all down to personal preference. I'd say 40% of reviews state iDrive is best, MMI 40% and COMAND 20% Though if MB debut a new gen. of COMAND in the W222 then that ratio may revert in favour of MB.....

 

[LaArtist]

^that is news to me..those numbers you have posted.. i assume through thorough examination of most car tests ?

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

^LOL.

I like bothy iDrive PROFESSIONAL and Command. They have their pro's and cons. What I detest about the iDrive system is that there is no keypad to input numbers into quickly and obey the voice on the other end of a phone call when she says, 'to speak to a technical adviser please press 4'. I have noted some recent reviews complain about the plethora of buttons in MB's cabins, stating they appear a bit dated compared to Audi and BMW, but until these systems become truly slick and intuitive, I like having buttons to override the system and a keypad.

 

[Hofmeister]

^that is news to me..those numbers you have posted.. i assume through thorough examination of most car tests ?

No need to be so sarcastic, I just know that it is a close fought fight between iDrive and MMI as to which is best, COMAND lagging behind to an extent one can decide for themselves. And, I've been subscribed to CAR Magazine for approx. 5 years and Autocar for 3 so I have plenty to base my views on If my opinion needs further substantiation then I remember CAR had an article a year or two ago that directly compared iDrive, COMAND, MMI and Jag's touchscreen ( 5 Series, CLS, A7, XJ ) and iDrive was the winner, Jag was fourth and I'm not sure who 2nd and 3rd went to

 

[LaArtist]

No its your opinion after all..no need to back it up..

 

[Mr. Mercedes]

No need to be so sarcastic, I just know that it is a close fought fight between iDrive and MMI as to which is best, COMAND lagging behind to an extent one can decide for themselves. And, I've been subscribed to CAR Magazine for approx. 5 years and Autocar for 3 so I have plenty to base my views on If my opinion needs further substantiation then I remember CAR had an article a year or two ago that directly compared iDrive, COMAND, MMI and Jag's touchscreen ( 5 Series, CLS, A7, XJ ) and iDrive was the winner, Jag was fourth and I'm not sure who 2nd and 3rd went to

I think I recall that article. Most tasks were quickest on Command, but I think the graphics and interface felt and looked dated next to iDrive.

 

[mini_cooper4]

No its your opinion after all..no need to back it up..

Don't get scared so easy

 

[Wolfgang]

Fixed the pic.

I always thought BMW invented the iDrive concpet, and benz copied it for the W221.
But it is not true, in fact the first to feature a rotary knob to control all functions in the car was a Mercedes-Benz (two concept-cars in 1995 and 1996, the Vario Research Car and the F200).

I think BMW came with that idea only with the 1999 Z9...

Here are extracts from Benz press release and a pic I found in a forum...

The 1995 Mercedes-Benz Vario Research Car:

"Mercedes-Benz engineers had also incorporated a new-style operating and control system into the dashboard of the Vario Research Car which harnessed the wonders of the latest microelectronics to make life easier for the motorist. All key operating information appeared in the form of symbols and text messages on two colour displays integrated into the cockpit and into the top section of the centre console. Easily understood coloured symbols were used to display important information about maintaining the applicable speed limit or a safe distance from the vehicle in front."

1995 Mercedes-Benz Vario Research Car's interior shown below. Notice the knob in the center console, in front of the armrest, and the high screen...

 

[Wolfgang]

Surely the suppliers play a HUGE roll!?

MB takes a look into the future, to be developed with suppliers.

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[Wolfgang]

MB revealed recently folks didn't like the joysticks in the 1996 F200 Imagination. Looks like the steering wheel will be retained.

Steering wheel to stay, says Benz
No joysticks for autonomous cars, promises Mercedes-Benz

Autonomous cars from Mercedes-Benz will never completely ditch their steering wheels, says the German car-maker's development chief. They’ve tried that once before, he said, and it didn’t go over so well.

Even in the age of the PlayStation generation, joysticks and computer- or console-style controllers won’t replace the conventional steering wheel of a modern car, Mercedes-Benz’s board member in charge of development, Dr Thomas Weber, said.

“We won’t do autonomous cars without steering wheels. There will always be a steering wheel,” he insisted.

Mercedes-Benz Advanced Design -- F200 Imagination -- Uwe Haller 25 August 1996

The reason he’s so insistent is that Mercedes-Benz learned a valuable lesson from its joystick-controlled F200 concept car from 1996.

That car, which previewed the S-Class Coupe, had twin joysticks that could be used by either the 'driver' or the passenger, but it wasn’t alone. Saab had a concept version of the 9000, dubbed the Prometheus, in the early 1990s and Toyota put joystick in its FT-EV II and i-Real concepts as recently as 2009.

While a retractable joystick seems, on the surface, to be an efficient, space-maximising alternative to a steering wheel (and one with pretty obvious crash-safety advantages), people just didn’t like it.

“We under-estimated the emotional impact of the steering wheel there,” Dr Weber admitted. “That’s why we never went to joysticks.

“That’s one of the big issues with autonomous cars, actually. It’s like skiing. When you go up, you use a lift, but you don’t want an autopilot to come down, when it’s fun.”

http://www.motoring.com.au/news/2015/mercedes-benz/steering-wheel-to-stay-says-benz-52841