How To Get Internet Service On Merc Benz C300 2015

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300; | Cars.com photograph by Evan Sears

Past Joe Bruzek

June 23, 2015

CARS.COM — An surface area nosotros looked forward to testing over the long haul on our 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 long-term tester was the all-new multimedia organization, which for 2015 got a thorough modernization and a newly optional 8.iv-inch screen perched on top of the middle console. The large, optional screen is included in a $ii,690 Multimedia Package and is part of Mercedes' Comand — short for Cockpit Management and Data — organisation made up of navigation, CD/DVD drive, the physical buttons, rotary controller, all-new touchpad and USB media ports.

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Halfway through our yearlong test, five aspects of the Comand system stand up out in Cars.com's long-term 2015 Mercedes-Benz C300 test car.

High-Quality Display

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300; | Cars.com photo past Evan Sears

Perchance what's most stunning near the Comand system is the graphic quality and interface that fill the main semifloating 8.iv-inch screen with the kind of high-resolution imagery you'd look to detect in a top-tier tablet. Whether yous're customizing things like ambient lighting, scrolling through a music library or tweaking the multiple bulldoze settings, you're treated with a loftier-quality (960 ten 540 pixels) display showing off sleek and modern graphics.

Dig into the vehicle settings menu and a highly detailed graphic of the C-Class shows cutaways of the powertrain while the automobile flips around to a model with an open door and view of the inside when adjusting entry and exit settings. The screen is big plenty to handle any amount of information cleanly, and the text is always easily read.

The interface may look not bad, but it doesn't make upwards for other issues, according to Senior Editor Mike Hanley.

"Graphics quality and resolution has improved with this generation of the available Comand navigation system, but usability has declined because of one seemingly small change that'south not: Earlier, all of the Comand menus at the top and lesser of the screen stayed on the screen. At present, when you lot've performed an action like selecting a radio station, those menus disappear," he said.

"It'south very annoying, and visually locating what menu y'all demand takes more attention than information technology otherwise would if it was just at that place all the fourth dimension."

Rotary Controller

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300; | Cars.com photo by Evan Sears

The main access points to control all functions of the C300's multimedia system are a large rotary punch and new touchpad located only ahead of the center armrest. The rotary controller performs many of the same functions as the touchpad and is the primary way most of our staff interacts with Comand even though the touchpad is flashier and has more than tricks. Making the controller piece of cake to use is its close proximity to the driver plus a separate volume wheel and a much-appreciated back button likewise in close proximity.

Cars.com Route Examination Editor Joe Bruzek primarily uses the rotary controller. "The rotary controller is my go-to because of its hefty, weighted experience and consistent operation," he said. "The touchpad sometimes requires an extra swipe earlier the intended function is recognized."

Touchpad

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300; | Cars.com photo past Evan Sears

The new kid on the cake is the touchpad that hovers over the controller like something directly out of the helm's chair of the Star Trek Enterprise. The touchpad — while aesthetically pleasing — hasn't caught on with our driving staff, but it does have a few tricks that separate it from the primary rotary control knob. While using navigation, a press of the touchpad brings up the nav viewing function. Yous tin can slide the cursor around to any destination using the touchpad, then pinch and zoom in and out of a destination similar with a smartphone. It's handier than using the dial for the same function.

The pad besides tin be used to write destinations into the navigation system.

"The written entry works extraordinarily well and faster than I could curl and click letters using the rotary controller for the same address," Bruzek said.

When adjusting stereo settings like bass, treble and midrange, you lot can use a turning motion with your fingertips to creepo the stereo setting upwardly and down. The touchpad often gets in the way of using the controller; a brush of the arm can trigger an unwanted control. The touchpad also has buttons for favorites, quick access to audio and phone too every bit a dorsum button.

"I only apply the touchpad when listening to music," said Managing Editor David Thomas. "I leave the beautiful map on the screen and then swipe through my tunes with the touchpad. That's all I use it for, but I use it a lot."

Overall, all the same, the touchpad is mostly redundant and its placement creates some issues.

"My biggest beefiness is with the placement of the touchpad. Too ofttimes, when I want to apply the dial controller, I too manage to hit the touchscreen, which brings upwardly menus I don't want," said Senior Editor William Jackson.

Integration With iPhones/iPods

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300; | Cars.com photograph by Evan Sears

Our C-Class came with an Apple Lightning connector for the latest-model iPhones that has worked flawlessly, and so far, with the majority of our staff's iPhones. The high-quality brandish showcases what it tin can do when searching through artists and albums, and a carousel of artwork pops upwardly from Gracenote. Big music libraries are easily navigable with the quick-scrolling rotary controller and search-past-letter navigation for long song or artist lists. Plus, the Burmester premium sound organization in the Premium Parcel ($2,120) pumps out good tunes.

The Lightning connector is a nice addition, but the bulky L-shaped connector doesn't fit with all phone cases. Thicker cases have to be removed to employ the factory cable, though a standard iPhone cable all the same works when plugged into either of the two USB ports.

Hanley noted that Comand offers a unique compatibility when paired over Bluetooth instead of a USB connector; that's something that not all multimedia systems back up.

"I paired my iPhone to the machine over Bluetooth and was pleased to encounter that the screen showed track information and gave yous control of song playback through the Comand interface. Not all systems exercise," he said.

Mercedes-Benz' mbrace Phone App

The mbrace app may not be a direct office of Comand, only its functionality can access some systems like navigation. Bachelor for Apple iOS and Android devices, the Mercedes-Benz mbrace app is a slick way to keep tabs on your car with a vehicle locator likewise as offers a Curfew Minder that allows you to set a fourth dimension limit and receive an alarm if the machine is operated afterward curfew. Got trust issues? Or a teenager? More useful, however, is the ability to send a destination to the navigation organization right from your phone.

A few staffers, including Assistant Managing Editor Jennifer Geiger, struggled with the navigation system'due south traditional destination entry.

"Information technology was very difficult to input my destination; I tried using both the touchpad and the dial controller," she said. "The menu structure is complicated, and I found that aught is gear up in an intuitive fashion."

The app would have been a great shortcut for Geiger since all y'all have to practice is enter the accost in the app, send it to the automobile and when you burn up the C-Class a bulletin appears on the Comand display request if yous want to navigate to that destination.

2015 Mercedes-Benz C300; | Cars.com photo by Evan Sears

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