That strip of wood is interrupted at its middle by a row of nine ancillary buttons, directly above the car's simple
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| The large information screen's controls are a little old school, but simple to use. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
yet efficient center stack. A large information screen is the dominant feature, but not as all-encompassing as BMW's second bulge that takes over the top of the dash. While somewhat ungainly, the BMW unit does provide better legibility in sunlight though. Surrounding the screen is a set of eight control buttons (no BMW or Audi style "mouse" controller here), which are almost mirrored on the opposite side by 12 numerical buttons for radio presets and integrated cell phone operation. In between on the edges of the screen are ten additional buttons, smaller in size, for detailed screen operation. The system Mercedes has developed might be a little old-school when compared to its competitors, but it was easy to figure out. That rates highly in my books. No doubt, M-B will offer a more up-to-date system in the upcoming S-Class replacement. Rather than pump heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls through the digital interface, Mercedes separates them
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| The S500 is a wonderful car whether tooling around town, stretching its legs on the freeway or tackling tight turns. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
below in three distinct "pods," allowing access for individual front seat temperature settings. Again, it's a really easy system to use. And that's a good thing, because the last thing I want to have to deal with when behind the wheel of a car as enjoyable to drive as the S500 is frustratingly overcomplicated digital equipment.
Yes you heard me right. The S500 is a wonderful car whether tooling around town, stretching its legs on the freeway or tackling tight turns. As expected its independent suspension system is biased toward comfort over sport, but it still manages to titillate the lateral G senses near the top of its class.
