So I just saw a commercial featuring the new E-Class where they had little 'testimonials' of people saying how they did not know they were falling asleep, but their Mercedes did. The one that really got me was the guy who said that he did not notice the car in front of him had stopped, but his Mercedes did. WHAT!?!?!?!? How have these people survived evolution?? Most people know if they are getting too tired to drive. Choosing to ignore that should eliminate you from the gene pool quickly. But not being able to tell the car in front of you has STOPPED, is just ridiculous. Either you are texting and driving, talking on the phone and driving, or just being a clueless idiot, if you cannot see a stopped car in front of you, you seriously need help. I mean, how did these people make it this far in life before cars alerted you to these hazards? Did they simply not drive?

I had a friend ask me if Mercedes were made for the clueless (hence the thread title) due to how many electronic nannies they have. I really did not have a good answer. It does scare me though how many things are starting to take the responsibility for attentive driving away from the driver (even if not marketed this way). At some point people need to realize that driving is a dangerous and important thing. Thoughts??

I don't think it has to do with being clueless. Pure marketing in my opinion.

But yeah, i get what your saying.

Interesting points Meeyatch1.

I've become quite reliant on my Blind Spot warning system. I try to make myself look over my shoulder, but the system is so effective it's not necessary. When I use my other much older car in the summer, I'll have to retrain myself to look into the blind spot.

In other words, these eletronic nannies can create bad habits.

completely agree with you there, it also creates sensory overload where there is so much additional data coming from so many instruments all over the car. It can be very distracting. I think all of this should be implemented as a heads up display like Cadillac had/have or the option on the Lexus GS.

As for people running in to other cars, happens all the time, I'm guilty as well, there was one event where I was driving down unfamiliar street for a first time with a friend. We were talking and that distracted me and did not realize that the car in front of me stopped on a ridiculously placed stop sign. I hit the breaks last minute and stopped just in time inches from the other car.

Tell us how you really feel.(LOL) Have you not ever dozed off for a moment or closed your eyes while driving at night after a long day working or partying? Especially on a deserted. dark road?

well never dozed off but one time maybe 15 years ago after a hard night of clubbing I was pulling up to the garage in my Mitsubishi 3000 GTSL and sort of missed the garage door by couple inches I always parked very close to the wall to have room for the wide door. scraped in my bumper. Guess my space perception was a little bit off :P stupid things kids do when they are young.

Yes, and that damned 97 Acura didnt do anything to wake me

I would be concerned if people actually think their E350/550 will magically alert and save their a$$ in time to avoid an accident if they doze off for a moment or closed their eyes while driving after a long day working or partying.

So, does this mean I cannot set my cruise control to my desired speed and rely on my lane departure warning system to wake me and my Distronic braking to stop me? Hmmmm...I was looking forward to a nice nap on my way home. This seems like a manufacturing defect that MB should correct.

(just kidding of course.)

I appreciate the safety features on my car, but believe that this is a waste of money as far as marketing is concerned. M-B has got to start finding out why people buy Lexus, BMW, Infiniti, Acura, etc. and sell that. People appreciate safety, but they don't buy it.

Actually, I bought my E550 specifically for the safety features (I have nearly everything on my car), particularly with my 4 year old in mind. I would have gotten a Subaru WRX STi instead, which would be terrible in a collision.

Cause they're cheaper?

LOL

"I didn't know I was a dolt......but my Mercedes did"

yeah, I agree, that was funny

Safety is my #1 priority when buying a car. If a car is perfect in every other possible way, but lacks the safety of the next car by even a little bit, it's a no-go for me.

That said, the electro-nannies aren't what I consider "safety aspects" in some cases, although I wouldn't mind them. Lane Departure, Attention Assist, etc. are things that sure, I'd "appreciate", but I wouldn't need or base a decision off of. However, things like the core active and passive safety features engineered into a car, are what lead my decisions.

And please, for the sake of us M-B enthusiasts, let's hope that M-B doesn't sell what Infiniti and Acura and Lexus and BMW do. They seem to be doing quite fine in the Sales wars with the most expensive product.

Maybe you don't, but I do. I bought my Volvo XC70 and Mercedes E350 wagon for that very reason. Otherwise I would have had a BMW.

I'm not 100% sure what you are calling "core active" safety features, so I either agree with you or I do not.

When I bought my car, Distronic+ was make or break. I didn't want the car if it didn't have it. Period. No discussion. The physics of speed are such that even a small decrease in mph tremendously reduces the forces of a crash. Having Distronic+ recognize an impending crash and, first, priming the brakes, and, second, actually applying the brakes -- even if only 0.6 seconds before the crash -- can greatly increase the odds of survival. The added bells and whistles like blind spot assist (fantastic) and lane departure (annoying when you need to spend half your time in the wrong lane to avoid potholes and bicyclists) are what they are.

Yes, these can be abused and may promote bad habits. On the other hand, they can be utilized and add to one's safety. When I drive other "normal" cars, I feel less secure because I don't have a second opinion to confirm what I observe. I don't let the car observe; I let it confirm.

And regarding the "dolts" who could not observe traffic was stopped, etc. The typical human eye is not very good at judging how fast objects are approaching, particularly when such objects may be accelerating. There are lots of situations where an objective observer, like the radar in Distronic+, will not be fooled but the human eye can be. Something simple like nonoperating taillights is one example. Rain or poor visibility is another. Heck, the canonical example is coming up to a traffic jam. The object defined by multiple cars coming to a stop for a traffic jam can actually approach your car at a speed faster than you are going -- so if you are doing 60 mph coming up to a traffic jam, the traffic jam can be approaching you at 60 mph or more. It's like approaching a wall at 120 mph. How many of us have experience in judging braking distance at that speed?

I'm sure the many doctors that went through their residency and fell asleep at the wheel, might think the attention assist is a pretty good thing.

Sorry Meeyatch1, I'm one of "those" drivers and I disagree with you.

While driving 70 on the way to work while paying full attention to the conditions, this truck jack-knifes in front of me without warning. I saw it and before my right foot could move the 2 inches from the gas to the brake the Distronics kicks-in, applies the brakes, the seatbelt tightened and I stopped safely. The bimmer next to me ... didn't.

So while I agree that we shouldn't be driving while sleepy or reaching for a cell phone on the passenger side ... the E350 DID stop faster than I could have. AND while we shouldn't just rely upon the safety systems, they did work as designed and I drove away in one piece. I bought this car for the safety features and they paid off ... handsomely.

Score: E350 - 1, stupid, jack-knifed truck - 0

It all comes down to reaction time, which varies greatly on how much sleep you've had (or need), what kind of day or week it was, what you were stressed over (work, home, health issues, family, etc.) You do not have to be "drowsy" to not be completely in sycn with the continously changing traffic scene...minds wander, thoughts / ideas come and go...let's face it, are we all not 100% focused on driving.

So why wouldn't you want to have technology to improve your reaction time on your side, when unsafe roads / conditions, and careless drivers are around you all the time?