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Critics about cruise control lever

4K views 22 replies 15 participants last post by  SR Joseph 
#1 ·
I keep on reading car reviews which identify the mercedes cruise control lever as a giant flaw of the car, if not a safety hazard, because it can so easily be hit by mistake when you set the turn signals.

Well I have owned 3 mercedes with such levers over the past 13 years. Despite the fact that I have exceptionally big hands and long fingers, I have never, not a single time, hit the cruise control lever by mistake.

I'm curious to hear about other mercedes owners to see if it's only me.

I think that mercedes cars interior designs are so perfect, the critics are creative when it comes to finding flaws!!!
 
#2 ·
Yea sometimes I wonder the same thing. I don't ever remember once mistaking the cruise control stalk as the turn signal lever. That's why sometimes you can't listen to car critics when it comes to the little things. They are used to controls being on the steering wheels on most cars so it's a shock to them that a cruise control stalk exists in Mercedes vehicles....Considering this has been the MB way as far as the early 90s as I can remember. If Mercedes' research in ergonomics hasn't found anything wrong with it why should we?
 
#3 · (Edited)
I actually check some old Mercedes on junk yard. Seems that CC is having the same design starting at least in 1970's and likely in 1960's.
I guess nobody made an accident because of it in last 50 years?
Operating any machinery require some adjustment. I was pretty upset changing between ML and E class.
One has wipers control on left level, the other on the right one. Not a problem if you change the car on weekly bases, but quite often coming off shopping mall the first question I had was "which car I drove here?"
 
#4 · (Edited)
When I first got my 97 E420, the wife and I probably each turned on the cruise a dozen times by accident when signalling a right turn within the first couple of months. happens much less often now, but does happen on occasion. I have never turned it on signalling a lane change, only when I turn the right signal to the detent position.

I will say that to me that while the mercedes light flasher,windshield washer/wiper, horn etc. is very well thought out, don't need to remove hands from the wheel like many other cars require, I can't say the same thing for cruise.

The mercedes cruise set, increment, decrement also doesn't seem intuitve to me. The old GM style cruise control stock is more intuitve and less confusing. It's probably because that is the system I first had. Personally I don't like the steering wheel cruise control systems at all.

Also not all that thrilled about my mercedes radio controls. Seems like I always have to take my eyes of the road to change radio functions. seldom need to do that on my silverado, but the radio controls on our Honda was even worse than the mercedes.
 
#5 ·
The mercedes cruise set, increment, decrement also doesn't seem intuitive to me. The old GM style cruise control stock is more intuitive and less confusing. It's probably because that is the system I first had. Personally I don't like the steering wheel cruise control systems at all.
What king of design does the "GM style CC" have? I have difficulties thinking of a more intuitive approach than the MB CC stalk.

I'm sure I have used the wrong stalk a couple of times but I cannot remember if it was more like using the blinker when the intention was to hit the CC lever.

But I cannot see the danger involved with using the CC stalk when the intention is to use the turn signal. If you put the turn signal on well in advance (like explained in the school), either CC is already on or you are anyway still about to start braking.

And if you put the blinker on only some time when turning, the speed would not increase but stay constant, I don't think anyone activates "resume" accidentally when trying to use the turn signal.

I guess I'm more used to the MB design although I don't think the first car for me with CC was an MB but I never liked those cars that had the CC buttons at the steering wheel (usually then with a separate additional activation button), I never find any reason to look at the stalk when operating CC on an MB but with other cars it does not work (perhaps a lot of experience helps).

I tried a new VW recently, when I activated CC first at low speed and later activated it again at a higher speed, it always picked up the previous lower speed (it works from the stalk but I don't remember any details). During the trip I did not learn how to use it smoothly.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I might have hit the CC a couple times by accident, I don't remember, but I don't find any fault with the location or ergonomics. As already stated, CC in my other cars require more actions and with one (1991 Camry) I have to take one hand off the steering wheel. I activate using a dashboard switch but then set/decel/resume are on the same stalk as windshield wipers (right).
 
#12 · (Edited)
ESP must be left in the on position for CC to work. Disabling the ESP on Canadian vehicles also disables the cruise control.

I have also had the situation where my brake light switch was faulty and the brakes were on constantly to which I was not aware. I had booked in my vehicle for service on the no functioning Cruise Control when someone pointed out that my brake lights would not turn off. So of course that was the reason why the cruise control would not set.
 
#13 ·
I agree with you - this is one of the great functions in a Benz - and has been the same for years.

The newer models "seem" to have an actual braking function associated with a rapid 2-3 clicks to decrease the speed - i.e., the car appears to "brake" without the RPMs increasing.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I keep on reading car reviews which identify the mercedes cruise control lever as a giant flaw of the car, if not a safety hazard, because it can so easily be hit by mistake when you set the turn signals.

Well I have owned 3 mercedes with such levers over the past 13 years. Despite the fact that I have exceptionally big hands and long fingers, I have never, not a single time, hit the cruise control lever by mistake.

I'm curious to hear about other mercedes owners to see if it's only me.

I think that mercedes cars interior designs are so perfect, the critics are creative when it comes to finding flaws!!!
Mercedes Benz makes the best cruise control interface. Hitting the accelerate button by accident when turning the wheel. If the cruise control system is always activated and waiting for signal input from the accelerate there will likely be an increase in truly unintended acceleration incidents.
 
#16 ·
In order to make the car accelerate, you have to use the resume feature. Sounds strange if you accidentally pull the lever. If you push it, CC disengages. Pushing up or down can happen accidentally but this would make the car use the current speed, it would not accelerate (you cannot keep the CC lever up for a long time by accident).
 
#17 ·
Before MB, my cars were all GM/Ford. I was so used to how they laid out the controls in their car. Yes, I would accidentally hit the MB cruise control lever because of its position. It took days before I got used to it. I remember cursing when I hit the cc lever by mistake but I would not call it a flaw, it's more like a feature of MB that I had to get used to. To this day, sometimes I still curse to find the power window buttons are not placed at the door but at the center.
 
#21 ·
Do you mean your car surges, starts to accelerate when you hit the CC lever accidentally? This is what I thought was the original and main complain.

I have hit the lever accidentally myself a couple of times during the (pretty many) years I've had an MB and could prefer the car to read my mind and make the lever go further away when I'm not going to use it and then quickly return to the current position just before my intention is to use it. But please, no additional buttons that I would have to press to make it come and go, it would have to read my thoughts.

Is anyone really considering some steering wheel buttons better than the current design? Those typically come with an activation button which brings an extra step every time you start driving the car. Another issue is that one most often needs a look at the buttons to hit the correct up/down/resume/off button which definitely is not needed with the separate lever.

Those who criticise the current design, could you please explain how you would prefer the CC design different from the current implementation? While proposing changes, try to propose something that at least 50% of other drivers would likely accept! This could make your criticism justified (I'm not saying criticism would not otherwise be allowed, specifically on a forum, but some additional thought would add a lot of value).
 
#23 ·
The only time I ever had an issue with this was when I first test drove the C230 I currently own, but that was because the location of the turn signal lever on my previous car was near where the CC lever is on the Merc. In terms of making turns (not lane changes), I don't think it's too big a deal as I was slowing down with my foot on the brake anyways so CC wouldn't have engaged. I got used to the CC lever within a matter of hours after buying the car.
 
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