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The Mercedes CLS 450 is a luxury mild hybrid for hipsters
While Mercedes is pushing its EQ brand of hybrids and EVs, the two-letter electric signifier also resides in the automaker's more traditional vehicles. In the new 2019 CLS 450 (starting in approximately the low $70,000s), electrons are used to give the car a boost when you need it or turn the engine off while the vehicle is cruising at highway speeds. It's a wonderful feature on a wonderful car, and except for some old tech, the CLS 450 makes you forget Mercedes is calling it a coupe even though it has four doors.
Mercedes-Benz updates A-Class infotainment system, focuses on iPhone and Siri integration
Ever wish your car's infotainment system played nice with your iPhone 4S right out of the gate? Well, Mercedes-Benz is doing just that will an update to the COMAND system in A-Class autos. With the aid of two apps -- Digital DriveStyle and Drive Kit Plus for iPhone -- you'll be able to access your Apple smartphone's contents via a built-in display and navigate that iTunes library with an armrest-mounted Controller. Siri will be riding shotgun as the personal assistant can be accessed through the onboard system to send messages, select music, check the weather and schedule meetings. The aforementioned smartphone integration will be available through the entry-level "Audio 20" configuration. Digital DriveStyle is available for as a free and also touts Garmin navigation, AUPEO! radio, Facebook, Twitter and a Car Finder. While the new tech is only rolling out in A-Class right now, MB says that the B-, C- and E-Class autos will get cozy with your iPhone this fall. More details await in the PR below.
Mercedes Terminal Mode partnership comes to fruition with internet-connected 2012 C-Class
Last year Nokia made something of a telematics coup, partnering with just about every major European manufacturer and doing everything it could to get its Terminal Mode in-car smartphone integration into more autos. Mercedes was one of those partners and now we're getting a glimpse of the result in the new C-Class. Merc has made some minor exterior updates to the car (not necessarily for the better, in our opinion), but on the inside comes an updated Mercedes COMAND infotainment system that, for the first time, offers full internet access. Using Terminal Mode the car interacts with a smartphone to provide the data, allowing dashboard surfing (while stationary) and the transmission of Google Maps points and directions right to the vehicle. There's also Bluetooth for streaming your tunes through the car's sound system and a USB port in the armrest to keep things charged while you decimate that slab. PR is below if you're looking for more details, or you can just wait for our impressions when we get to Detroit in a few weeks.
