Figure 6: Mercedes-Benz SL55 AMG Console

The main console features a 7-inch color LCD display with 5 "soft keys" along the right and left sides. Note that this is not a touch-screen display. Instead, the soft keys are used to select options that are overlayed on each page next to the soft keys. More on this later on in the review.

Pressing the NAV button (top left in the photo shown above) displays the navigation system. Pressing the MAP button is used to switch between map displays. The SERV button brings up the system settings options page.   The POWER button turns the DVD Navigation system on or off. The disc around the POWER button is used to raise or lower the volume for voice route instruction.

Figure 8: Pushbutton Switch

The pushbutton switch is used to highlight and select menu choices. OK activates a selection.

Entering a Destination on the SL55's Navigation System

Figure 9: Entering a Destination Address on the SL55 AMG Roadster

Pressing the NAV button on the console brings up the main navigation screen, shown above. From here, you can route to a saved destination from your address book (Destination Memory), enter a new destination address (Destination Entry), route to a previous destination (Last Destinations), or search the POI (Points of Interest) database.

One of the first things I noticed when operating the Mercedes navigation console is that the terminology is confusing. Why is the address book referred to as "Destination Memory". And "Last Destinations" is much more confusing than "Previous Destinations".

In this example, I'm going to be entering the destination address of 135 Central Park West in New York City, so I'll choose "Destination Entry" using the arrow keys on the pushbutton switch and press OK to continue.

Figure 10: Entering the City

The first step in entering a destination address is to input the city name. Using the arrow buttons on the pushbutton switch, you scroll around the virtual keyboard on the screen, spelling out the city name one letter at a time. Notice how the Mercedes only allows you to select letters that would spell a valid city name.

Figure 11: Choosing the City from the List of Results

The system narrows the list of possible matches down as you enter in more letters of the city name, until there are only a few possible choice left, and the navigation system presents a list of city names for you to select the correct one. In this case I'm routing to an address in Manhattan, NY, so I'll select scroll over to that one and press the enter button to continue on to the next step.

Figure 12: Entering the Street Name

Entering the street name is the second step in routing to a street address, and works exactly the same way the city entry process does.

Figure 13: Choosing the Desired Street Name

Just like the city selection process, once enough of the street name has been entered that the GPS can reduce the list of matching street names, the Mercedes presents a list of possible street names that match the letters you entered. In this case I'm trying to input 135 Central Park West as the street address, so I'll scroll down to "CENTRAL PARK W" and press OK on the pushbutton to continue.