Driving Impressions of Distronic or Driver's Assistance Package?
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 998
Likes: 136
From: VA
W212 E-class, W211 E-class, F10 5-Series
Driving Impressions of Distronic or Driver's Assistance Package?
Hey guys,
Wanted to know your thoughts on Distronic+. How does it stack up to other manufacturers' laser/adaptive cruise control systems? Any dissatisfactions or limitations you have found? Any pleasant surprises?
Hopefully we can use this thread to help others who are fairly new to Distronic or may have been reluctant to use it.
For example:
I wanted to mention something cool I witnessed on my BMW Active Cruise Control system (their version of Distronic).
I had been reading somewhere that in BMWs, "Dynamic cruise control is an electronic cruise control system with an extra braking function. This also includes the Curve Speed Limiter that reduces the speed in curves for comfortable lateral acceleration. At the end of the curve the car accelerates and resumes the original speed."
Well, the skeptic that I am shrugged this off as something gimmicky, unusable, and unbelievable.
Yesterday, I had a chance to inadvertently try this. As I was coming off of an exit, I used the steering wheel rocker switch & accidentally increased my ACC to 55mph (I only wanted to go up to 45). In any other usual situation, the car would immediately recognize the input and speed up to the requested velocity. What happened next amazed me: the car braked itself & kept steady at 36mph around the exit curve, which was a safe speed, and also much less than the ACC was set at. Upon finishing the curve, the car increased to the pre-set speed automatically.
This, while seemingly trivial to some people, really impressed me that BMW put that much thought into something so easily overlooked. :thumbup: Does Distronic do something similar?
Anyone else had a similar situation, or discovered something else rare, quirky, or "hidden gems" about their vehicle?
Wanted to know your thoughts on Distronic+. How does it stack up to other manufacturers' laser/adaptive cruise control systems? Any dissatisfactions or limitations you have found? Any pleasant surprises?
Hopefully we can use this thread to help others who are fairly new to Distronic or may have been reluctant to use it.
For example:
I wanted to mention something cool I witnessed on my BMW Active Cruise Control system (their version of Distronic).
I had been reading somewhere that in BMWs, "Dynamic cruise control is an electronic cruise control system with an extra braking function. This also includes the Curve Speed Limiter that reduces the speed in curves for comfortable lateral acceleration. At the end of the curve the car accelerates and resumes the original speed."
Well, the skeptic that I am shrugged this off as something gimmicky, unusable, and unbelievable.
Yesterday, I had a chance to inadvertently try this. As I was coming off of an exit, I used the steering wheel rocker switch & accidentally increased my ACC to 55mph (I only wanted to go up to 45). In any other usual situation, the car would immediately recognize the input and speed up to the requested velocity. What happened next amazed me: the car braked itself & kept steady at 36mph around the exit curve, which was a safe speed, and also much less than the ACC was set at. Upon finishing the curve, the car increased to the pre-set speed automatically.
This, while seemingly trivial to some people, really impressed me that BMW put that much thought into something so easily overlooked. :thumbup: Does Distronic do something similar?
Anyone else had a similar situation, or discovered something else rare, quirky, or "hidden gems" about their vehicle?
Last edited by tresean1; Jun 19, 2017 at 04:07 PM.
Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 96
Likes: 2
2007 E63 AMG
I have radar cruise on my 14 EClass and 16 Lexus, had one in my 15 Genesis. Out of those three, EClass is hands down better. All three work well as intended but, Genesis is very sluggish maintaining a constant distance from car ahead in traffic. It also had air pumping noise as it braked itself. Lexus is sluggish to pick speed back up when the car in front moves away. I noticed EClass does slow down on curves but it could just have been physics playing its roll. There is this long swooping exit from one highway to another and I usually take that at 60mph+ and I see mph decrease as I make the turn with cruise on.
I do not have ACC+ on my 15 X3 but it has other full driver's assistance features. I can say BMW's blind spot monitoring system is the worst in all cars I've owned that had blind spot monitoring (that includes Mazda3), it is pretty pathetic. It does not make any noise when there is an object (do not think this can be turned on by coding either) and when there is an object, that orange light is barely visible in a lot of lighting conditions. Don't get me started on how lame X3 is with its backup/surround camera...worst out of all cars that had surround cameras, IMO. In reverse, it only shows rear view and the user has to go start clicking on idrive to see the bird's eye view. All other surround view systems I've had and experienced had split screen with bird's eye view and rear view. If these full on driver's assistance package is any indication to what their radar cruise can do, I wouldn't count be too excited to pay for it.
