German Car Zone

Not very smart if u ask me,MB did found the idrive concept long before BMW implemented it into production and it didn't apply it to W220 S-Class coz of it's flaws yet to ironed out.BMW on the other hand just rushed the tech into production trying desperately to introduce ground breaking technology with the 7er as MB always does with the S-Class and it did them no good at all with all the problems,complain and criticism u mentioned.MB kept on improving it to perfection then fired it with the W221 S-Class and hell it works flawlessly as u can see.

I wasn't really with you in the rest of your arguments, but these points really ring true. Would MB have introduced an iDrive style system if the market was not yet accustomed to it? Would MB have been prepared to take the criticism for introducing not only an innovation but a revolution? We will never know, but as you say - BMW did, and the rest is history.

Of course Tarek - you know what? I way prefer the execution of the interior design, external design and technology in the S-Class. I think the interior is plush, smart, elegant and beautifully crafted. In a nutshell it looks amazing.

I also agree that the Merc driver control interface (I can't remember what it's called...) is better resolved. But, really now, anyone can improve on the mistakes made by those breaking new ground.

Yes it is a fact. Fact is MB showed the concept before BMW and their intentions are always pre-viewed in concept form years prior to reaching the market.

Correct, which is why I wouldn't go there with that.


Well they did, and more often than not what Mercedes previews in concept form comes to market in a lot of cases. I don't see what this has to do with anything when in fact what the things MB's previewed did come to market, just after BMW.


You don't know that though, the part about intent. If we're going to speculate then it goes back to Mercedes-Benz showed the idea first and then BMW brought it to market so it would stand to reason that BMW followed Mercedes. Fact is MB showed the idea first, also fact that BMW brought it to market first. You don't know where BMW got the idea from which is my point here, not who brought it to market first.


Yes.

Yep in bringing it to market, but not in coming up with the idea. True BMW did take the risk first with initially dismal results, but to simply say that it doesn't matter that MB actually brought this concept to the table is just plain incorrect. For all we know BMW saw this idea on Mercedes' concept car way back when and decided to take it from there. If BMW is going to get credit for bringing it to market then Mercedes gets credit for opening the door in the first place. Fact is they debuted the idea long before BMW. Just like the fact that BMW brought it to market first.

M

So becuase MB was first to introduce the I-drive on a concept car then it automatically makes them the inventor of the Idrive idea?

How do we know somebody else didnt came up with the idea first?
Unlucky for him he didnt put in a concept car first I guess.

Its incredible its always BMW or MB that gets credits for new inventions.

True of course,but what if the system was held back till perfecting it and solving it's flaws?

We all know that all MB's innovations and ideas presented in concepts are brought to production sooner or later and the idrive concept is no exception.

NO, it means that BMW didn't.

Yeah it sure is incredible when it is proven not to be BMW how we look to suppliers, Japan and other diversions to downplay the whole thing. However, let it be a BMW exclusive or first and we'll never stop hearing about it.

M

^lol

For me, the reason why MB was not first with the iDrive, is only a question of models introduction. In 1998 it was not ready, not reliable, so the W220 could not have it. And at MB, any groundbreaking tech is introduced by the S-Class, so the W211 E-Class had no iDrive either, same goes for the ML and Co. And changing the whole electronics for the FL W220 was simply too costly.

So MB could only bring COMAND III with the W221. Bad luck.

I think this argument makes no sense at all. The thing with MB's Concepts is not to say they were first. it's only to say that they did NOT copy it from BMW, because they already had that idea (even before BMW in fact). So it's not a copy. Period. The rest is fanboy flaming.

Sorry people but help me out here...

I can find no real example of where Mercedes Benz first presented the single controller interface in a vehicle, concept or other in anything other than the 1996 F200 Imagination concept. Is this what we're talking about?