aznmode

I'm looking at a used w205 and all it has is COLLIS.WARN. SYS. W/ ACTIVE BRAKE INTERV. FCW STOP. And blind spot warning. Do I really need any other safety features like lane departure warning, adaptive cruise, etc?

superswiss

You know best what you want/need in your next car. Adaptive cruise for example is not a safety system. It's a convenience system and nice to have in stop&go traffic or on long highway journeys. Most people find lane departure warning intrusive, especially the implementation that Mercedes has chosen where it's quite violent, but it can be turned off. I have mine turned off. It's the only assistance system I have turned off. The other systems are useful and work great, at least in the 2019+ models which have a more recent generation of these systems. When it comes to the safety systems, we are all humans and occasionally distracted, so they are a piece of mind. Keep in mind that the W205 comes standard with several safety systems, but they work better with fewer false positives if it's equipped with the optional driver assistance package. The latter adds more sensors such as stereo cameras and forward radar sensor which make these systems more accurate and reliable.

aznmode

Thank you for the very insightful reply. My current car (W204) doesn't even have blind spot warning. Which I feel I do need so that was a must for my next car. Parktronics was 2nd. Having all the other safety options limits my choices when it comes to buying used. So I was curious if any of those other safety features are a must have. But to your point, it's really is for piece of mind. Thank you again.

Elvisfan0108

Adaptive cruise is a must for me. Especially in stop and go traffic. I had to special order my car in order to get the Driver’s assistance package. Both my cars have parking assist. I have never even tried it. But it’s the only way to get a 360 camera.

superswiss

Most of the safety systems are standard with the W205, but they are passive. The blind spot assist only alerts visually and acoustically if there's a car in the adjacent lane. When the driver assistance package is added, the safety systems become active. Blind spot assist becomes Active blind spot assist, meaning it will actively steer the car back into its lane if you try to change into an occupied lane. Same for lane keeping assist. The standard lane keep assist only vibrates the steering wheel, whereas the Active lane keep assist steers the car back into its lane.

To be honest, blind sport assist is probably the least helpful safety system as the blind spot can virtually be eliminated with proper mirror adjustment. Most people have their mirrors adjusted incorrectly, creating the infamous blind spot. There's still a little bit of a blind spot as you can't see what's directly behind your head, but for the most part, proper mirror adjustment eliminates the need for blind spot assist. I've used the below SAE guideline for years.

https://www.caranddriver.com/feature...d-blind-spots/

aznmode

wow thank you. Very useful info. It sounds like I need to find a car with driver assistance package.

Elvisfan0108

With all due respect, yes you can adjust the mirrors. But you still need to look in 3 different directions and, sometimes as humans we miss one. Blind spot is always on, and unless there is a failure, it’s always looking. Especially if you use your signals.

superswiss

Yes, you have to check your mirrors. That's kind of a given. Of course if you don't check your mirrors, then any adjustment won't change that. Admittedly, the MB implementation of blind spot assist is one of the better ones as it also warns acoustically. Most blind spot assists in other cars only light up a warning in the mirror, so if you are not looking at the mirror in the first place you likely miss the warning as well.

Elvisfan0108

The nice thing about my Audi, the BSM lights up almost the whole mirror housing. Can’t miss it.

superswiss

I pretty much completely ignored it in my previous Audi. I know because mine had a bug. It disabled itself when in stop and go traffic for while. I often didn't notice for days that it wasn't lighting up anymore. The placement on the side of the mirror housing was worse. I rarely actually noticed it when looking at the mirror. MB studied this I read once and they found that most people end up not noticing the warning lights unless they are in the mirror itself and found even then many don't notice it which is why they added the acoustic alert. The problem is our eyes/brain tend to tune things out that have fairly regular patterns.

Elvisfan0108

I find it hard to ignore in the housing.

superswiss

I think it comes down to that I do not rely on these assistance systems whatsoever. I don't actively look for them. I maintain constant awareness of my surroundings via the mirrors etc., and I still regularly drive cars that don't have blind spot assist etc., so I'm not letting myself become dependent on them. These assistance systems are nice to have as a piece of mind, but they have a way to make one complacent.

Elvisfan0108

Unless you are perfect, mistakes happen. Just had it happen in my MB. Changing lanes, looked to my right. Missed the car coming up. Flipped my signal and it beeped me.

superswiss

Yes, sure, hence piece of mind. Doesn't mean I have to actively rely on them. You started this conversation by complaining that you have to look in three different directions. That tells me you've become complacent. I drive as if they weren't there and treat them as a safety net. All I can really say to this is that I've been driving for almost three decades. Started long before any of these assistance systems even existed. My first car didn't even have ABS. It's training, skill and experience. My only accident ever was shortly after I had gotten my driver's license and was very inexperienced.

Elvisfan0108

You’re just a youngster.

superswiss

Haha..that doesn't make you look any better . I guess once my reflexes slow down in my 70s and 80s I might rely on this stuff more as well.

MB2timer

I am struggling with some of these safety features. In a vacuum, I can see some benefits, but I can also see that each new safety feature has potential risks. Brake assist comes to mind. It slams on the brakes at low speeds if it senses a close object, even though there is still a clearance margin. At high speed, with the same type of activation, it could cause an unnecessary rear end collision. The other safety features have drawbacks in my estimation as well.

Elvisfan0108

Everyone has their tolerance level. I haven’t experienced any false actions. I’ve had the brake assist activated once. It was valid. Yes, it stepped on the brakes harder than it really had to but, it’s not me. I’ve had the rear cross traffic alert once. Again it was valid. I thought I had hit something.