Using technology to stand out: The infotainment systems in luxury cars from Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi

In June last year, Vikram Pawah, the then-president of BMW India, made a declaration in an interview with Mint: “I no longer use buttons in my car—when I’m feeling hot, I simply tell my car that I’m feeling hot, and it does its thing.”

This statement isn’t exclusive to the tech found in BMW—these days, multiple carmakers offer voice assistants that can do basic tasks such as closing sun blinds and adjusting the air conditioner. Technology, therefore, may no longer be a differentiator for cars in India, at least in the luxury segment. Case in point, the Mahindra XEV-9e electric SUV comes with three screens up front, much like Mercedes-Benz’s flagship, the EQS 450.

But, for India’s top luxury cars, the key differentiator lies in the way each company makes their features work. And the question is, does one outweigh the other?

A tale of two (or three) screens

Mercedes-Benz, in its flagship offering, offers technology that goes beyond just the functional. For instance, the EQS 450 offers a third ‘passenger’ display up front, which comes with key safety checks that are, as of now, rare in sub-luxury offerings. While the passenger display may seem like a distracting thing to have, it is Mercedes-Benz’s attempt to factor in safety checks. For instance, the SUV’s passenger display won’t cast audio to all speakers when the car is being driven, and is designed to cater to the front passenger only.

The display though is not angled away from the driver; doing so may have helped reduce the distraction further. But, operating it requires the person in the passenger seat to connect it to an internet hotspot, and pair the display with wireless headphones in order to stream content via Netflix and other applications. The general messaging from Mercedes-Benz is clear: Modern technology will play a big role in the luxury car segment in giving passengers greater entertainment options, and this will differentiate such vehicles from the functional features that are ubiquitous even in sub-luxury cars.

This same passenger display feature is also available in the mid-variants in Mercedes-Benz’s India portfolio, such as in the E450 sedan. Here, three screens are configured the same way as in the flagship SUV. They are a digital information cluster for drivers (with a handful of options to customize the interface), a central infotainment display (designed largely to control car functions as much as entertainment), and a front passenger display for entertaining the non-driver during a long drive.

To entertain, the company has also baked in a few nifty games, such as air hockey, into the largest of the three displays—the central infotainment unit. These games work only when the car is stationary, and thankfully do not require an internet connection.

A similar approach is adopted by BMW as well, in the flagship 7 series saloon which offers a top configuration with a 31.5-inch theatre screen for rear passengers. This television-like display allows passengers to connect their own internet modules to stream content on the move, or even connect a smart TV dongle to it, such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick. The latter is a nifty add-on, especially for those who spend long hours in the back seats of their cars.

But there are limitations to such technology. For instance, in BMW’s i7, unfolding the television screen panoramic glass roof will need the driver to restrict how far their seat can be reclined or pushed back. While this is okay for chauffeured cars, it may seem restrictive for a family travelling together.

The further down the price range one goes, the approach to technological features get more spartan. For instance, in the BMW 218i Gran Coupe sedan, the focus is squarely on functionality. The BMW software interface remains similar, and offers functional driver inputs such as radar-based views of surroundings as well as a 360-degree safety camera. However, the additional ‘fun’ bits of technology only come in BMW’s more expensive models in its portfolio.

Interestingly, this spartan approach extends to all offerings of rival German carmaker Audi, including its flagship models. Audi’s flagship Q8 SUV does not offer wireless connectivity with Apple’s CarPlay or Android Auto in-car interfaces. Mind you, this is a feature that has become increasingly standard in cars that cost about one-tenth of the Q8.

Aboard the Q8, the number of ‘leisure’ technology features that users can find are few. Interestingly, Audi was the pioneer of the digital instrument cluster in cars, and continues to deploy an interface that covers all the basics, but feels dated in comparison with others. The information and entertainment display, too, appears a touch too functional—though the interface design makes it easy for users to find almost every feature.

Three different approaches

Which approach, though, would entice buyers the most? The answer is as varied as the cars on offer.

Mercedes-Benz, for instance, has been developing a new operating system for its cars. The latter, the company had said in an interview with Mint in June last year, will start shipping in cars this year. The new OS will offer an even deeper integration of the company’s voice assistant, which will presumably use voice control to cover more car features.

BMW, meanwhile, offers a segregated application of technology between the front and rear seats. For example, a sporty sedan that’s meant for drivers offers less AI frills, but retains an intuitive interface where all settings are listed as tiles in one window. Of the three German giants, BMW’s interface continues to be the easiest to use.

For Audi, an overhaul of their technology interfaces is around the corner. In February, Audi USA unveiled a new three-part display akin to the flagship experience that Mercedes-Benz offers. It includes a new interface design, and will be an update that will certainly make its way to India. As to when that will happen, it’s anybody’s guess.

Does this matter to buyers?

All of this hinges upon what technology means for buyers. A decade ago, luxury cars were a showcase of how technology could be integrated into the driving experience. These days though, luxury cars integrate technology not as standout features, but through applications that work as extensions of home TVs or smartphones. This is certainly the case with Mercedes-Benz’s entertainment-first passenger display and BMW’s back-seat theatre screen.

For buyers, the deciding factor will therefore be how the technology on offer fits their everyday use. To this end, the Mercedes-Benz EQS 450 and BMW 7 series flagships are nearly inseparable in terms of the experience. With 2026 updates likely for each of the three—including Audi’s much-awaited overhaul—the choice for buyers could become narrower still.