Drove a Car with Distronic and Surround View Today...
07-30-2013, 12:03 AM
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'05 E320 CDI;'04 S2k;'94 Supra TT;'10 QX56;'38 Buick;98 Port City Offset Late Model
Drove a Car with Distronic and Surround View Today...
My wife and I went over while the car was there for dealer training.
My wife, who is very hard to impress with anything automotive, was impressed.
First the Surround View, which is included in a Park Assistance Plus package. Drop into reverse you get a top view and rear view simultaneously on the screen.. It has obstacle warnings in both views. Switching to Drive displays the front views camera.
The top view, front view, and back view show lines that indicate were the car is turning Curbs were clearly visible, as were cones and even plants on the divider.
We didn't get a change to do the auto parking because there weren't any parallel parked cars nearby. For 2014, it operates the brakes but not the throttle we are told.
A push on the Command controller knob changes the view to wide angle. It is documented at 130° and does display cross traffic front and rear. It may not show quite as much as Audi's front and rear side cameras or BMW's front camera, but it seems to work ok. BMW doesn't have any rear cross-path detection. The BMW also lacks a front camera or a front view on the top view, which makes narrow parking lot curbs interesting.
If there was a problem it was that to initially engage other than going into reverse you need to select the 360° Camera from the Command menu. To get the wide angle requires a second push. A bit much for an intersection. Not sure if there is way to speed that up. The BMW has a dedicated console button for their front side view cameras.
All the active assists work. The Steering Assist actually turns the wheel. It seems to prefer a well marked road. It will slow the car to a stop, which takes some getting used to. To start up again a tap of the gas pedal reactivates the cruise control. If your hands are off the wheel for a while it will display a warning in the center display
The other active assists, lane departure and blind spot, are a bit less dramatic. Still nice to have.
On the sport the Distronic models have a filled in center star. Not as dramatic as the stock star.
It also had the LED headlights. Can't say much about them since it was daylight. However, they said it had the full adaptive high beam functionality.
Overall, my wife liked the way the car drove. It feels lighter and more agile than its similarly competition of similar size and weight (at least the 5-series and A6). I thought the Sport suspension was a bit harsh; I noticed one other poster here made the same observation. That said, otherwise the rear seat was fine.
Net, a very impressive implementation. IMHO everyone should get the Surround View cameras.
My wife, who is very hard to impress with anything automotive, was impressed.
First the Surround View, which is included in a Park Assistance Plus package. Drop into reverse you get a top view and rear view simultaneously on the screen.. It has obstacle warnings in both views. Switching to Drive displays the front views camera.
The top view, front view, and back view show lines that indicate were the car is turning Curbs were clearly visible, as were cones and even plants on the divider.
We didn't get a change to do the auto parking because there weren't any parallel parked cars nearby. For 2014, it operates the brakes but not the throttle we are told.
A push on the Command controller knob changes the view to wide angle. It is documented at 130° and does display cross traffic front and rear. It may not show quite as much as Audi's front and rear side cameras or BMW's front camera, but it seems to work ok. BMW doesn't have any rear cross-path detection. The BMW also lacks a front camera or a front view on the top view, which makes narrow parking lot curbs interesting.
If there was a problem it was that to initially engage other than going into reverse you need to select the 360° Camera from the Command menu. To get the wide angle requires a second push. A bit much for an intersection. Not sure if there is way to speed that up. The BMW has a dedicated console button for their front side view cameras.
All the active assists work. The Steering Assist actually turns the wheel. It seems to prefer a well marked road. It will slow the car to a stop, which takes some getting used to. To start up again a tap of the gas pedal reactivates the cruise control. If your hands are off the wheel for a while it will display a warning in the center display
The other active assists, lane departure and blind spot, are a bit less dramatic. Still nice to have.
On the sport the Distronic models have a filled in center star. Not as dramatic as the stock star.
It also had the LED headlights. Can't say much about them since it was daylight. However, they said it had the full adaptive high beam functionality.
Overall, my wife liked the way the car drove. It feels lighter and more agile than its similarly competition of similar size and weight (at least the 5-series and A6). I thought the Sport suspension was a bit harsh; I noticed one other poster here made the same observation. That said, otherwise the rear seat was fine.
Net, a very impressive implementation. IMHO everyone should get the Surround View cameras.
07-31-2013, 01:13 AM
#3
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+1 DavidNJ
I agree with your impressions. I finally picked up my 2014 E350 sport (pictures to follow) and have driven it for a couple of days so far. Having come from a 2010 E350, I'm very used to having the car slow, stop and restart in traffic.
The steering assist works very well, and if you take your hands off from the wheel, the car recognizes this and flashes a picture of a wheel missing hands on the dash. It does take a bit getting used to, but works very well.
But the surround camera is the star of the Parktronics system. I love the dynamic lines that move with the steering wheel and show you exactly where you will go, in either forward or reverse. I too found it clumsy to pull the camera view from the Comand system, but I mapped the function to the favorite button on the center console and now it is very easy to pull up. I use it everyday pulling into my small garage and in parking around town. I look forward to finding an opportunity to use the automatic parking system.
The other neat feature I'm using is the hands free access trunk opener. A quick wiggle of the foot under the bumper and it both opens and closes.
I agree with your impressions. I finally picked up my 2014 E350 sport (pictures to follow) and have driven it for a couple of days so far. Having come from a 2010 E350, I'm very used to having the car slow, stop and restart in traffic.
The steering assist works very well, and if you take your hands off from the wheel, the car recognizes this and flashes a picture of a wheel missing hands on the dash. It does take a bit getting used to, but works very well.
