marcHitect

The little steering wheel icon in my center dash cluster had me curious so I wanted to get more info.
There is very little on the web and owner's manual about this.
As an AMG owner I want as much of a natural steering feel as possible.
Is the function of this DTR+ only to help keep you in your lane? I experimented with this yesterday and with it ON it didn't do anything to keep me in my lane (405) Los Angeles Fwy. super straight lanes with normal lane markers. With it switched OFF the same thing, no lane keeping ability as expected.
So, what is the use of this feature?
If I take my hands off the wheel, still nothing, no warnings and the car drifts off the lane in both settings.

I'd like as close to a natural steering feel as possible, so I have it switched off. I feel confident enough in my driving ability to keep my car in my own lane.

Am I wrong, or is there some usefulness to this feature?

Full disclosure: during my tests, I had the lane keep vibration nanny also turned off. Another odd safety feature in my opinion. I do want to feel like I am fully capable of driving my car.

Am I correct, that for most natural driving feel, I would turn off the DTR+ Steering Asst. setting? And, what is the use of this feature?

BACnMercedes

I'm not near my car nor the owners manual but the small steering wheel has to turn from white to green before it will assist with the driving and keep you in your lane. I have noticed that this only works when the cruise control is activated. Then the small wheel goes from white to green within a few seconds if the lane lines are close and visable.

benyl

steer assist will only work with solid lane markers and will pull you back into the lane by applying opposite brake, not steering input.

If you want natural feel, get a 2013 or earlier. The electric steering on the 2014s has made the steering feel pretty numb.

BACnMercedes

Benyl, do you mean a solid continouse line? If my memory is correct, when I first tried mine out I was in the center lane of a 3 lane interstate, cruise set to around 75 and the car drove itself. It actually steered the car. It worked and felt totally different from when the car corrects itself by applying the brakes when you drift over a line.

benyl

Steer assist only works with cruise and when the steering wheels is green.

Lane keeping assist is what I described about solid vs broken lines.

GregTR

^This. Most people confuse the two as there are not too many who actually have Distronic+ to even speak about Steering Assist with any kind of authority or experience.

Steering Assist only works when cruise control is on, Steering Assist is turned on (white steering wheel icon is on) AND there is enough lane marking and/or recognizable vehicle in front of your car to sync onto and track (the white steering wheel turns green). If all these conditions are met the car will basically steer itself and keep it in the lane with virtually no user interaction. I absolutely love it and it makes a long mind numbing drive very relaxing.

marcHitect

Thanks, all great info. So, with the white steering wheel icon on the dash, absolutely nothing additional is added to the steering? It's only in standby mode and activated when using cruise control? Interesting. That wasn't at all clear in the owner's manual. I'll have to check it out on my next drive.

Tjdehya

On your next drive in your E65AMGs?

marcHitect

Correct.

YYZ-E55

DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot at a glance:
◾automatic proximity control in combination with lane guidance and the following of vehicles in a traffic jam with the Stop&Go Pilot
◾uses the information from an innovative stereo camera with three-dimensional vision in combination with radar sensors fitted all around the vehicle
◾operates in a speed range from 0 to 200 km/h, can already be activated at standstill
◾Desired speed can be set between 30 and 200 km/h, automatic acceleration from a standstill upon operator confirmation
◾brakes to adjust speed at a deceleration rate of up to 5 m/s²
◾Can therefore relieve the burden on the driver and reduce the risk of rear-end collisions, in particular in conjunction with the linked systems BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE® Brake
◾sporty or comfortable driving characteristics depending on the choice of transmission mode "E" or "S"
◾Can suppress unlawful overtaking on the right on motorways and major highways at speeds above 85 km/h, for example, when tailbacks regain speed or in convoy traffic
◾Steering Assist generates a steering moment that helps the driver to keep the vehicle in the middle of its lane
◾On straight roads and slight bends, if the lane markings on both sides are clearly visible
◾If Steering Assist is active, it is indicated by a green steering-wheel symbol in the instrument cluster
◾Stop&Go Pilot: additional orientation by reference to the vehicle ahead when driving in tailbacks at speeds under 60 km/h, particularly when lane markings are missing or unclear
◾Intelligent hands-off detection: if the driver removes his or her hands from the steering wheel, a warning is emitted and Steering Assist deactivated only if the situation requires it in order to allow the hands-off, slow following of vehicles in a traffic jam



DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot – for keeping at a safe distance and in lane

This innovative driver assistance system helps the driver to keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front and to stay in the centre of the lane. Especially on long journeys and in tailback traffic, DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist provides a great deal of stress-relieving comfort. When necessary, the radar-based system brakes the vehicle and, if possible, then accelerates it back to the preset speed. This lessens the risk of rear-end collisions and improves driving comfort. The distance from the vehicle ahead in terms of time can be set in several stages by rotating the DISTRONIC PLUS lever. Steering Assist is able to take the strain off the driver when it comes to lateral vehicle guidance. On straight roads and even on slight bends, it produces a steering torque that helps keep the vehicle in the centre of its lane. To do this, the system uses a stereo camera to follow clear lane markings, and at lower speeds also the vehicle travelling ahead. DISTRONIC PLUS operates within a speed range from 0 to 200 km/h, and can also be activated at standstill with no vehicle ahead. In this case the vehicle moves off when the driver pulls the DISTRONIC PLUS lever or briefly nudges the accelerator. Thanks to the information from the radar sensors and stereo camera, an early response to vehicles that are cutting in or moving ahead is possible. Automatic braking is at a rate of up to 5 m/s². In situations that require higher deceleration values, the driver receives visual and audible warnings as well as support from the downstream systems BAS PLUS and PRE-SAFE® Brake as required.


