2008 MERCEDES-BENZ S-Class light

188 Control systemsCOMAND navigation (introduction)Map software
The digital maps generated by the map
software become outdated in the same
way as conventional road maps. Optimum
route guidance can only be provided by the
navigation system in conjunction with the
most up-to-date map software.
Information about new map software ver-
sions can be obtained from an authorized
Mercedes-Benz Center.
Updating the map software
You can update the map software yourself
using a DVD.
Notes about handling DVDs

Only hold discs by the edge.


Handle discs carefully to prevent read
problems.


Avoid getting scratches, fingerprints
and dust on discs.


Use a commercially-available cleaning
cloth to clean discs. Do not wipe them
with a circular motion, but only in
straight lines from the center out-
wards.


Place discs back in their boxes after
use.


Protect discs from heat and direct sun-
light.
Updating process
The updating process has the following
phases:

Loading a DVD into the DVD changer
(page 189)


Updating process (
page 190)
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The updating process can take between
10 and 60 minutes, depending on the size of the
map software. If the radio was switched on be-
fore you started the updating process, you can
still adjust the volume. You can also use
COMAND to operate the automatic air condition-
ing and to cancel the process. Other functions
are not operational.
If possible, carry out the update when the vehicle
is stationary.

227 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (entering a destination)
Entering predefined destinations
Select “Navi”
“Destination”

“Stopover”.
If a stopover has already been entered,
you can change it.
Changing: Select “Change Stop-
over”.
You can now select a category.

Selecting a category:
Select category, e.g. “Gas station”.
COMAND first looks for destinations
within the immediate vicinity of the ve-
hicle and near the vehicle’s route. If
there are no destinations available
there, COMAND searches for destina-
tions in an area around the vehicle po-
sition.
If COMAND does not find any destina-
tions, you will see a message to this ef-
fect.

Select “OK”.
You can now select a different
category.
If COMAND finds destinations, you will
see a list of the destinations and details
of how far away they are in the
right-hand side of the display. The in-
formation about how far away the des-
tinations are can take a few seconds to
be displayed.
The left-hand part of the display shows
the destinations on the map. The desti-
nation marked in the list is highlighted
in the map.

Selecting a destination: Select the
desired destination from list.
The address of the destination ap-
pears.

Starting route calculation:
Select “Start”, see also (
page 222).Entering another destination as a stop-
over

Select “Navi”
“Destination”

“Stopover”.

Entering: Select “Other”.
You can select between the following
menu items:

“Address Entry”


“From Memory”


“From Last Destinations”


“From POIs”

Select a menu item.

236 Control systemsCOMAND navigation system (Point of interest entry)Entering a POI from the map
Select “Guide” in the map view with the
menu system displayed (
page 196).
You will see POI symbols on the map,
depending on whether POIs are avail-
able and which map scale is set.
The scale at which the symbols are dis-
played on the map varies according to
the symbol.
You can set which symbols COMAND
should display (
page 198).
The POI closest to the center of the
screen is automatically marked.If there are no POIs available, the
“Back” menu item is automatically
highlighted and you cannot select oth-
er menu items.
1Highlighted POI
2Information about the highlighted POI

Selecting a POI: Select “Next” or “Pre-
vious”.
The next or the previous POI is marked.

Displaying details of the selection:
Select “Details”.

Starting route calculation:
Select “Start”, see also (
page 222).
A prompt appears asking whether the
POI should be used as the destination.

Select “Yes” or “No”.
If you select “Yes”, the route calcula-
tion begins. If you select “No”, you can
select a new POI.
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If the crosshair is shown on the map, you
can enter POIs in the vicinity of the crosshair.
If the crosshair is not shown on the map, you can
enter POIs in the vicinity of the vehicle’s current
position.

237 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (route guidance)
COMAND navigation system (route guidance)
Route guidance
COMAND guides you to the destination us-
ing navigation commands in the form of
audible navigation announcements and
route guidance displays.
If, for any reason, you do not follow the
navigation commands or if you leave the
calculated route, COMAND automatically
calculates a new route to the destination.
If the map data contains the relevant infor-
mation, COMAND tries to avoid roads that
only have limited access, e.g. roads closed
to through-traffic and non-residents.Roads that have time restrictions (e.g.
closed on Sundays and public holidays) are
not considered for route guidance, if the
digital map contains the relevant informa-
tion.
Examples of displays and announce-
ments for a driving maneuver
Driving maneuvers have three phases:

Preparation phase


Announcement phase


Maneuver phase
Warning!
G
COMAND calculates the route to the desti-
nation without taking account of the follow-
ing, for example:

Traffic lights


Stop and right-of-way signs


Parking or stopping prohibited areas


Lane merges


Other road and traffic rules and regula-
tions


Narrow bridges
COMAND may give incorrect navigation
commands if the data in the digital map
does not correspond with the actual
road/traffic situation. For example, if the
traffic routing has been changed or the di-
rection of a one-way road has been re-
versed.
For this reason, you must always observe
applicable road and traffic rules and regula-
tions during your journey. Road and traffic
rules and regulations always have priority
over the navigation commands generated by
the system.i
The route guidance displays can only be
seen if the display is switched to navigation
mode.

