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Sorry to have a contrary opinion, but actually an example of one of the things I don't like about modern car styling. So many cars have the infotainment screens just "floating" in space somewhere outside of the dash, like they'd just taken an ordinary tablet pc and mounted it on a bracket. That's the kind of thing I expect in a police car. Are any of y'all old enough to remember console televisions and stereos? Back when your television set or stereo was much more than just a throwaway appliance, but rather was a fine piece of furniture made from solid cherrywood or walnut, the centerpiece of your living room (and in many cases cost as much as a new car)? I still use my parents 1964 Magnavox. Of course the original electronics became outdated decades ago, but I gutted it and put in more modern stereo and AV equipment (updated a few times over the decades and about due again) because its such a beautiful piece of furniture. I actually like that Jaguar has kept that design philosophy and I'm just happy as a clam cruising along 80mph in my living room. I kinda hope they don't change or at least that they don't start putting in floating touchscreens.
Please note, he keeps saying that the dash that you see in this video is the pre-production dash and that the one that will actually come in the car will look much different. If they keep the electronics like they are, then it would be an interesting setup. The big problem I have with these "completely touchscreen" setups is you either have something that works or you have something that nothing works. I am sure you would get a new appreciation for that if the screen fails on a day that it is 100F/35C or is at -20F/-25C. I would love to see a very simple setup with individual systems. Get back to the grace of driving and having very simple systems. Give the driver the enjoyment of driving, not being told to brake, to watch over their shoulder, look out for the curve coming up, make the next right, etc. Keep it simple, basic radio, you can do automatic temp control, but it really only needs but 4 buttons (temp left, temp right, fan speed, location on dash). If you insist on having a "hi-tech radio", then really you just need a speaker button to get the car to ask what you want and then you tell it to "play artist ..." or "volume up 3". Maybe one other button for a mute function. But, through the voice, you can answer the phone, send a text, whatever current radios do now. The only screens would be for a nav system and then a screen for the instrument cluster. This is where you could then have some personalization done. Let a person pick a color setup, organize the gauges, and other oddiites of the like. Let them make the car theirs. Do not tell them "here is your cookie cutter dash, hope you like it". Obviously you would need to make it so the car displays some critical information (ie, speed, turn signals, and error messages). But, after that, if they want a simple layout, they can get a speedo in the center of the display, the turn signal indicators on the side and the rest of the screen would be a nice color (of their choosing) or you can pack it with 20 different gauges for those that like to see exactly what the car is doing and thinking.
Lets see what the 2021 XJ looks like and then go from there. Keep in mind that our current cars are based around 2010 technology and are 10 years behind.
yeah riiight... I'll take the stone age anyday. Automobile manufactures have lost their way. Gizmos, trinkets, 4 cylinders and turbo's, wow that excites me! I'll take a V8, V10, V12 with some leather and a shift handle to put my hand on, no frickin push button knob. But what do I know.
What a disgusting looking mess. Do you want a beautiful styled interior or a traveling video arcade game? It is just more cheap junk to break which will cost a fortune to repair or replace. I wonder why we have a problem with distracted driving.
What were they thinking, simple, "how do I get a 30-something to sit in the driver's seat so I can get them to buy this vehicle over, and over, and over!!!!!". If you don't think Jaguar does the same thing, I can prove you wrong. That is the sole purpose of the XE. Get people into an entry level jaguar so they can upsell them to an XF or XJ for their second car. I have heard it straight from various engineers and salesmen of Jaguar. Gotta love getting behind the scenes. That was one of my "judgement criteria" for how well the XE was constructed and what I was to base my feedback on of the car.
What were they thinking, simple, "how do I get a 30-something to sit in the driver's seat so I can get them to buy this vehicle over, and over, and over!!!!!". If you don't think Jaguar does the same thing, I can prove you wrong. That is the sole purpose of the XE. Get people into an entry level jaguar so they can upsell them to an XF or XJ for their second car. I have heard it straight from various engineers and salesmen of Jaguar. Gotta love getting behind the scenes. That was one of my "judgement criteria" for how well the XE was constructed and what I was to base my feedback on of the car.
I am under 30 and no wealthy 30 yr old I know is interested in buying an S-Class. I completely understand that interior being in a C-Class / XE / 3-Series because that segment is specifically targeted for young exec types. E-Class / XF / 5-Series should be a compromise between the sport and luxury for a mid level exec with a family. S-Class / XJ / 7-Series, these are the flagships, they are supposed to represent the best interior, tech, and overall luxury a brand has to offer. And the rare 30 yr old who is interested in buying an S-Class is probably doing so for the luxury and exclusivity, not because of it's tech. That interior is a bad product decision and they will lose more customers, but will put the blame on people on wanting SUVs and that's why it is not selling.
Jaaaggg, I agree with your thought process. But, the big corporations are not thinking the same way. I have heard it straight from their mouths. It blew my mind. Granted, most business models of big companies make no sense to me.
Jaaaggg, I agree with your thought process. But, the big corporations are not thinking the same way. I have heard it straight from their mouths. It blew my mind. Granted, most business models of big companies make no sense to me.