I do not have ACC+ on my 15 X3 but it has other full driver's assistance features. I can say BMW's blind spot monitoring system is the worst in all cars I've owned that had blind spot monitoring (that includes Mazda3), it is pretty pathetic. It does not make any noise when there is an object (do not think this can be turned on by coding either) and when there is an object, that orange light is barely visible in a lot of lighting conditions. Don't get me started on how lame X3 is with its backup/surround camera...worst out of all cars that had surround cameras, IMO. In reverse, it only shows rear view and the user has to go start clicking on idrive to see the bird's eye view. All other surround view systems I've had and experienced had split screen with bird's eye view and rear view. If these full on driver's assistance package is any indication to what their radar cruise can do, I wouldn't count be too excited to pay for it.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 998
Likes: 136
From: VA
W212 E-class, W211 E-class, F10 5-Series
I can agree with you. The blind spot monitoring in BMW is patheric and poorly placed. I think I can live with the fact that it doesn't make a sound when there is a car in your blind spot, but I don't like that the triangle/indicator is actually in the mirror housing instead of in the glass mirror itself; makes it very hard to notice, as my eyes gravitate to thw mirror and not the side of the vehicle.
As far as ACC, I dont like how even the shortest set distance seems like it is 20 car lengths away. I do like how it slows in curves and how it pre-alerts you and brakes in the event of an impeding frontal collision; that has saved my butt many times.
As far as the camera in the Mercedes...crap! The BMW's camera is HD and so much sharper. The backup cam in the Mercedes is SD and blurry and looks like it should have been in a 2004 Chevy. Very sub-par for a car of this caliber, given the time of manufacture and existing technology.
As far as ACC, I dont like how even the shortest set distance seems like it is 20 car lengths away. I do like how it slows in curves and how it pre-alerts you and brakes in the event of an impeding frontal collision; that has saved my butt many times.
As far as the camera in the Mercedes...crap! The BMW's camera is HD and so much sharper. The backup cam in the Mercedes is SD and blurry and looks like it should have been in a 2004 Chevy. Very sub-par for a car of this caliber, given the time of manufacture and existing technology.
Last edited by tresean1; Jun 20, 2017 at 10:37 PM.
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From: V E G A S
1922 Ford Model T / no OBD
I have Driver Assistance on my W212 and it keeps beeping every few minutes.
I do have habit of beating the left lane huggers
My Ford truck has lane departure and that doesn't work for me too well at all. It will make annoying warnings on merging lanes. Than driving truck on right lane, I tend to get close to the shoulder lane- here comes the warning again.
I do have habit of beating the left lane huggers
My Ford truck has lane departure and that doesn't work for me too well at all. It will make annoying warnings on merging lanes. Than driving truck on right lane, I tend to get close to the shoulder lane- here comes the warning again.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 998
Likes: 136
From: VA
W212 E-class, W211 E-class, F10 5-Series
I have my car at the dealer, and they are checking Lane Keeping Assist (doesn't pull the car back into its lane)/Distronic (biases to the right side of the road)/Parktronic (beeps for no reason, with no obstacles in front of the car).
I am not expecting much, but we'll see what they say.
I am not expecting much, but we'll see what they say.
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All systems working fine on mine so far. I just got the wheel tug and brake, plus audible/graphic warning on a slow drift into the center lane the other day. I was actually quite impressed. The Distronic works really well at all speeds and the only thing is it seems I can only take my hands off the wheel for maybe 10-15 seconds before she gives me the hand-on-wheel graphic warning.
Hey Tresean1 I get random beeps out of my Parktronic as well. My past 2 Parktronic cars did the same thing and I just learned to ignore them. I'm not sure why this happens. My ECO feature takes a while to activate also, so maybe my aux bat is weak and that is contributing to the issues. Weak batteries are always subject on MB cars.
Hey Tresean1 I get random beeps out of my Parktronic as well. My past 2 Parktronic cars did the same thing and I just learned to ignore them. I'm not sure why this happens. My ECO feature takes a while to activate also, so maybe my aux bat is weak and that is contributing to the issues. Weak batteries are always subject on MB cars.
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Joined: Aug 2005
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From: Sarasota, Florida
2023 E450 Cabriolet, 2019 F150 Platinum, 2014 Dodge Challenger R/T
The distronic in the ML works pretty slick.... the parktronic on the E has the odd beep as well, always at about 43mph on certain roads.... it's driving my wife batty to where she is seriously considering selling the car 
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Joined: Dec 2015
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From: Charlotte, NC
2014 E350 4M Diamond Silver
[quote]The Distronic works really well at all speeds and the only thing is it seems I can only take my hands off the wheel for maybe 10-15 seconds before she gives me the hand-on-wheel graphic warning.
[\quote]
If you don't hold the steering, all distronic features will be suspended and the car will roll down to a stop after hitting a curb or jumping off the cliff in a curve.
I get random beeps out of my Parktronic as well. My past 2 Parktronic cars did the same thing and I just learned to ignore them. I'm not sure why this happens.
They recalibrated my camera and upgraded the firmware, will try again soon.
Funnily, it recognizes bushes/small plants(which I sometimes zoom into the leaves with the backup camera), but not a big *** real wall.
My ECO feature takes a while to activate also, so maybe my aux bat is weak and that is contributing to the issues. Weak batteries are always subject on MB cars.
