“Babe, what’s wrong?” I asked my wife as we sat at a stoplight in a 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV and she stared down at her phone. “You’ve barely touched your Hyperscreen.”
She looked at the all-encompassing panel of screens in front of us both—screens that made up the entirety of the EQE’s dashboard—with a sense of bewilderment. “What even is this?”, she said. “What am I supposed to do with this thing?”
That’s the reaction most people will probably have to Mercedes’ coup de grâce on its EV lineup. Even as screens have been central in car interiors for years, Mercedes’ MBUX Hyperscreen takes things to a completely different level. It offers an almost unprecedented degree of functionality and graphic displays inside a car, for the driver and passenger alike.
But is the MBUX Hyperscreen compelling enough to spring for one of Mercedes’ electric cars over the many luxury competitors out there?
| Name: | Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) with Hyperscreen |
| Version Tested: | MBUX Entertainment Update 2.4 on the 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV |
| Release Date: | September 2023 |
| Specs: | 8-core CPU, 24GB RAM and 46.6GB/second memory bandwidth/Linux-based OS |
| Base Price/As-Tested: | Standard equipment for 2024 on multiple Mercedes EQ models |
What is the Mercedes MBUX Hyperscreen?
“MBUX” refers to the Mercedes-Benz User Experience infotainment system and software suite, which has been around since 2018 and has had multiple revisions since.
The Hyperscreen is what you use to operate MBUX on a growing number of Mercedes’ electric models. It’s a massive, 56-inch seamless glass surface that sweeps across the entire dashboard and contains three different display units: one 12.3-inch screen for the driver, one 17.7-inch screen in the center, and another 12.3-inch screen facing the passenger. (There’s also a head-up display that projects onto the windshield; you’re never wanting for information in an EQ.)
The MBUX Hyperscreen operates a wide variety of functions including the A/C and climate controls, the car’s settings, stereo and smartphone integration, navigation with EV charger finders and route planning, the voice-based controls, augmented reality display, web browsing and more. New features have been continually added via over-the-air (OTA) updates as well; Mercedes says the maps are updated this way twice per year.
But this is just the start of what’s to come. First, a similar setup called the MBUX Superscreen will be featured on the new gas-powered 2024 Mercedes E-Class that goes on sale this year, and that system will offer integration with third-party Android apps like TikTok and Zoom.
That setup is said to be a “precursor” to the upcoming chip-to-cloud Linux and QNX-based MB.OS software platform that is even more advanced than what’s on current cars, and will unite several functions like infotainment, automated driving assistance, driving and charging under one end-to-end system. While ChatGPT was beta-trialed in MBUX cars last year, Mercedes implied at CES that future AI integrations may use a different system.
That software suite will debut on the new MMA platform set to underpin the next Mercedes CLA and similar compact sedans and crossovers, then spread to the rest of the lineup over time. Plans include voice-activated AI assistants that help you navigate the functions of the car, as well as things around you; 3D visualizations of what the car “sees”; a music-focused driving experience designed by Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am; and in-car gaming and streaming services.
But that's the future; right now, what's the point? Is this a good control system in search of useful things to control, or too clever by half, or a promising step that is currently unrealized? A bit of all three.
While it's a powerful and sophisticated way to control the countless new software features on cars—especially luxury ones—it is often superfluous, overly complex and feels like it's laying the groundwork for what's coming next.
What models offer the MBUX Hyperscreen?
Mercedes expanded the Hyperscreen’s availability for the 2024 model year. While it was previously a $7,230 option on 2023 model EVs, it’s now standard on the following:
- 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV
- 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 4MATIC SUV (available with Hyperscreen for the first time)
- 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE Sedan (available with Hyperscreen for the first time)
- 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE 500 4MATIC Sedan (available with Hyperscreen for the first time)
- All 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV models (previously only standard on MY23 EQS 580 4MATIC SUV)
- All 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan models (previously only standard on MY23 EQS 580 4MATIC Sedan)
- 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQS Sedan
For 2024, the Hyperscreen is only available where equipped standard; it is not offered as an option. In other words, you get it as factory equipment on nearly all of the latest EQ models but the “lesser” trim EQE sedan and SUV models. You cannot, however, get it on any version of the EQB compact SUV, which is based on an older architecture that predates the Hyperscreen.
