Getting old or poor ergonomics?

[Trevsked]

i usually adapt very quickly to new cars but find myself having to think about the buttons and switches, maybe it’s because I’ve never had a Mercedes before and not familiar with the layout. Couple of things that spring to mind are operation of the cruise control and more so the gears selection and parking brake. Both the second two seem to operate in reverse to my mind, I’d expect to up to select drive and pull down for reverse and park brake pull to operate and push to release. Is it just me?

Trevor.

 

[Katie]

I agree with you Trevor but you do get used to it eventually
I say to myself, ‘Down’ for drive and ‘Raise’ for reverse and ‘Push’ the brake onto the wheels rather than raise like a handbrake

 

[Roy C]

I find the gear selection okay for me although a bit weird anyway with it being a steering column stalk. I occasionally get into my wife’s car and turn the windscreen wipers on before I remember it has a gear stick. The parking brake does seem the wrong way round to me but I never use it. However sometimes my car automatically puts it on so when I go to drive away it doesn’t move and I have to release it. Other times it leaves it off. I haven’t worked out why that happens at all.

 

[Trevsked]

Yes it’s surprising the park brake doesn’t auto release like most electronic hand park brakes. Another one that took me time to remeber is the passenger door unlocking when you’ve stopped to collect someone.
As you say you become used to it all with a little familiarity but some things not intuitive. I’ve yet to find a tailgate release inside the car and not resorted to the manual as yet, there may well not be one. The key is another mystery in its layout too.
I’m not disappointed at all with the MP and over the last two days did 300 miles returning 37mpg which I think is respectable. Going to have a look at sound deadening over the rear wheel arches as seems a little noisy on may road surfaces.

Trevor.

 

[mptripsaway]

Yes it’s surprising the park brake doesn’t auto release like most electronic hand park brakes. Another one that took me time to remeber is the passenger door unlocking when you’ve stopped to collect someone.
As you say you become used to it all with a little familiarity but some things not intuitive. I’ve yet to find a tailgate release inside the car and not resorted to the manual as yet, there may well not be one. The key is another mystery in its layout too.
I’m not disappointed at all with the MP and over the last two days did 300 miles returning 37mpg which I think is respectable. Going to have a look at sound deadening over the rear wheel arches as seems a little noisy on may road surfaces.

Trevor.

My parking brake auto releases when I select drive or reverse and also auto applies itself when I select park. I think that when you select drive or reverse you need to have the footbrake applied for the parking brake auto release to operate.

 

[Trevsked]

Pretty sure I have my foot on the brake when I select those but will check

Trevor.

 

[Trevsked]

Decided to consult the manual on this and see if it was a setting. What I did find however is that I’d been jumping in the car to move it and the park brake wasn’t releasing and turns out it only releases automatically if your seat belt is on. Mystery solved.

Trevor.