It's happened to the best of us: you're on your way to a business meeting, lunch, date, etc. when, despite Google Mapping directions in advance, you realize that somewhere along the way you made a navigational error.  Maybe you missed the street; maybe you turned left when you should have turned right... whatever the case is, you've lost your way.

Now, thanks to Mercedes Accessories GmbH, finding yourself in this unpleasant scenario will soon be a thing of the past.  The company has just introduced two new mobile navigation units available for retrofit:  the Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot II and the Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot II Plus. 

Targeted primarily at A-Class, B-Class and C-Class owners, both units offer ergonomic on-board integration, clear voice output and a high-resolution TFT color touchscreen monitor. Even more impressive, both navigation systems are available with special mounts that allow the StreetPilot II to be attached directly to your model's dashboard, and in addition, integrate the units into your car's electronics. As a result, power is drawn from your vehicle ensuring the navigation system is always readily available, and the navigation's voice is heard through the car's speaker system, which means there's no chance of the car stereo overpowering the directions of your digital navigator.

Overall it sounds like a pretty slick setup, especially for anyone currently considering a different aftermarket nav system.

Although there's no word yet as to the U.S. availability of the StreetPilot II or StreetPilot II Plus, the units will be available in Europe starting in November with prices of EUR 517 and EUR 690, respectively.

For more info, keep reading for the full press release along with several photos showcasing the new navigation system in action.










OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE


Mobile navigation systems for retrofitting: the StreetPilot II generation - Arrive relaxed


Stuttgart, Oct 27, 2006
Mercedes-Benz Accessories GmbH is now offering two new mobile navigation units as a retrofit solution, aimed in particular at A-Class, B-Class and C-Class customers. The Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot II and StreetPilot II Plus offer ergonomic on-board integration, deliver clear voice output and feature a high-resolution TFT colour monitor. The large, logically positioned touchscreen controls make the compact unit simple to operate, and the clear menu structures are extremely easy to follow.

A special mount allows the Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot II units to be attached directly to the dashboard of the A-Class, B-Class and C-Class. This optionally available solution offers several advantages: the central positioning means that the unit is equally easy for both driver and front passenger to operate and read. It also means that the view of the monitor is not affected by irritating vibrations. The mount offers the greatest possible safety for the vehicle occupants in the event of an impact too, as the results of the crash test according to ECE R21 (head-impact test) show. The standards applied here are the same as those used for the standard, factory-fitted interior components. A further advantage of the dashboard mount is that it allows the system to be integrated into the vehicle electronics, the advantage here being that the spoken directions are output via the on-board loudspeakers. The radio is automatically switched to a quieter mode, ensuring that the driver can hear the information clearly. Moreover, when the unit is attached to the dashboard it is permanently supplied with the required charging current and is always, therefore, ready for use.

The units were developed in collaboration with Garmin, a renowned manufacturer of mobile navigation units, with years of experience in the fields of aviation, off-road and outdoor activities and in the car, motorcycle and yacht sectors.

Clearly structured, legible display

The user-friendly two or three-dimensional maps, with zoom function, provide different perspectives for enhanced orientation. At confusing intersections the system automatically switches to the optimum display mode. The high-resolution, non-reflecting TFT colour monitor, which is 7.1 centimetres wide, 5.3 centimetres high and has a diagonal measurement of 8.9 centimetres, features automatic day/night-time settings, ensuring a glare-free image. The user can adjust the brightness to suit requirements.

Avoid tailbacks, find your way home quickly and turn off at the right point

The practical detour function, which helps the user to avoid tailbacks, uses TMC (Traffic Message Channel) technology. The special feature here: thanks to the vehicle-specific integration kit, the TMC signals are picked up by the car’s radio aerial, ensuring the best possible reception. In addition to the detour function, the Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot II navigation units feature a home function, designed for rapid calculation of the route home: one touch of the button and the most direct route to the pre-programmed home destination is instantly calculated. The route can be calculated via specific stopping-off points if required.

To make orientation easier, the voice directions from the Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot units are even more precise than those output by many commercially available mobile navigation units. The StreetPilot II Plus unit features a text-to-speech function, ensuring unambiguous spoken directions. The system not only announces the street names but also describes the exact turn-off point (“At the second road on the left, turn onto Kaiser-Wilhelm-Ring”).

Detailed road data for the whole of Germany

Detailed road data for Germany is preinstalled in the StreetPilot II’s internal memory. The navigation unit is also supplied with a ‘Europe’ DVD. The extended version, known as StreetPilot II Plus, is available with preinstalled map data for central and western Europe.

In addition to the extensive map material, there are numerous items of useful additional information: the “points of interest”, for example, include filling stations, hotels and tourist sights. As an additional, exclusive service, the “Mercedes-Benz” section includes the addresses of Mercedes-Benz partners throughout Europe.

The Mercedes-Benz StreetPilot II Plus also includes an integral MP3 player and a Bluetooth® interface which allows it to act as a hands-free system in conjunction with a Bluetooth mobile phone. Thanks to the vehicle-specific integration kits, phone conversations and MP3 music are output via the on-board loudspeakers.

The units, including mount, are priced at Euro 517 (StreetPilot II) and Euro 690 (StreetPilot II Plus)*. These prices apply to the German market. The new navigation units will be available from all Mercedes-Benz sales partners from November.

*plus installation

Copyright © 2006, DaimlerChrysler AG