MERCEDES-BENZ S550 4MATIC 2008 W221 Owner's Manual

200 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (Point of interest entry)
Confirming selection: Press n.
After selecting a subcategory, a list of
POIs appears. It contains the POIs
available within the search radius of
the subcategory.
Selected main category contains no sub-
categories, but only POIs:
Selecting such a main category immedi-
ately opens a list of POIs. The POI list con-
tains the available POIs within the search
radius of the main category.POI list
Depending on the situation, COMAND first
shows the following list or the POI list with
input characters.
The illustration below shows by way of ex-
ample the POI list for the “RESTAURANT”
main category, “FRENCH CUISINE” subcat-
egory within the surrounding area.
1Compass heading to the destination
2Linear distance to the destination
3Special destinationIn the POI list, you can either select a POI
or enter the name of the POI.
Selecting a POI
Select desired POI.
The POI list disappears and the address
of the POI appears.
Back to POI list: Select “Back” and
press n.
or
Press back button L in the center
console (
page 86).
Starting route calculation:
Select “Start”, see also (
page 190).
iIf you have selected list item 2, the POI list
contains all POIs for all subcategories within the
search radius of main category 1.
iDisplays 1 and 2 are not visible if you
have already entered a POI within a particular
town or city. Displays 1 and 2 are static; they
do not change while you are driving.

201 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (Point of interest entry)
Entering name of POI
Select “Options”
“Spell”.
The POI list appears with input charac-
ters; the input characters are automat-
ically activated.
POI list with input characters
1Top list entry based on the input data
up to that point
2Characters entered by the user
3Characters automatically added by the
system
4Input characters
5Currently selectable character
6Currently non-selectable characters
7POI list
8Currently selected characterWhile the characters are being selected as
described below, the top list entry 1 al-
ways shows the POI that best corresponds
to the input data as it has been entered up
to that point.
At the same time, COMAND automatically
supplements characters 2 entered by the
user with appropriate characters 3.
Selecting characters: Slide omp or
rotate ymz.
Confirming character selection:
Press n.
Deleting individual characters:
Select) in the bottom line and
pressn.
Deleting an entire entry: Select) in
the bottom line and press n until the
entire entry is deleted.
Canceling an entry: Select “Back” in
the bottom line and press n.
or
Press back button L in the center
console (
page 86).
iFor POIs in other regions, this list also shows
the compass heading to the destination as well
as the linear distance to the destination, as in the
previous illustration.
iIn the list of input characters 4, you can
only select currently selectable characters.
Which characters are included depends on the
sequence in which you have entered your desti-
nation and the data version of the digital map.


202 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (Point of interest entry)
As soon as COMAND can clearly attribute
the characters entered to a POI, the input
characters 4 disappear.
You see the POI list without input charac-
ters. Here you can confirm the current en-
try or make another selection.
You can also manually switch to the POI
list without input characters at any time.
Switching manually to the POI list
without input characters: Slide qm.
or
Select ? in the second line from the
bottom and press n.POI list without input characters
Selecting a destination: Slide qmr or
rotate ymz.
Canceling selection: Select “Back”
and press n.
or
Press back button L in the center
console (
page 86).
Confirming selection: Press n.
Starting route calculation:
Select “Start”, see also (
page 190).List options
Options in category and POI lists
If you enter a POI in the surrounding area,
initially, only categories and POIs within a
radius of approximately 12 mi around the
vehicle position are available.
The same applies if you enter a POI within
a given town or city and have previously
entered more than the state (USA) or prov-
ince (CDN) and the city or town.
If you expand the list, the search radius in-
creases to around 90 mi. This gives you ac-
cess to all categories and POIs within a
radius of about 90 mi.
Expanding list: In one of the lists se-
lect “Options”
“Expand Search”.
The list is expanded.


203 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (Point of interest entry)
Options only in POI lists
Displaying details of the selected
entry: Select “Options”
“Details”.
The detailed view appears.
Closing detailed view: Select “OK”.
Entering a POI from the map
Select “Guide” in the map view with the
menu system displayed (
page 166).
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 169).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 190).
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.
iIf 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.

204 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (real-time traffic) (USA only)
Depending on your vehicle’s production
date the real-time traffic function may not
be available.
A RDS-TMC (Radio Data System-Traffic
Message Channel) radio transmitter
broadcasts traffic reports COMAND can
receive and incorporate into the navigation
system. Traffic report messages and map
symbols can then be viewed in the
COMAND display. Events displayed are
those within receivable range of the vehi-
cle's location.Real-time traffic notifications in the
map
COMAND can display certain traffic events
in the map. The notifications are shown at
the map scales from 0.05 mi (50 m) to
500 mi (500 km).
Set the map scale: Turn ymz until the
desired map scale is set.
Turning clockwise enlarges the map,
turning counterclockwise reduces it.
Display example for a traffic jam on the
route
1Symbol for event on the route
2Marker symbols for the affected route
section
3Current vehicle position and direction
of travel
4Map scale
iActual road and traffic conditions may be
different from the received messages.
iCOMAND marks the entire route section af-
fected with the appropriate symbols2, inde-
pendently of its actual length on the route
section. The symbols2 are shown in the direc-
tion of travel on the left or right of the route.Thus,
they also indicate which side of the roadway is
affected by the event.

205 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (real-time traffic) (USA only)
The following shows the possible symbol
displays.
1Traffic jam on the route (symbol with
red border)
2Traffic jam away from the route (sym-
bol with gray border)
3Stop and go traffic on the route (sym-
bol with red border)
4Stop and go traffic away from the route
(symbol with gray border)
5Blocked section on the route
6Traffic jam
7Stop and go trafficDisplaying real-time traffic reports
Displaying the message list
Select “Navi”
“Traffic”.
COMAND searches for real-time traffic
transmitters. When no traffic reports
are present, you will see a display to
this effect.List for inactive route guidance
When route guidance is inactive, the list
displays all streets for which messages are
present.
1Affected street list
Read a message: Select a street.
You can find an example message on
(
page 206).
Close the list: Slide omp.
iInstead of a street, an area or a region can
also be affected by a message, for example,
when visibility is limited due to fog.

206 Control systems
COMAND navigation system (real-time traffic) (USA only)
List for active route guidance
When route guidance is active, the list dis-
plays only the streets which are part of the
route and for which messages are present.
1Show all messages (including those
which do not affect the route)
2Affected streets (only shown when
messages which affect the route are
present)
Display all messages: Select “Display
All Messages”.
All streets are shown for which mes-
sages are present, as well as for those
which are not on the route.
Read a message: Select a street.
You can find an example message on
(
page 206).
Close the list: Slide omp once or re-
peatedly.
Example message
1Selection display (“Messages On
Route” or “All messages”)
2Symbol for message event (e.g. traffic
jam)
3Street affected by the message
4Message 1 of 5 for the affected street
5Message textThe symbols for the possible message
events are shown in the following.
1Traffic jam symbol
2Stop and go traffic symbol
3Warning message symbol
4Blocked section symbol
Scroll through the contents or to the
next message: Turn ymz or slide
qmr.

207 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.
iThe route guidance displays can only be
seen if the display is switched to navigation
mode.

208 Control systems
COMAND 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 trav-
elAnnouncement 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
iThe filled-in section of distance graphic 3
gets shorter the nearer you get to the announced
driving maneuver.

209 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 169)
6Set scale – for an explanation and set-
tings, see (
page 167)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
iOnce the maneuver is completed, COMAND
automatically switches back to the non-split
screen.