What special or unique features does it have?
Even with the Cadillac Lyriq and Lucid Air hot on its heels (to say nothing of several competitors from China who also go heavy on big display units), the 56-inch screen on the Mercedes stands apart.
The screen also features haptic touch feedback, generated by 12 actuators behind the screen, which means that when you touch it you get a vibrating sensation to confirm the action you’ve taken. It’s not quite as direct as an actual physical button, but it does keep you from fumbling around unsure of what you’re pressing while driving at speed. Most of the time, anyway.
It’s a lot to ask to navigate such a huge display interface while driving, but Mercedes’ voice control system happens to be pretty first-rate. I used it quite often to tune the satellite radio, navigate to various places and even activate the heated seats and steering wheel, and I’d say I had a 90% success rate of getting what I wanted.
Is 90% good enough? Maybe so; I was satisfied enough with it. If I owned an EQE with the Hyperscreen, I would end up using voice commands as much as possible.
You say “Hey Mercedes,” ask the car for what you need, and then sit back and marvel at how well it nails it. The list of commands it understands is remarkably impressive, and it’s not even as good as it’s going to get when Mercedes adds better, more conversational AI into the mix.
Imagine telling your EQE that you’ve been jonesing for penne alla vodka, and it directs you to what Yelp says is the best restaurant in town. It's a compelling vision, but we’ll see how that performs when it actually comes to the new cars.
What are the graphics and menus like?
MBUX looks stunning on the Hyperscreen. The central display that controls media, navigation, car settings, charging and more is, essentially, an extremely powerful computer that rivals anything you might be reading this article on right now. It’s lightning-quick and just looks lovely.
Want to see a 3D rendering of the car surrounded by the visuals from the various cameras to aid in parking? It can do that. Want all the “key applications” displayed on top of the navigation map? It does that too. Want detailed data around charging and infrastructure, including which stalls are available and how well that station works? Heck yes, it does that, and integrates in-car payments into charging stations too. It kind of does everything.
One major downside? Fingerprint smudging, as you see in these photos. They're always an issue, no matter how hard you try. You may want to keep a cloth handy for that reason.
Finding all the stuff you want it to do is the challenge, unless you use voice controls. I do think MBUX could use more work when it comes to menu organization. For example, the climate menu doesn’t activate the heated seats; if you want to turn on the heated steering wheel, you go to “Comfort Settings.”
The rest of this system also puts a huge emphasis on customization. If you want different-colored gauges on the driver display, you have a bunch to choose from. Same with the head-up display on the windshield—you can flip between minimal displays of basic data like your speed, to more complex things like a green, glowing ball with stars inside that indicate your overall efficiency. An EQ owner has a ton of options for what they want to experience here.
What are the physical interfaces like?
This is where the EQ cars fall behind. I haven’t been a fan of Mercedes’ approach to actual, physical switches for some time. A gas E-Class I drove some years ago used a frustrating combination of sliders, mouse-like trackpads and haptic controls instead of buttons. Things aren’t better in the electric era.
You get a panel of controls on the center console, none of which are real buttons; an array of seat controls on the doors, and an assortment of frustrating finger-sliding touchpads across the steering wheel. Dialing the stereo up or down means gliding your thumb up and down across the volume panel, an unnecessary-feeling step when a button or wheel would’ve been much more precise.
Same with the menu controls for the various driver-facing displays (including the HUD) on the steering wheel. There’s a ton of room for error if your finger goes the wrong way. When there are buttons, they don’t feel as high-quality as they do on, say, a gas-powered E-Class or S-Class. I’m not sure why that is.
Mercedes could do better here. I don’t know why the Silver Arrow brand is so averse to a volume button. At least the voice controls compensate for its other deficiencies. They became the primary method I used to turn the heated seats on and off.
