caRs Road tEsts

High-tech controls: which work best?

As automakers try to pack more features
into a cars limited dashboard space,
control systems have become much more
complex and often overly complicated.
When shopping for a car, its critical that
you thoroughly check out those systems
to see how easy it is to perform common
functions, operate controls, read the
screen, and navigate the system.
Each of the luxury cars in this issue takes
a different approach to its control system,
which highlights some of the things that
manufacturers get right and wrong.
Mercedes-Benz e250 Bluetec. This car
uses the most conventional system. climate
and some audio functions are controlled
through traditional buttons and knobs. Other
functions are accessed through an in-dash
display screen, which is navigated with a
multifunction controller knob on the center
console. The screens layout is straightforward,
connecting a phone is simple, and the center
knob can also be used as a radio tuning knob
or to scroll through presets. Each car has
convenient steering-wheel-mounted controls
to receive and end phone calls. Overall, the
E250s system is the easiest of the three to use.
audi a7. The audi also uses a display screen
and controller knob, but rather than having the

Audi A7

supplemental hard buttons mounted on

the dash, they are arranged flat on the center
console. That forces you to look down and
away from the road to see them. also, the
knob is counterintuitive; turning it right goes
down the radio frequencies rather than up.
a unique feature is a touchpad that lets
you trace out letters with a finger to, say,
enter an address into the navigation system.
Surprisingly, you can do that by feel alone,
but you still wind up glancing over to the
screen to see whether the system got it right.
The audi wins some points for a very welldesigned trip computer interface, controlled
through steering-wheel buttons. Those
controls also serve as shortcuts to audio
volume, preset scrolling, and phone contact
scrolling, as well as taking or ending calls.
cadillac cts. We found cadillacs cue

system to be the most cumbersome to use.

Particularly frustrating are the touch-sensitive
buttons that are mounted flush on the dash
and are used to make climate and radio
adjustments. You cant predict whether they
will do what you expect them to do. You need
to touch just the right pointnot the shiny
bar that looks like a button, but the label
above itfor just the right length of time; if
youre too quick, it wont work. audio volume
and fan speed adjustments are made by sliding
your finger across a touch-sensor bar. as youd
expect, doing any of that while driving isnt
easy. and even when you get it set, if you
accidentally brush over the buttons, you can
inadvertently change something.
The cues touch-screen layout is fine, but
key icons come into view only when you move
your finger close to the screen. Because you
cant always see where you want to touch the
screen until youve reached over to it, that adds
an extra step and another layer of complexity.
(Fortunately, you can turn off that feature.)
Other gripes: Using the trip computer is fussy.
The graphics are vivid, but they can be dazzling
and overwhelming. and having to reach over
to the screen may not be ideal for people with
limited mobility. Excellent voice commands
help somewhat, but wed rather have controls
that work easily.

diesel vs. electric: sizing up their performance and practicality

Diesel engines, such as those in our audi a7
and mercedes-Benz E250 BlueTec, are about
30 percent more efficient than a similar-sized
gasoline engine. But how do they compare
with an electric powertrain? To find out, we
compared the performance of our a7 to
its electric-powered competitor, the Tesla
model S, which has similar proportions.
The Tesla has the edge in performance,
using its 362-hp electric drive system to
deliver a blistering 5.6-second 0-to-60-mph
sprint. Though diesel engines arent generally
known for potent acceleration, the a7s
240-hp turbodiesel V6 holds up its end of
the comparison, delivering a quick 6.6 time

from 0 to 60 mph, only a second slower.

When it comes to efficiency, the Tesla is
a runaway. The a7 gets an impressive
28 mpg overall, but the model S delivers the
equivalent of 84 mpg. That translates into
only 4.4 cents per mile for the Tesla (based
on an electricity rate of 11 cents per kilowatthour) vs. 14.3 cents for the audi (based on
diesel costing $4.00 per gallon).
The trade-off is in convenience and
practicality. With its 20-gallon fuel tank, the
a7 can travel about 565 miles in mixed driving
or 810 on the highway before refueling, which
takes about 5 minutes at any of thousands
of stations nationwide that pump diesel

fuel. The model S can go about 225 miles in

good conditions before needing recharging.
Thats more than adequate for daily aroundtown driving but can be a handicap on a
longer trip. a full charge takes about 5 hours
using a special Tesla-provided charging
station at your home. You can also use one
of a Teslas relatively few public Supercharger
locations, which can fill the battery to half
of its capacity in 30 minutes.
For most people, the less-expensive a7
is the more practical choice, although the
cheaper-to-run and whisper-quiet Tesla
is an excellent choice for those who can live
within its limitations.

audi a7 tdi

Tesla model S

audi a7
TDI

58

tesla Model s

Price

$70,895

$89,650

Horsepower

240

362

Acceleration

6.6

5.6

Fuel economy/energy consumption

28 mpg

84 MPGe (2.5 miles/kWh)

Fuel/energy cost per mile (cents)

14.3*

4.4**

Range (miles)

565 (mixed), 810 (hwy.)

225

Refueling/recharging time

5 minutes

5 hours (with a Tesla charger)

*Based on $4.00/gallon for diesel. **Based on $0.11/kWh.

c on s um e r r e p o rt s march 2 0 1 4

54-58 Autos-Luxury Sedans 03-14.indd 58

1/10/14 11:55:09 AM

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