Not sure if anyone else has found this but it appears that the timer that reminds you to grab the steering wheel after 15 seconds when steering assist is active appears to deactivate at low speeds. I've been in stop start traffic travelling less than 30km/h and have not been required to hold the steering wheel at all.

Very relaxing when in heavy traffic - apart from occasionally having to tap the accelerator when you have stopped for more than 2 seconds, the car literally drives itself!!

 

Interestingly, at low speeds, it seems to rely entirely on the car in front. The reason I know this is because the car in front changed lanes suddenly and my car tried to follow it!

 

Thanks for posting, and I have also noticed this behavior in Distronic with Steering assist at low speeds (below 20MPH). This Driver Assist has been an incredible feature for me, very thankful that I was able to get it.

 

Yes, low speeds activates the stop and go pilot, for traffic situations

 

Brilliant. While I'm sure these things help reduce issues for the most part, its a line like that where I feel glad I didn't get it.

 

Well I guess it's subjective but I'd sure as hell want this:

Distronic Plus with Steering Assist, a semi-autonomous assistant in stop-and-go traffic jams that operates at speeds below 37 mph, following the vehicle ahead even where lane markings are indistinct or lacking, providing a safe and easy means of following the flow of heavy traffic.
The BAS (Brake Assist System) Plus detects cross traffic and boosts braking if the driver fails to brake sufficiently. The PRE-SAFE® Brake system detects stationary vehicles as well as pedestrians, braking automatically if the driver fails to react, and prevents accidents up to 31 mph and lessens the severity of collisions up to 45 mph. In moving traffic, it assists according to the same mode of operation throughout the speed range between 4 and 124 mph.

 

I'm about to buy a w205 which has the driver assistance package. I'm in the UK.

I can't work out whether that model year has the full distronic plus with steering assist, or just the basic distronic plus? I know this is an old post, but you seem to have tested this feature in a similar aged car. How would I tell? Is there any way you need to activate the steering assist? There is a small button near the lights of a car in a lane, but that's all. For the full steering with distronic plus solution, should the car also have the little button of the steering wheel?

Thanks in advance!

 

There will be a button on the dash. In LHD vehicles its left of the wheel near the headlamp switch nested within the row of buttons. For RHD vehicles I think it's the mirror image but I'm not sure. The button you are looking for will have a little picture of a steering wheel on it. It's used to toggle the autonomous steering feature on and off.

 

I like it.

 

It's hugely helpful in Traffic Jam Assistant mode, where at low speeds it doesn't require you to ever touch the wheel. It'll just plod along behind the vehicle ahead of it with no intervention from the driver. Drink your coffee, read your emails, whatever. The only downer is that if the car ahead comes to a full stop for more than 1 second, you need to tap the gas to get going again. In most of the jams I've been in the car ahead rarely comes to a full stop. Usually just creeping along.

In normal highway cruise mode, I turn it off. It intervenes sometimes when I don't want it. Also, in heavy rain, don't rely on any of the autonomous aides. If you see a warning in heavy rain or fog that says "Radar Sensors Dirty: See Owner's Manual", the car is temporarily "blind" and you're on your own.

 

I wish Mercedes had added the alert, "Danger Will Robinson..."

 

How about "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that".

 

Great at rush hours. Have not been in rain heavy enough to get the dirty sensors message but will probably see some this summer.

 

Sure, why not?

 

I get it... HAL the killer computer in "2112". Great line.

 

We don't want our cars to become HAL. That movie was out in 1968 and predicted events in 2001. Interesting what really has happened.

 

Yeah. "2112" was a Rush album. Ah, aging...

 

I can't get driving assistance..... No option, except distronic Plus.

 

Seems like the whole "following the vehicle in front" might be a bit dangers, especially if it changes lanes, your car tries to follow right into a vehicle next to you....

LOL - maybe that's why they call it "semi-autonomous"....