"Thanks to the new map update-programme the current map data are automatically uploaded during a regular workshop service visit. Mercedes-Benz will also use its web pages to inform customers when a new update is available. On customer request, updates can also be provided by a Mercedes-Benz partner outside the normal service intervals," Daimler says in a release.
The COMAND APS system, which features a 40-gigabyte hard drive, can be used to access navigation information faster then your regular DVD-based system. It features a DVD player for audio and video plus a Music Register for around 1000 compressed music files in the MP3 or WMA format.
The updates to be made over the next three years, available in 39 European countries, are also vehicle-specific, meaning they'll stay with the car, regardless whether it is resold or not. This may translate into a several hundred euro gain for the seller, which represents the value of the system.
The free-of-charge map updates does not mean however you will be able to get the system itself for free. For example, the COMAND APS module, complete with LINGUATRONIC voice-operated control system and a text-to-speech function, costs 3,046 euros when ordered for the E-Klasse.
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