Anyone's who's bought a car with a built-in nav system knows the pain of seeing their expensive accessory totally eclipsed by even the cheapest external GPS units just a year or two later -- everything from UI to multimedia integration progresses so fast it's almost not worth it. That might change soon, though -- Harman and Mercedes are working on a "hybrid" nav system that combines the easy replaceability of an external PND with the integration and sleek looks of a built-in system. The goal is to build a standard design that can upgraded quickly -- right now OEM systems have to be designed almost three years in advance -- so the screen and controls will be mounted on the dash in a cradle, while a second hidden "processing box" will handle the actual GPS system, music storage and playback, and Bluetooth connectivity. Harman says eventually prices should fall to the point where automakers can compete with aftermarket GPS systems -- we'll see if that hold up when Mercedes ships the new kit in eight vehicles scheduled for the second half of 2010.
[Via
Gearlog]
posted Feb 7th 2009 5:08AM
Sounds like a modified version of the MyGig system Harman already makes for Chrysler and Jeep.
Makes sense, considering that Chrysler and Jeep are part of the Daimler-Chrysler Group. Since 1998 when Mercedes-Benz manufacturer Daimler-Benz merged with the Chrysler Corporation.
@Agent .25i@
BZZZZZT! Wrong! Daimler dumped the ailing automaker Chrysler more than a year ago in a stunning admission of "What the $#@&*! were we thinking!?"
http://money.cnn.com/2007/05/14/news/companies/chrysler_sale/index.htm
I laughed very, very hard at the Daimler/Chrysler merger (as did most folks who watch the auto industry); I knew it was only a matter of time before the Jagermeister wore off and Daimler would find themselves waking up next to -that- Coyote-ugly bitch.
i'm sure upgrades will be super cheap.
not cheap but at least it is an option.
someone who opts for an integrated GPS already pays a premium compared to a mobile PND. that upgrade won´t hurt anybody who ordered a $3000 "COMAND" system before.
you guys do realize we're talking about Mercedes......... so merc customers wont have a problem with this at ANY price
the only fear is if it is easy to change/upgrade then it would be easy to steal
by the way FIRST.
Your post has hereby been voided! Allow me to make use of the space.
I was in the market for a Mercades, but ended up going for BMW because (at least where I live) I couldn't find a Mercades model that came with a built in nav/multimedia system. You had to buy your own and stick it on the inner windshield.
Also, I find the new BMW iDrive system to be spledid, though I have friends who hate it :P
i see your problem
try looking next time for MERCEDES not Mercades(thats just a cheap knockoff) :P
The best way I think a replaceable unit can be accomplished is by building Navigation systems just like they built Benzi boxes during the 90's.
Just incorporate the GPS antennaes, the Hard drive and the controls into the car itself and have a 6 or 7 inch removable screen with built in cpu/Gpu that locks into place. In order to keep it from being stolen, they'd have to code it directly to the car with non reflashable memory to ensure if someone did steal it, #1 It would never work again and #2 it could be tracked by the police's computer tracking squad. The NYPD came to my school yesterday in fact to tag all the laptops I purchased for my 6, 7 and 8th grades.
And yes, it kinda does suck to have your Nav system outclasses by cheaper systems. My S550 has a non-touchscreen nav unit (designed back in 2006) which isn't as easy to use as the Nav system in my much cheaper Chrysler 300. Its mind boggling.
Ford's Sync Nav system is ten times better than the system in my girlfriend's Accord and most of the other cars I've been in.
Hmmm...
So, Flashpoint, you're still in school, probably in the 11th grade, in a new york school that crime is an issue in (a P.S. school), yet you still managed to afford an S550 AND a Chrysler 300c? I call bull shit. Maybe if you would've said a nice area like beverly hills or something, but you didn't. Don't try and blend in with us cognoscent. I drive a 62 Porsche 356/ 08 BMW 528xi during Spring/Summer/Fall and a Range Rover Sport that I got for dirt cheap during the winter/fall. Of course, the beamer/porsche is my dad's, but since he has two I get to drive the other. This works because I live in one of the top 25 places in the US, and have brought in around $7K a year since I was 13.
You, however, go to a new york public school, probably live in a two/three bedroom apartment, and drive an Oldsmobile Le Sabre. Which also means that you probably will never be able to afford a macbook.
Jesus H Christ. You really do work at a school Flashpoint. No wonder there is such issue with schools in the US. With morons like you in control the poor children are destined to fail. Your grammar and spelling is absolutely atrocious and 90% of your comments here make a person dumber for reading them.
Whether or not your actually a PA is up for debate... I still have a hard time fathoming that someone who's as ignorant as you could hold such a position. However, with people like you, educating these children, it's clear why the education system in the USA is failing.
Brian
Agent
I'm AP of Technology and Science. And regardless your stupid comments...my kids are gifted program and they are ALL passing ALL their courses and ALL have an average above B+. Most Public Schools where they just let ANYBODY in can't say the same thing.
Your stupid comments can't change that.
And Yes, the public schools have been the great social welfare program of America - the equalizer of women's pay to par with men.
AP's start at $95,000
P's start at $105,000
Teachers start at $45,000 and with MS degree - $56,000
How many other jobs in America give you this kinda pay and then give you health benefits and uft/csa union benefits?
Not many I think.
That's why I quit being a mortgage broker and headed over to the Department of Education. Well...that and the economic collapse.
"And regardless your stupid comments...my kids are gifted program and they are ALL passing ALL their courses and ALL..."
Flashpoint
Consider this, how much your B+ students profit from an AP that could form cohesive sentences?