Other advantages of DISTRONIC PLUS:
◾Stop&Go Pilot: When following vehicles in a traffic jam at speeds below 60 km/h, Stop&Go Pilot uses the vehicle travelling ahead for additional orientation, in particular when lane markings are missing or unclear.
◾Intelligent hands-off detection: if the driver removes his or her hands from the steering wheel, a warning is emitted and Steering Assist deactivated only if the situation requires. As a result, slowly following vehicles in a traffic tailback is possible with the hands off the wheel
◾Dynamics as required: selecting transmission modes "Economy" or "Sport" influences the characteristics of the automatic proximity control. In "Sport" mode, in tailback traffic or when changing lanes acceleration is faster and more dynamic. In "Economy" mode the system operates with more emphasis on comfort.
◾Thinking on its own on motorways, for example, when tailbacks regain speed or in convoy traffic: unlawful overtaking on the right on motorways and major highways can be prevented by setting a moderate relative speed to vehicles in the left lane. •At speeds below 85 km/h, moderate overtaking on the right is still possible if the relative speed does not exceed 20 km/h.

◾Collision protection: if a collision threatens despite the DISTRONIC PLUS braking intervention, additional systems become active to prevent an accident if possible. •Brake Assist BAS PLUS can detect vehicles in front and also, at speeds up to 72 km/h, crossing vehicles, motorcyclists and pedestrians, and assists the driver in the event of a critical braking situation
•the PRE-SAFE® Brake with pedestrian detection and city braking function can react to vehicles in front as well as pedestrians and stationary vehicles at speeds up to 72 km/h and even prevent collisions at speeds up to 50 km/h

◾Safer lane-keeping: in addition to DISTRONIC PLUS lane guidance, the intelligent Active Lane Keeping Assist can use one-sided braking interventions to help return the vehicle to its lane when it unintentionally crosses solid or dotted lane markings. •If interrupted lane markings are present, the system only intervenes if a collision threatens, for example, with oncoming traffic, overtaking vehicles or parallel traffic in adjacent lanes
•Unlike the Steering Assist system of DISTRONIC PLUS, intervention is by means of one-sided brake applications to prevent confusing inattentive drivers and consequently unpredictable reactions

YYZ-E55

I didn't know about the E vs S differences when DISTRONIC is active, can't wait to test that tomorrow!

marcHitect

I've really grown to LOVE the DTR+. Radar guided cruise control. It really works wonderfully. The steering wheel icon on speedo dash cluster does turn green when the cruise is set. Once set and your hands are lightly on the wheel the car will stop perfectly in LA stop and go traffic and maintain the car's position in the center of the lane. The lane markers do NOT have to be solid lines. Standard lane dashed dividers are just fine. It makes rush hour traffic interesting. It is odd feeling your car stop by itself as it approaches another car. It will also slow down if another car cuts in front of you as the car maintains a set distance between cars. If your set distance between cars is too great, than other cars will cut in front of you. So, you need to adjust this distance by using a knob on the cruise control stock. All-in-all it's a great system and a really interesting conversation starter when your passengers see that your car is basically driving itself.

samkimg

+1 or even +2 for the DTR+ integrated systems

I use these features most everyday and find my commute much more tolerable. I echo the slow speed usefulness of the system, in bumper-to-bumber traffic, and generally under 19 mph, the car can and does steer itself with zero influence or input from the driver. As detailed above, at higher speeds the system will require driver input on the wheel, even just a slight pressure will let the car know you are aware of what's happening.

To truly understand what we're trying to describe, just drop by the dealer and take a DTR+ equipped car out on the freeway for a spin. Set the DTR+, watch for the green wheel to show on the dash, then lightly (and safely) alter course toward a lane line and FEEL what happens. Without a test drive, you just can't fully comprehend the systems functionality.

martinlarose

How long can you keep your hands off the steering wheel. I find that my car will only allow it for about 20 seconds and then the wheel icon turns red. Is there an adjustment to keep it hands free longer.

BACnMercedes

^^^^ Yes. That is a safety feature to make sure you keep your hands on the wheels. At really slow speeds, I think below 20, you can go longer. (Or it may just be my imagination.)
But there is no way to adjust or turn up the time for using no hands.

martinlarose

thanks BAC