Figure 11: COMAND and Control

Mercedes' COMAND system is controlled via the single-knob iDrive-style joystick located in the center console. The knob can be rotated left and right, pushed down, and used as an 8-way joystick.

COMAND's joystick controller is connected to a force feedback system that limits the ability to turn the knob, depending on the contextual menu being displayed. For example, when navigating a long list of street names, the knob can be scrolled as you browse the list, and you feel a virtual "click" in the knob as you scroll down each line in the list.

However, once you reach the end of the list, the magnetic controls kick in and the knob cannot be rotated any further. This type of physical feedback makes navigating menus and lists must easier, as you can feel each notch when turning the knob, and the feedback mechanism only allows you to rotate the controller when the screen options allow it.

Unlike previous Mercedes GPS systems that relied on costly, slow DVD discs, Mercedes-Benz's 2007 GPS navigation system uses an internal 20GB hard drive for map storage. I found the 2007 COMAND system noticeable faster than previous models.

Navigating With COMAND

Figure 12: Navigating with COMAND

Virtually all electronic functions are controlled via Mercedes' COMAND system, including the integrated GPS navigation system.

Figure 13: Accessing the NAVI System

Like most functions on the '07 S-Class, the NAVI system can be invoked via the i-Drive-esque joystick, or by pressing the TEL/NAVI shortcut button, as shown above in figure 13.

Entering a Destination Address Using the S-Class' NAVI (COMAND) System

Figure 14: NAVI Main Menu

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 (From Memory), enter a new destination address using a street address (Address Entry), route to a previous destination (From Last Destinations), search the Points of Interest database (From POIs), or select a destination using the cursor on the map (Via Map).

2007 S-Class NAVI	2006 SL55 NAVI

It's worth mentioning how significantly improved the '07's NAVI display and UI is over previous COMAND systems. Take a look at figure 15 above, and notice the S-Class' improved LCD display quality, resolution, colors, and use of contextual menus versus the '06 SL55's dated interface and dimmer screen.

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 "Address Entry" using the joystick to continue.

Figure 16: Choosing the State

By default the Mercedes' NAVI system defaults to use the State you are currently located in. To enter a destination address in a different State, you have to scroll over to "State / Prov" and press down on the joystick.

Figure 17: State Selection Menu

Clicking, or pressing down on the joystick, on the "State / Prov" brings up the State selection menu, shown above in Figure 17.

From here you can choose to use a previously used State (Last States / Providence), enter a new State (States), or if you're in Canada you can choose a province.

I'll be entering an address in New York State, so I'll scroll down to "States" and press down on the joystick to move on.

Figure: 18: Spelling The State Name

Using the joystick, you scroll around the on-screen keyboard, spelling out the State name one letter at a time. Notice how the Mercedes only allows you to select letters that would spell a valid city name - a nice time-saving feature that both speeds data entry and reduces the likelihood of misspellings.

Figure 19: State Name Results List

Once enough letters have been entered that only a few (or only a single) possible matching names could be found, NAVI displays the matching name or names in the menu shown in figure 19. The desired State can then be selected using the joystick.

I'll be navigating to an address in New York State, so I'll choose "New York" from the list and continue on to the next step.

Figure 20: Entering the Street Name

Now that the State has been entered, NAVI needs to know the street and city we'll be navigating to. A nice feature on the COMAND's NAVI system is that you can enter the three elements of an address (State, City, Street) in any order you like. So if you're not sure what city an address is in, but know the street and State, you can enter the address in that order and the system will search for all cities within that state that have street names matching your entry.

To begin entering an address, scroll over to the "Street" icon (as shown above in figure 20) and tap down on the joystick to select it.

Figure 21: Entering the Street Name

Spelling out the street name is identical to the process for entering in the State name. Only letter than spell valid street names (within the selected State) can be chosen. Note in figure 21 above how only the black letters can be selected, while the grayed out letter cannot.

Figure 22: Choosing the Street Name from the Results List

Once enough of the street name has been entered that NAVI can reduce the list of matching street names to just a few, 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 down on the joystick to continue.

Figure 23: Entering the House Number

With the street name and State already entered into the GPS, only the house/building number remains.

One annoyance with the Mercedes NAVI system is that it doesn't automatically step through each of the required address input fields. Instead, you have to manually scroll over to each item (State, Street, House no.) using the joystick.