238 Control systemsCOMAND navigation system (route guidance)Preparation phase
COMAND prepares you for the upcoming
driving maneuver. Based on the example
display below, the driving maneuver is an-
nounced with the “Prepare to turn left”
message. The display is not split and
shows the map over the full screen.
1Point at which the driving maneuver
takes place (light blue dot)
2Route (highlighted blue)
3Current vehicle position; the triangle
points in the vehicle’s direction of
travelAnnouncement phase
COMAND announces the next driving ma-
neuver. Based on the example display be-
low, the driving maneuver is announced
700 feet in advance with the “Turn left in
700 feet to your destination” message.
The display is divided in two. In the left
half, you see the normal map view. In the
right half, there is either an enlarged view
of the area surrounding the intersection
(intersection zoom) or simply a symbol for
the next driving maneuver.
The following example illustration shows
the intersection zoom in the right half.1Next road
2Driving maneuver (turn left)
3Graphical representation of the dis-
tance to the driving maneuver
4Point at which the driving maneuver
takes place (light blue dot, shown in
both the left and right displays)
5Information about distance to the next
driving maneuver
6Route (highlighted in blue; shown in
both the left and right displays)
7Current vehicle position; the triangle in-
dicates the vehicle’s direction of travel
(shown in both the left and right dis-
plays)
8Street on which you are currently driv-
ing, if included on the digital map
9Destination
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The filled-in section of distance graphic 3
gets shorter the nearer you get to the announced
driving maneuver.

239 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (route guidance)
Maneuver phase
COMAND announces the next driving ma-
neuver. Based on the example display be-
low, the driving maneuver is announced
150 feet in advance with the “Now turn
left” message. The display is also split into
two halves, as for the announcement
phase.
1Graphical representation of the dis-
tance to the next driving maneuver
2Information about distance to the next
driving maneuverExample of a display without driving
maneuvers
1Main destination <
2Stopover = (only visible if a stopover
has been entered)
3Route (highlighted blue)
4Current vehicle position; the triangle in-
dicates the vehicle’s direction of travel
5Set map orientation – for an explana-
tion and settings, see (
page 198)
6Set scale – for an explanation and set-
tings, see (
page 196)Destination or destination area
reached
Once you have reached your destination,
you will hear the announcement “You have
reached the destination”. For certain POIs
(airports or highway junctions), you will
hear the announcement “You have reached
the destination area”. In addition, you will
see a corresponding display and route
guidance is automatically ended.
1Destination on the map
2Destination flag
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Once the maneuver is completed, COMAND
automatically switches back to the non-split
screen.

241 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (route guidance)
During route guidance, the display is divid-
ed. On the right-hand side you will see the
direction arrow showing the compass
heading to the destination.
On the left-hand side of the display you will
see the map with the suggested route. The
suggested route is highlighted blue. How-
ever, it may not be possible to follow the
suggested route because, for example, the
road is closed or not open for car traffic.
If, during route guidance, COMAND leads
you back into a fully digitalized area, route
guidance will simply continue in the usual
manner.
Off-road and off-map
Route guidance to an off-road
destination
COMAND can guide you to destinations
within the area covered by the digital map,
even if a destination is not located at a
road known to the system.These destinations are shown as off-road
destinations, which you can enter using
the map, for example.
In these cases, COMAND guides you for as
long as possible with navigation announce-
ments and displays on roads known to the
system.
Shortly before you reach the last known
the point to leave the digitized road net-
work, you will hear the announcement “The
destination is nearby. Follow the arrow on
the display”.
You will then see an arrow that indicates
the direction to the off-road destination.
When the off-road destination is close to
the road, “Area of dest. reached” appears
in addition below the arrow.
The section of the route from the last
known point on the map to the off-road
destination is indicated with a dashed line
after a certain length. It simply shows the
direction to the off-road destination with-
out taking account of any type of obstacles
in the way.Warning!
G
The COMAND navigation system may direct
you to off-road routes that your vehicle may
not be capable of traversing through without
damaging your tires, wheels or vehicle. It is
the driver’s sole responsibility to determine
the suitability of the route. Off-road routes
may be of varying conditions and their ap-
propriateness for use may be affected by
various factors such as time of day, time of
year and immediate weather conditions that
cannot be judged or taken into consider-
ation by the COMAND system.

242 Control systemsCOMAND navigation system (route guidance)1Current vehicle position; the triangle in-
dicates the vehicle’s direction of travel
2Off-road section of the route
3Off-road destination
4Direction arrow, shows compass head-
ing to destination
On the off-road section of the route, direc-
tion arrows showing the compass heading
to the destination guide you. You will also
see the “Direction to destination” display.Route guidance from an off-road
location to a destination
If there is no road available on map at cur-
rent position of the car, vehicle is off road.
C O M A N D i s a l s o a b l e t o g u i d e y o u t o a d e s -
tination from such a location.
At the start of the route guidance, you will
see the “Off Road” message and a direc-
tion arrow. The direction arrow shows the
compass heading to the actual destina-
tion.
The route is highlighted blue from the near-
est road known to the system.
As soon as the vehicle is back on a road
known to the system, route guidance con-
tinues in the usual way.
Route guidance from an off-map
location to a destination
If the vehicle position is outside the area
covered by the digital map, then the vehi-
cle is in an off-map location.
C O M A N D i s a l s o a b l e t o g u i d e y o u t o a d e s -
tination from such a location.At the start of the route guidance, you will
see the “Off Map” message and a direction
arrow. The direction arrow shows the com-
pass heading to the actual destination.
The route is highlighted blue from the near-
est road known to the system.
As soon as the vehicle is back on a road
known to the system, route guidance con-
tinues in the usual way.
Off-road during route guidance
The road layout may differ from the data on
the digital map, due to road construction
measures, for example.
In such cases, the system cannot allocate
the vehicle’s position to the digital map
and the vehicle is therefore in an off-road
position.
The “Off Road” message and an arrow
showing the compass heading to the desti-
nation appear on the display.
As soon as the system can allocate the ve-
hicle position’s to the map again, route
guidance continues in the usual way.