8)78In place of traditional dials are two massive 12.3-
inch displays that are highly customizable.
Aluminum trimmings give the interior a modern
feel.
Support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
comes as standard.
provide semi-autonomous driving. Once
activated, Drive Pilot can automatically
maintain a safe distance from the
vehicles ahead of you and follow it at
speeds of up to 210km/h. It can also
bring the car to a standstill on its own
and move o when traɝ c resumes.
With Speed Limit Pilot, the E-Class can
even intelligently look out for speed
limit signs preventing the car from
triggering any speed cameras, hidden or
otherwise. In a nutshell, the new E-Class
can give its owners a taste of the future
of autonomous driving may be like.
And then there’s Parking Pilot, which
helps owners park their car. Again, using
its cameras, radars, and sensors, the
E-Class will scan for parking lots. Once
it ȴ nds a spot, it will emit an alert andand tachometer. It looks as if you are
driving with two large iPad Pros in front
of you.
The COMAND infotainment
system has loads of features and is
highly customizable too. Apple and
Android users will be happy to know
that it supports both Apple CarPlay
and Android Auto. It also has a
comprehensive navigation system with
3D maps. The interface is slick and loads
smoothly, and because the display is of
a fairly high resolution, graphics look
sharp. On the ȵ ip side, it isn’t the most
user-friendly interface and ȴ rst-time
users will almost surely struggle and will
need some time to get acquainted with
the menus.
However, despite the expansive
screen real estate, it is important to
note that the two displays are not
touch-enabled. Instead, you will need to
control them using either the buttons
on the steering wheel or the rotary
knob on the center console, or you can
use also use voice controls. Personally,
I think having a touchscreen will make
things a lot easier, especially since
the COMAND system is confusing to
navigate.
Since the traditional instrument
dials are now replaced by a large LCD
display, drivers can now customize their
dashboard to their heart’s content.
There are three main designs to choose
from: Classic, Sport, and Progressive.
Classic shows speedometer and
tachometer on the same screen, while
Sport is basically the same as Classic but
has a sportier look. Progressive is my
favorite and I suspect most owners’ too.
It puts the tachometer in the middle and
within it a digital readout of the speed- very concise and legible. And then to
the sides of the tachometer are two
customizable panels that can be used
to show other information like mileage,
eɝ ciency, and navigation.
The high-tech interior aside, the new
E-Class can also be equipped with Drive
Pilot, which consists of three separate
technologies: Steering Pilot, Distance
Pilot and Speed Limit Pilot. With Drive
Pilot, the new E-Class can call upon its
array of cameras, radars, and sensors to
PICTURES0(5&('(6%(1=80 +:0 | MAY 2017