Why Comand?

[columb]

Hi!

Ok, as you know I have W203 without Comand but with TomTom.
As fitting command will cost me around £900 I want to ask why I should pay that much for satnav?

I have at least 3 different TomToms, I'm IT guy and I know that Comand shouldn't cost that much, I don't know if maps are any good (or better form TomTom but I'm assuming they are the same- teleatlas?).
I've driven car in Germany with Audio Satnav (only arrows, no map) and that was just brilliant!
So how I can convince my girlfriend (soon to be wife) that we need comand?
btw, we are planning to buy W220 within 2-3 years...

Please! I need some good arguments!

Many thanks in advance!

Cheers
Chris

[HughJarse]

If youre IT guy and good at DIY, you could fit one yourself for about 1/2 price.

How old is you w203?

[verytalldave]

Comand is just SO convienient. Its always there and will (probably) never get stolen or your car windows smashed to lift your satnav. Its a nice clear widescreen and offers excellent directional instructions. It doesnt have speed camera locations, but other devices are available which will give you dedicated help in that area. Coupled with a good audio stage and mobile phone integration AND can play DVD's/TV if fiddled with. All in all a much better option than others for such a prestigious marque.
I would not want to own a Mercedes without COMAND.

[glojo]

I don't think it can be justified financially and if you only want a navigation system, then why bother?

I like COMAND, I like the features it offers but it is all down to individual choice.

I just spent a fortune on a Pioneer system for the 'stretched limo' and that makes COMAND a good buy.

Regards
John

[ANP320]

I don't have Comand and have often thought it would be nice to fit one. My decision not to fit Comand so far is based on how often I use my Garmin Sat Nav, which in truth is not that often.

I'm a great fan of Sat Nav and have found it invaluable on long trips to unfamiliar destinations but most of the time I find I don't really need it and I couldn't therefore justify the expense.

But it's each to his own of course. Heart says yes, head says no.

[A210AMG]

I don't have command, although do like the look of it.

I have ready various threads and as an actual GPS sat nav unit a lot of people don't think its as good as TomTom or similar.

I use my Orbit phone with TT6 on it, thats always with me, works in other cars, walking etc and a lot less ££

At our local dealers the other day there were a few new shape C class models with TomToms hard wired near the right hand side of dashboard. I'm not sure how much command is (guessing £1500 to 2K) and Tomtom about £200

[Rory]

I have COMAND (was in the car when I bought it) and the best thing about it is that it looks good, and having a TomTom (or whatever) stuck on the dash doesn't look good.

However, as a navigation system, COMAND's navigation doesn't actually work that well. The lack of postcode entry is ridiculous, and I find that a good proportion of the addresses that I look up are not in the database. Yet map to the road and it's there. It can be slow witted sometimes (except when the dealer is testing it :argh: ) and the TMC data that it uses is frequently wrong.

[Nibbo]

My W203 did not have COMAND when I bought it so I used TomTom on a PDA.

I got fed up with not hearing the instructions due to stereo being on plus cables dangling everywhere to keep it charged up etc...

The COMAND unit actually outputs a better sound than old standard audio 10 that my car came with.
It is also great to have the total distance; distance to the next instruction and the direction arrows comming up in the instrument cluster which are very clear and easy to see.
It looks better too.

I am in IT also and did the retrofit myself which was fairly easy with the help of this great forum.

Draw backs are no 3D maps and you cannot add points of interest like golf clubs and speed cameras etc.

I believe the new W204 version will be a lot better.

Personally I think it was worth the effort.

[Alfie]

Originally Posted by Nibbo

My W203 did not have COMAND when I bought it so I used TomTom on a PDA.

I got fed up with not hearing the instructions due to stereo being on plus cables dangling everywhere to keep it charged up etc...

The COMAND unit actually outputs a better sound than old standard audio 10 that my car came with.
It is also great to have the total distance; distance to the next instruction and the direction arrows comming up in the instrument cluster which are very clear and easy to see.
It looks better too.

