Topic: Test Drive: 2012 Mercedes-Benz S 350 Bluetec

[lebowski]

   Well since the speedo is the main instrument in a vehicle, you would have to think that it would be of decent size. Certainly larger than a seldom used tachometer.

I use my tach all the time. And granted, yeah, my car is a stick, but even on a big automatic luxury car I would think knowing your RPM's is still essential.

Both the Mini and the 500 have a very nice display. About 8" dia would be about right.
 

But doesn't the Mini's tach placement relegate the speedo to the interior's center console? Hardly a worthy trade-off IMO.

[Rupert]

   2nd part.. Yeah it seems to be on centre. But it does not have to be and just to the right of the 2 o.clock and high would be a better position in my opinion. 1st part..What do you do with the info on an automatic. Anyway this has been gone over before and hanging on to old, what has become selling practice, is hard to overcome seemingly.
    I think that the problem for me and maybe others is that when you move the speedo to the right (not middle) of the dash....then behind the stearing wheel becomes a blanc un-adorned and un-attractive space. A place that we have become accustomed to being filled. You can have the other gauges/displays there. The Mini has the tach there I think.

[lebowski]

   2nd part.. Yeah it seems to be on centre. But it does not have to be and just to the right of the 2 o.clock and high would be a better position in my opinion. 1st part..What do you do with the info on an automatic. Anyway this has been gone over before and hanging on to old, what has become selling practice, is hard to overcome seemingly.
    I think that the problem for me and maybe others is that when you move the speedo to the right (not middle) of the dash....then behind the stearing wheel becomes a blanc un-adorned and un-attractive space. A place that we have become accustomed to being filled. You can have the other gauges/displays there. The Mini has the tach there I think.

Yikes...you have spent a lot of time thinking about this.

Re: the usefulness of a tach with an automatic - I would guess knowing your engine's RPM's is useful to make sure the engine is running properly. Granted I wouldn't have to check nearly as often as on a manual car, but it's information I'd still want to have.

[whaddaiknow]

Paying $120/hour on something you can do at home......thats prison sex.......youre getting f%^ked 

Check Kanata Honda, they are charging $115/hr . I was stunned... Camco Acura is "only" $95/hr in comparison.
I don't think I will do any work other than flat rate oil change at Kanata Honda (that's where I bought my Odyssey). Luckily they are not the only ones in Ottawa.

[Northernridge]

   2nd part.. Yeah it seems to be on centre. But it does not have to be and just to the right of the 2 o.clock and high would be a better position in my opinion. 1st part..What do you do with the info on an automatic. Anyway this has been gone over before and hanging on to old, what has become selling practice, is hard to overcome seemingly.
    I think that the problem for me and maybe others is that when you move the speedo to the right (not middle) of the dash....then behind the stearing wheel becomes a blanc un-adorned and un-attractive space. A place that we have become accustomed to being filled. You can have the other gauges/displays there. The Mini has the tach there I think.

Good comments. I don't know about the safety thing but I like the big speedo in the middle of the gauge cluster on the Berlin taxi (looks a lot like the S) the tach is off to the side and smaller but still perfectly visible (not obscured by the wheel). I have the digital speedo displayed in the middle of the large analog one so a quick glance is all it takes...even with near blindness. 

As for the tach with auto, I use it quite a bit, A) out of curiosity to observe engine RPM at different highway speeds and its effect on fuel mileage (which I can observe in the info display), B) when shifting with the flappy paddles and specifically seeing if the car will hold a gear to redline before shifting without me...which it will as long as I'm at WOT.