Perhaps rather than relish in the fact you are COMPLETELY overpaid, you could take a few english lessons.
LOL @Agent
Instead of trying to attack Flashpoint for his sentence structure, you should take a good look at your sentence structure and, more importantly, the grammatical accuracy of your sentences.
Example: "Consider this, how much your B+ students profit from an AP that could form cohesive sentences? "
It's supposed to be "... how many..." my friend. Nobody LIKES a stickler for correct grammar/punctuation in an informal setting (here); however, everybody HATES a hypocrite!
Now eff this shit and let us be us instead of tryna be so damn formal and "correct" all the time... can't we just relax and not worry about the little thinggs like if i put 2 g's instead of 1.. YOU STILL GET WHAT IM TRYNA SAY!
LoL Gratz to you GenoMalice... I was wondering if someone was going to catch that. However your correction is, well, incorrect.
"It's supposed to be "... how many..." my friend."
Correct structure would have me only having to add the word "would" to my initial sentence. "Consider this, how much [would] your B+ students profit...". That would be correct. NOT "Consider this, [how many] your B+ students profit" as you say it should be, is completely wrong.
So at this point I'm wondering how you feel. "everybody HATES a hypocrite!" So what does this make you?
And the reason I call Flashpoints grammar and structure into play here is for the simple fact that he is supposedly involved with the education of young minds. That, "my friend" is just reason for comment. If I screwed up my grammar or left a single word out in a typo, no big deal... I'm not responsible for educating a nation.
As a final note, how can you afford both a Chrysler 300c and a S550 on a $100k salary? You must be pretty stupid to think you can afford both on that salary.
And having a B+ isn't that impressive. Taking Calculus in 11th grade, however, is impressive, especially since I averaged an A-. I'm not even taking a mathematical course this year (12th grade), and I'm an average student.
@agent
Just a little showmanship to put someone back in his place ;).
Here's my impression of a Flashpoint post:
I DRIVE AN S550
I DRIVE AN S550
I DRIVE AN S550
I DRIVE AN S550
If you guys haven't been on Autoblog much, you won't realize how much Flashpoint won't STFU about his S-Class. Congrats, Flashpoint. Now grow up.
and SECOND!..... and lowest ranked.
Here: http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/07/harman-mercedes-working-on-modular-built-in-nav-systems/comments/16963773/
But normally you can't see it because the geniuses at Engadget won't fix it. They prefer to have a ranking system that shows all 'Neutral', so no one feels hurt, and delete all the complaints.
If you ignore the problem, it will eventually go away, is that it, Engadget?
"If you ignore the problem, it will eventually go away, is that it, Engadget?"
It seems to be working with Engadgets favorite company to some extent.
Good Lord, is that really a Mercedes steering wheel? Did they rip it from the first Batman movie or the second?
If they can make it an industry standard (like head units) then this will be very good for consumers.
Citroën already have this in their new cars... They have a deal with tomtom, so maybe thats a bit cheaper?
The biggest pain was mine being stolen from my car... meaning they ripped apart the dashboard to take it...
Wow that's really nice. Hopefully they'll have it done when I'll be buying a new car.
I actually prefer my built in Benz nav over a Garmin or TomTom any day.
If the car in the picture ever comes under my hands, it would be hard to stop me from hacking that steering wheel and turning it into an XBox 360/PS3 controller.
I have an avic D3 by pioneer. The UI is so ugly at this point compared to the F series.. They would never upgrade the UI for my system because then they would not sell new ones. This is a good idea!
Hey Flashpoint... Looks like Brian here was one of your previous students.
Learn to comprehend Brian before you post. Or did Daddies porshe/bmw/rangerover not teach you that?
I actually prefer the OEM factory nav units to the portable ones. The interface definitely looks less cartoony, the screens are much brighter, and it also fully integrates with the vehicle's other systems (trip computers, tire pressure monitoring systems (TMPS), etc. I'll take an OEM unit anyday over some other crap.
BTW, the latest COMMAND in Mercedes-Benz vehicles is very, very good. It actually displays ALL directions in the MFA between the gauges (German speak for Multifunction Anzeige). The systems displays which lane you are in, can rip music to the onboard HDD, and even rotates into the dash just as the picture above shows (think that is the GLK class though). Very nice system.
I have the Mercedes COMMAND with Nav/Multimedia system in my C Class and have a Tom Tom that I use in my truck. Both work great, but I prefer the MB system to the Tom Tom, mainly because of the interface with the Car.
And Sports, that's a C-Class with the Luxury Trim package. You can tell because of the wood trim and the raised hood emblem.
I have yet to encounter any integrated auto navi system come anywhere close to the ease-of-use of a handheld unit.
I have a 2007 Chrysler Town & Country, and their built-in navi sported the worst UI abomination on planet Earth. I hated it so much I ripped it out of the dash, sold it on eBay, and with the proceeds, "downgraded" to one of Chrysler's Infinity sound systems (also via eBay) and bought a second dedicated wiring harness and mount for my Zumo.
I can now move the Zumo between my car, my wife's car, and my motorcycle and still have all -my- waypoints. And the interface is a hundred times better than anything I've ever seen an automaker come up with.
Suzuki has got it right, with their little itty-bitty SX4 crossover:
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/26/2009-suzuki-sx4-getting-nav-system-as-standard-equipment/
They partnered with Garmin to do a little flip-up affair that hides a Nuvi--which, coincidentally, looks somewhat similar to the concept in the fancy-schmancy Mercedes above.
I'd always wondered why an automaker would go out of their way, spending untold amounts of money, to develop a horrible-compromise-of-a-navi system instead of simply partnering with Garmin or Magellan.