I am in IT also and did the retrofit myself which was fairly easy with the help of this great forum.

Draw backs are no 3D maps and you cannot add points of interest like golf clubs and speed cameras etc.

I believe the new W204 version will be a lot better.

Personally I think it was worth the effort.

I'm pretty sure that golf clubs are on the newer maps as POI's already. I'll check when my wife brings the A class home tonight. There are though as you say, no speed camera databases for Comand yet.

As an aside, I am playing with the RNS510 DVd navigation unit I have for my wifes new EOS. It has 3d maps but still only 5 digit postcode support and this is using the latest V3 maps

[A210AMG]

Don't get me wrong I would have it just for the looks as I agrre it does look nice and means more buttons...


However I still think my Phone with a magnetic mount (the size of a 50p) and no cables is actualy quite a neat set up. POI's speed cameras, Europe maps etc.

[R2D2]

I am, I believe, the owner of the only W203 with both factory Sat Nav options namely Comand APS and Smart Nav.

Comand enhances the the look of the car and possibly the value. It also has(importantly for me) a better hifi than standard. It is a nice thing to have in the car and is good at navigation most of the time.

Smartnav is a device that is hard wired into the car. There is nothing to see but a button which dials a real operator, you tell them where you want to go- even if you don't know where that is, like "The nearest Mcdonalds" and they send the route to the car. The best bit about smart nav is its ability to reroute you around congestion -it is the biz and has saved me days in getting stuck in queues.

If you seek the best sat nav system then get Smartnav, if you like the look, sound of comand then get comand. Alternatively fit both!

[Diesel Benz]

An after market detachable unit would bring flexibility and would sometimes outperform older MB navi units (in some aspects, not all). But EU legislation is getting tighter, a phone with a magnet holder would not be acceptable, many kinds of mechanical attachments neither (visibility and crash safety). Not necessary future proof then.

Speed cameras obviously do not fit to the MB image. But those are losing their high interest now that speed cameras start to measure the average speed from camera to camera. It does not help driving slowly when passing the camera. Personal POI could be useful for other purposes still. A phone with network access for POI data combined with the integrated car navigation outperforms many other options (I'm using Nokia Maps, free for POI and maps, except voice guided navigation which I leave for my Comand).

[Soltan]

As an IT guy I'm sure you've come across multifuntion devices before. They do multiple tasks and excell at some, are poor at others. The Command may not beat a TomTom, but it is integrated and you are unlikely to get your window bricked to have it nicked.
It will handle your phone with the appropriate cradle/bluetooth etc. Again far more expensive than most alternatives, but the integration and quality (in terms of people on the other end not even being able to tell I'm in the outside lane of the Motorway) is excellent. If you have a cradle afffair it will charge your phone with no wires on show, and the phone is tucked away (very handly if like me you keep forgetting to take it out the car (see bricked windows bit above)).
It will play DVD's when your car is at standstill (and otherwise if hacked), very handy when stuck in traffic for a long time (saw fantastic four like that last year while stuck in the floods). Screen quality is pretty good, perhaps not as good as a bespoke player, but nonetheless pretty good.

It will also play MP3's, so that's one heck of alot of files you can listen too. I'm no sound buff, but I find the quality very good (depends on the system you have I guess, but I gather most are very good).

To sum up, you have better third party options available to you, but it means little or no interoperability, possibly dangling wires, unsightly bits stuck to the insode of your car and none of them are likely to enhance the resale value of your car by much. Command on the otherhand looks good integrated into the car and offers you access to many functions neatly. It should also increase the value of your car when you come to resell.

[BTB 500]

COMAND for my Vito would have been a completely bonkers (IMO) £2,145 including VAT. How on earth do they justify that? We took the OEM audio upgrade for £195 instead (which integrates with the phone and multi-function wheel), and use our TomTom 910 when we need satnav.

[jaymanek]

Comand looks lovely, but there is nothing like a tomtom for ease of use and value for money... If i were buying a new car i would probably spend the extra for comand just for the sake of having it, but i much prefer my tom tom, i take it everywhere..