Hello, I posted the following question on the Mercedes Owners Forum and was recommended to ask here by one of their Members called "Television". I hope you can help.

I am trying to decide which of the two available Satnav options, Navigation 50 or Comand, would be best for me for a new W212. I really do want a built in system rather than a Tom Tom.

I am looking at the mapping and POI information aspects as the Media Interface features appear to be fairly similar on both systems.

The content of the hotel and restaurant database is very important as we plan to use the car for touring and need the system to take us to hotels we have booked and help us choose nice restaurants in unfamiliar areas.

The CD based system we used on our SL a few years ago was very good for this. There was a huge number of hotels and restaurants listed in all price ranges.

I have heard that the Comand system's POI database is very limited. For example the hotel database only covers groups like Best Western, Comfort Inn, Crowne Plaza and none of the independents. The restaurant database is predominantly Fast Food. There are loads of Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Burger King, KFC etc but very little else.

I know nothing about the Navigation 50 on the W212 and dealers I have asked have nothing in stock for us to look at.

Does anyone know whether the Navigation 50 system is any better?

Many thanks and all help really appreciated

I suggest you get the COMAND system with visible mapping because it will enable you to use voice control.

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A good point and thank you for the suggestion but good quality hotel and restaurant information like we had in the SL is important to us. I know W212 Comand for Europe doesnt have it and my question is does the Navigation 50 system? I am told they are different systems and the databases are not interchangeable so they may well have completely different databases. For example I have tried the satnav system in the 2010 R230 SL and this has a very comprehensive POI database that is light years ahead of the so called "new" Comand database in the W212.

The MB dealers (certainly in UK) have been sent a map update for W212 COMAND (Version 2010) which is meant to improve the database. I beleive they are meant to be installing it in W212/W207 if asked. The POI database should make it across the other vehicles as new maps are updated, so I'd expect the data from the NTG2.5 (R230 SL) to make it into NTG4-W212 in the next release.

COMAND will also be getting free map updates for 3 years (MY2011 across the range) in Europe - whereas the same has not been said of the Audio-50.

Richard

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Of course i'll take it apart.

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http://www.comandonline.co.uk

Thanks Richard. That's very helpful.