A car charger feels essential if you drive regularly. Most of them use the cigarette-lighter socket, and I’d been using a single-port model, but I finally picked up a multi-port so a passenger can charge, too.
Design & Specs
Since I care about the interior look, I went with a charger that has a Mercedes logo to keep things consistent. My old charger had a long cable that was always messy, so I chose a reel-style one this time, hoping it would keep things tidy.
It comes in red or black, and the logo seems to match your car brand depending on the seller. Lately I’ve been ordering a lot of overseas (direct-buy) items, and they’ve been fine.
Specs say 5V/2.1A on the USB-C, so about 10W. It’s “standard” charging, but the current is on the higher side, so it should feel reasonably quick.
The center section is round—a retractable reel. You pull out as much as you need and it locks on the rail, then you can push it back in. The built-in tips include USB-C and Lightning; flip open the Lightning head and there’s also a 5-pin micro-USB.
If you’re short on ports or need another connector, there’s an extra USB port you can use.
The cable extends to roughly 80 cm. It locks in 10 cm steps, so you don’t have to pull it all the way out. To retract it, just tug a little and let it wind back in.
Unlike other reel-type products that have to be fully extended before retracting, this one lets you lock at the length you want and put it back easily, which is convenient.
Installation Review
It fits my car nicely. It doesn’t intrude on the cup holder area, and the reel keeps things neat. The only downside is that the little lid under the center fascia won’t close when it’s installed.
In actual use, it charges fine, and the speed feels faster than I expected. I usually set my phone on the dash for navigation, and the cord isn’t too short for that. For reference, it’ll charge a tablet, but it doesn’t support PD, so it won’t charge a laptop.
