Inputs can be made by handwriting, for instance. Mobile phones and smartphones can now also be connected via Wi-Fi. The smartphone tray being integrated for the first time also offers battery-saving charging and optimised mobile phone reception. Also new is the ability of connecting an iPhone to the PCM to use Apple CarPlay. In addition, real-time traffic information is now available, which gives the driver a continual overview of the traffic situation both locally and along the planned route.

The core of the new PCM is the touchscreen with multi-touch operation. In addition to short, long and multiple finger taps, it also recognises wiping and sliding as well as two-finger scaling and rotating. The touchscreen already reacts to the approach of the hand, switching from the active overview mode to the operating mode. In the case of audio playback, for example, it shows buttons for pause, skip, play and reverse. The driver and front passenger may control the PCM with the new functions, but do not have to. As an alternative, there are still eight fixed operating keys beneath the monitor, two rotary/push-button controls and voice control for navigation and phone functions.

Navigation system recognises handwriting and word fragments

The new touchscreen especially shows its advantages when operating the navigation system. The system also masters handwriting recognition, so the driver can write a destination with a finger. Moreover, it is no longer necessary to input the entire address because an intelligent algorithm recognises word fragments and compares them with previously input destinations, for instance. If possible, the system recommends multiple routes to the driver, and the driver can select one of them by a simple finger touch on the desired route. The driver can also enter intermediate destinations. The map that is displayed may be shifted, rotated or zoomed on the monitor by multi-touch finger gesture control.