How is that passenger-facing screen?
The third display in front of the passenger is one of the Hyperscreen’s biggest party tricks. And this is new ground for many cars; after all, why does the passenger need such a thing?
It’s not a question of “need,” really; you don’t need any of the stuff on this car. But for the passenger who wants to engage with the Hyperscreen, they can control the navigation and keep it there, or send those instructions to the main screen. They can connect their phone or Bluetooth device—say, headphones—and enjoy their own media, or again, send that over to the other displays. They can even create their own user account, just for them, and engage with their custom settings that way.
This does make it slightly easier for your passenger to help with various functions, like navigation, finding chargers or picking out music to play. But it does feel rather superfluous. My wife, who’s my most common co-pilot and a veteran of experiencing boundary-pushing new car tech, didn’t use it much. But if you have a kid riding with you, maybe a teen who prefers to be in their own world, they may find it more useful. (If you are a passenger, remember that your smartphone stays paired with that particular screen, even if you aren't actively using it.)
At the same time, a passenger (presumably) has a smartphone of their own that they can whip out anytime. Over time, that third screen may have more “uses” for things like in-car streaming and gaming. But for now, if your car doesn’t have a screen in front of the passenger, they aren’t missing much and neither are you.
How is the MBUX Hyperscreen smartphone integration?
Both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are wirelessly compatible with the Hyperscreen, so you can have that familiar experience here if you desire it. My testing barely used Apple CarPlay, as I preferred to see what the native experience could do instead, it's here if you want it.
If you do get one of these cars, you will almost certainly want to use the Mercedes me connect smartphone app, which allows for remote starting, climate control, charging management, software updates and more. Most connected services are complimentary for the first year and subject to various subscription charges afterward. (We reached out to Mercedes for a possible list of those charges; we'll update this review if we get that.)
What about route planning and other EV-specific features?
The EQE had one of the better sets of EV-focused functions I’ve used. Hit the plug button on the nav screen and you get a list of charging options nearby, including—thankfully—their max speeds and which stalls are available.
Route planning is smart too; at one point when driving in the cold, I got a warning on the dash at a 20% state of charge that few DC fast chargers were available nearby, so I backtracked to use one. The navigation system also automatically preconditions the battery when a fast charger is along the route, and it offers a plug-and-charge function—meaning you plug in the car and the car will process payments automatically via your Mercedes account.
Does it pass the “Google Test”?
The "Google Test" is my personal gold standard for user-friendliness in cars. Can a reasonable, modern person figure out how all the tech features and functions work without having to Google for answers? Granted, everyone’s level of tech proficiency is different, and these systems are not getting less complex as time goes on. But generally, you should be able to figure out a car by experiencing it yourself, or maybe also by getting some basic training from your salesperson.
Unfortunately, the Hyperscreen does not get a passing grade for the Google Test. I do this stuff for a living, but here I found myself looking up how to use and where to find key functions. It got better as my week went on, but the early days were frustrating.
If you get an EQ model with the Hyperscreen, I strongly recommend watching some YouTube videos about how to operate it. Mercedes itself made a few good ones and I embedded one of them here. My guess is that you’ll be discovering new features all of the time, especially with the OTA updates coming.
What’s the verdict on the MBUX Hyperscreen?
Even with the physical control issues and the often confounding layouts, The Hyperscreen is still pretty monumental, even when it veers into the excessive or unnecessary. At the same time, it feels most significant as the foundation for more powerful features yet to come; not every car needs to be like this in 2024, but maybe someday they will.
Above all, I missed the “Hey, Mercedes” voice command functions when I had to give the car back—the ultimate sign of whether something is good or not, in my book. And it does look and feel like a system you’d expect on a super high-tech EV.
The EQ cars continue to be controversial for their looks, range and overall performance. But the Hyperscreen proves Mercedes is onto something when it comes to software. I’m not ready to call it the gold standard for how screen-centric cars should work, but as that idea becomes the norm, I hope they show even half the promise this does.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