Yea they are not realizing how they are destroying the brand image and legacy
I really don't see the issue here. German Auto Makers have been into techno "innovation" for a long time pushing the envelope with things like the Idrive years ago. They are German and want to be the cutting edge in the auto electronics. They just can't help it. IMHO
I am under 30 and no wealthy 30 yr old I know is interested in buying an S-Class. <snip> And the rare 30 yr old who is interested in buying an S-Class is probably doing so for the luxury and exclusivity, not because of it's tech. That interior is a bad product decision and they will lose more customers, but will put the blame on people on wanting SUVs and that's why it is not selling.
Bingo! Designing all cars in the lineup for young people is a bad strategy. Especially doesn't work for luxury brands because so few young people can afford luxury brands in the first place. Anyone under 30 wanting a Mercedes is going to buy a used one unless mom and dad are helping out with a massive down payment. Anyone remember Scion? The whole brand was created to appeal to young people. Toyota eventually did away with it and absorbed some of the models back into the Toyota fold because they found that even as cheap as they were, the average Scion buyer age was 49.
I work in the service department at a BMW dealership. I see the results of the German techno wonder cars everyday. The Germans should be very glad that Ford, GM and Ram make good trucks to haul and tow these technical marvels. There has not been one day I have worked that one of these has not been towed or hauled in and usually more than one.
MV Rider, but these new trucks are getting just as bad. And their prices are starting to reflect it. When a fully optioned out F-350 is over $110K and you can get an F-150 optioned into the $80K range, that just blows my mind. Oh well, it will keep me in business as I work with the tech and it is not going to go away any time soon unless AI raises its head and starts taking over. But, by then, we are going to be pretty screwed as we have too much of our lives revolving around tech these days as it is.
i kinda disagree with what you guys are saying (also I am in my early 30's, deep tech background)
1) mercedes is trying to innovate and lead with technology....which always starts at the flagship model and works its way down
2) the bucket of people that drive S-classes, which used to be classified as old, analog loving people....are dying (or gone). The current 40 and 50 year olds are people that grew up during the tech boom and dot-com era. They've grown up with tech....and are definitely the kind of people that are impressed by tech, and kind of want it
3) these 40-50 year olds are also people who have friends that might be driving a tesla, and are constantly hearing "look how cool my car is" "look what my car can do"....so now they're saying to myself "why cant my car do that?"
4) the 30 year olds of today are going to be the next round of S-Class buyers tomorrow....which are even more involved in tech....and arent impressed by it anymore...they EXPECT IT
i kinda disagree with what you guys are saying (also I am in my early 30's, deep tech background)
1) mercedes is trying to innovate and lead with technology....which always starts at the flagship model and works its way down
2) the bucket of people that drive S-classes, which used to be classified as old, analog loving people....are dying (or gone). The current 40 and 50 year olds are people that grew up during the tech boom and dot-com era. They've grown up with tech....and are definitely the kind of people that are impressed by tech, and kind of want it
3) these 40-50 year olds are also people who have friends that might be driving a tesla, and are constantly hearing "look how cool my car is" "look what my car can do"....so now they're saying to myself "why cant my car do that?"
4) the 30 year olds of today are going to be the next round of S-Class buyers tomorrow....which are even more involved in tech....and arent impressed by it anymore...they EXPECT IT
It really doesn't matter if you like it or expect it, the bottom line is that most of it is junk and you will pay through the nose to fix it, if it is not under warranty. I was an armor officer in the Army and worked with and repaired main battle tanks. I personally do not have the monetary resources of the government to keep this stuff going. If you are so stupid you have to have the car tell you when to change oil or keep it in your lane of travel you probably don't need to be driving.
i kinda disagree with what you guys are saying (also I am in my early 30's, deep tech background)
1) mercedes is trying to innovate and lead with technology....which always starts at the flagship model and works its way down
2) the bucket of people that drive S-classes, which used to be classified as old, analog loving people....are dying (or gone). The current 40 and 50 year olds are people that grew up during the tech boom and dot-com era. They've grown up with tech....and are definitely the kind of people that are impressed by tech, and kind of want it
3) these 40-50 year olds are also people who have friends that might be driving a tesla, and are constantly hearing "look how cool my car is" "look what my car can do"....so now they're saying to myself "why cant my car do that?"
4) the 30 year olds of today are going to be the next round of S-Class buyers tomorrow....which are even more involved in tech....and arent impressed by it anymore...they EXPECT IT
I understand where you are coming from, my background is in tech as well.
1. Mercedes trying to "lead" with tech doesn't make sense when you compare it to Tesla, the Model S is leaps and bounds ahead in that department (electric drivetrain, autonomous driving, etc)
2. These current gen 40-50 yr olds that grew up in the tech boom, would be interested in fully electric, autonomous capable cars like the Model S, Taycan, I-Pace, etc. Why would they be impressed by traditional ICE cars with just big screens slapped on the inside?
3. The ones looking for Tesla alternatives will not look to ICE cars to impress their friends, they would presumably opt for something like a Taycan
4. Coming to our generation, when we eventually grow up to buy an S-Class (might not even exist in a few years), we expect tech, but not to the point where all the cars end up looking the same externally/internally with just big screens slapped on everywhere
The S-Class needs to differentiate itself from a Tesla, they did before because they were targeted towards buyers that cared about design, quality, and exclusivity. If it's just an ICE car with a Tesla interior, why would anyone be interested in it? IMO this new redesign is headed in the wrong direction. They can incorporate a lot of tech expected these days, but still differentiate themselves by building cars that are special and exclusive.
long way to catch up jaguar
I kinda hope they don't change or at least that they don't start putting in floating touchscreens.
