For years, Mercedes-Benz has positioned their cruise control command on a strange position, above the side signals and windshield wiper commands (that are all on the left hand of the driver). This location, where a protuberant arm flies out almost covering part of the gauges, is practically a tradition, since it has been this way for decades.
With every new edition, I hope that I will see the cruise control set up on more convenient places, like mounted on the steering wheel. However, this fails to happen even today, with the most advanced Mercedes models ever.
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| Cruise Control arm out and above on the left side. |
I know several people who agree with the fragile and odd-looking control located on the upper-west corner of the driver. Actual staff from Hertz at the SFO International Airport feels that the command is on the way, badly located and that it eventually makes basic turn-signaling harder! I was impressed how exact they were in sharing my own feelings.
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| Mercedes-Benz small SUV: GLK 350. |
Meanwhile, I recently had the opportunity to test-drive a new Mercedes GLK for a long journey. With my up-close and personal use, I found out a few things. First of all, how precise and not-at-all fragile the command is. This cruise control also has a feature that permits the driver to coast or accelerate from 1 to 1 mph or 5 to 5 miles! And if you choose to have the board computer showing your speed, you will witness how accurate and practical it is.
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| Two arms: Cruise Control above and turn signals plus wipers commands! |
Thus, my point now reclines only on the fact that this location is definitely strange and hard to reach, but not any more on the precision of the control. This position is quite dangerous, since drivers often seem to confuse the upper arm with the lower one – cruise with turn signals. Therefore, Mercedes could think of a better place for its cruise control since the brand has broken other traditions recently!