But the surround camera is the star of the Parktronics system. I love the dynamic lines that move with the steering wheel and show you exactly where you will go, in either forward or reverse. I too found it clumsy to pull the camera view from the Comand system, but I mapped the function to the favorite button on the center console and now it is very easy to pull up. I use it everyday pulling into my small garage and in parking around town. I look forward to finding an opportunity to use the automatic parking system.
The other neat feature I'm using is the hands free access trunk opener. A quick wiggle of the foot under the bumper and it both opens and closes.
07-31-2013, 04:07 AM
#4
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thanks for your reviews, I would love to see these in my car too lol
I had seen auto parking feature in R231 SL and very impressed with that too
I had seen auto parking feature in R231 SL and very impressed with that too
07-31-2013, 01:38 PM
#5
Davidnj,
Thank you for the in depth review. I believe as these technologies become more available, it will trickle down into more masses. Even with the added complexities, they are awfully cool ! I've seen the 360 camera implementation in an Infiniti QX56 and to park that behemoth in a spot exactly centered is easy! Recent reviews of the s class are headlining that the car almost drives itself.
Thank you for the in depth review. I believe as these technologies become more available, it will trickle down into more masses. Even with the added complexities, they are awfully cool ! I've seen the 360 camera implementation in an Infiniti QX56 and to park that behemoth in a spot exactly centered is easy! Recent reviews of the s class are headlining that the car almost drives itself.
07-31-2013, 06:44 PM
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'03 A4 2.0 Stroker, '14 E63 S AMG, '10 E550, '10 S550, '03 C240
Just a long term update from someone who lives with one everyday:
Distronic Plus is a true blessing. It spoils me so much and I live in LA with some of the worst traffic in the nation and it is fantastic. Every time I turn it on it amazes me more and more. It does have some hiccups, where it gets confused and punches the accelerator for a split second and then brakes(happened twice in 5 months). Keep in mind I have a 2010 so it was the first year for the E-Class to have these features. The Pre-Safe brake is a good feature, but sometimes thinks you're going to crash if you're less than half a car length behind the car in front and changing lanes, but that's all driver dependent.
My biggest gripe is the lane keeping assist, that vibrates the wheel when you're changing lanes without signaling. It goes off for the smallest thing, I can be 4ft from the line and it will start to buzz.
Distronic Plus is a true blessing. It spoils me so much and I live in LA with some of the worst traffic in the nation and it is fantastic. Every time I turn it on it amazes me more and more. It does have some hiccups, where it gets confused and punches the accelerator for a split second and then brakes(happened twice in 5 months). Keep in mind I have a 2010 so it was the first year for the E-Class to have these features. The Pre-Safe brake is a good feature, but sometimes thinks you're going to crash if you're less than half a car length behind the car in front and changing lanes, but that's all driver dependent.
My biggest gripe is the lane keeping assist, that vibrates the wheel when you're changing lanes without signaling. It goes off for the smallest thing, I can be 4ft from the line and it will start to buzz.
08-03-2013, 12:47 AM
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'05 E320 CDI;'04 S2k;'94 Supra TT;'10 QX56;'38 Buick;98 Port City Offset Late Model
TH, I'm sorry...I didn't do a video. It was a training car, my wife was there (finally a car she likes to drive!), and we had limited time.
Samking, thanks for the update. I wasn't sure if you could program a button. If you can, it should/may be fine. Really, we need a button for the wide front/wide rear and another for the surround/front|rear. Note, the manual says you can also see surround view with an enlarged rear soundview instead of a rearview. I didn't try that though. And yes, the trunk foot operation is nice, but expensive. I would say the Driver Assistance Plus Package and the Parking Assistance Plus with Surroundview are must haves.
I think it is a bit better in the 2014. I'm not positive, but I think they've also integrated the camera with some processing logic. I think the logic is a bayesian network with some fuzzy logic...but don't quote me.
Note: the Infiniti Q50 has features that are roughly equivalent to Distronic with Steering Assist, Active Lane Departure, Active Blind Spot, and topview displayed with front and rear cameras. It doesn't have the wide view, but does use the blind spot radars to detect traffic in the rear cross path and automatically applys the brakes. The interior is arguably better finished than the E-class, in many ways more CLS than E-class, but no ventilated seats are available. Lots of little things are missing (the trunk closer, heated steering wheel, rear sun blind, park assistant) but then, it has a bout a $15k lower MSRP.
Samking, thanks for the update. I wasn't sure if you could program a button. If you can, it should/may be fine. Really, we need a button for the wide front/wide rear and another for the surround/front|rear. Note, the manual says you can also see surround view with an enlarged rear soundview instead of a rearview. I didn't try that though. And yes, the trunk foot operation is nice, but expensive. I would say the Driver Assistance Plus Package and the Parking Assistance Plus with Surroundview are must haves.
I think it is a bit better in the 2014. I'm not positive, but I think they've also integrated the camera with some processing logic. I think the logic is a bayesian network with some fuzzy logic...but don't quote me.
Note: the Infiniti Q50 has features that are roughly equivalent to Distronic with Steering Assist, Active Lane Departure, Active Blind Spot, and topview displayed with front and rear cameras. It doesn't have the wide view, but does use the blind spot radars to detect traffic in the rear cross path and automatically applys the brakes. The interior is arguably better finished than the E-class, in many ways more CLS than E-class, but no ventilated seats are available. Lots of little things are missing (the trunk closer, heated steering wheel, rear sun blind, park assistant) but then, it has a bout a $15k lower MSRP.