Will load testing the battery find out the life or how to get it tested?
I would prefer to get it tested while it is under factory warranty
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 998
Likes: 136
From: VA
W212 E-class, W211 E-class, F10 5-Series
Hey Tresean1 I get random beeps out of my Parktronic as well. My past 2 Parktronic cars did the same thing and I just learned to ignore them. I'm not sure why this happens. My ECO feature takes a while to activate also, so maybe my aux bat is weak and that is contributing to the issues. Weak batteries are always subject on MB cars.
And yes, my ECO function seems to never work either, which I am not particularly complaining about.
What are the benefits of that anyway? 
Yes I had a loaner GLS and Distronic/Drive Pilot seemed to work a lot better, except for the time when it took over steering and tried to murder me and run me off the road.
Yes I will try that too, but don't know what to say to the SA to get them to test the battery, and/or replace it under warranty because it's "dying or almost dead".
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,190
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From: Charlotte, NC
2014 E350 4M Diamond Silver
My ECO feature takes a while to activate also, so maybe my aux bat is weak and that is contributing to the issues. Could you please load test and verify it for me. blah blah..!
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 68
From: Charlotte, NC
2014 E350 4M Diamond Silver
so, at 43, did you already know the answers for everything? or the car knows?
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Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 125
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From: Great Lakes
2020 CLS 450
I get random beeps out of my Parktronic as well. My past 2 Parktronic cars did the same thing and I just learned to ignore them. I'm not sure why this happens. My ECO feature takes a while to activate also, so maybe my aux bat is weak and that is contributing to the issues. Weak batteries are always subject on MB cars.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 998
Likes: 136
From: VA
W212 E-class, W211 E-class, F10 5-Series
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 68
From: Charlotte, NC
2014 E350 4M Diamond Silver
Hey guys,
Wanted to know your thoughts on Distronic+. How does it stack up to other manufacturers' laser/adaptive cruise control systems? Any dissatisfactions or limitations you have found? Any pleasant surprises?
Hopefully we can use this thread to help others who are fairly new to Distronic or may have been reluctant to use it.
Wanted to know your thoughts on Distronic+. How does it stack up to other manufacturers' laser/adaptive cruise control systems? Any dissatisfactions or limitations you have found? Any pleasant surprises?
Hopefully we can use this thread to help others who are fairly new to Distronic or may have been reluctant to use it.
For example:
I wanted to mention something cool I witnessed on my BMW Active Cruise Control system (their version of Distronic).
I had been reading somewhere that in BMWs, "Dynamic cruise control is an electronic cruise control system with an extra braking function. This also includes the Curve Speed Limiter that reduces the speed in curves for comfortable lateral acceleration. At the end of the curve the car accelerates and resumes the original speed."
Well, the skeptic that I am shrugged this off as something gimmicky, unusable, and unbelievable.
Yesterday, I had a chance to inadvertently try this. As I was coming off of an exit, I used the steering wheel rocker switch & accidentally increased my ACC to 55mph (I only wanted to go up to 45). In any other usual situation, the car would immediately recognize the input and speed up to the requested velocity. What happened next amazed me: the car braked itself & kept steady at 36mph around the exit curve, which was a safe speed, and also much less than the ACC was set at. Upon finishing the curve, the car increased to the pre-set speed automatically.
This, while seemingly trivial to some people, really impressed me that BMW put that much thought into something so easily overlooked. :thumbup: Does Distronic do something similar?
Anyone else had a similar situation, or discovered something else rare, quirky, or "hidden gems" about their vehicle?
I wanted to mention something cool I witnessed on my BMW Active Cruise Control system (their version of Distronic).
I had been reading somewhere that in BMWs, "Dynamic cruise control is an electronic cruise control system with an extra braking function. This also includes the Curve Speed Limiter that reduces the speed in curves for comfortable lateral acceleration. At the end of the curve the car accelerates and resumes the original speed."
Well, the skeptic that I am shrugged this off as something gimmicky, unusable, and unbelievable.
Yesterday, I had a chance to inadvertently try this. As I was coming off of an exit, I used the steering wheel rocker switch & accidentally increased my ACC to 55mph (I only wanted to go up to 45). In any other usual situation, the car would immediately recognize the input and speed up to the requested velocity. What happened next amazed me: the car braked itself & kept steady at 36mph around the exit curve, which was a safe speed, and also much less than the ACC was set at. Upon finishing the curve, the car increased to the pre-set speed automatically.
This, while seemingly trivial to some people, really impressed me that BMW put that much thought into something so easily overlooked. :thumbup: Does Distronic do something similar?
Anyone else had a similar situation, or discovered something else rare, quirky, or "hidden gems" about their vehicle?
Unfortunately, there is a big truck in my lane, while exiting the curve, but, you can see, it gained the speed a bit.
Skip to 00:35 into the video.
and at 00:45, I had to keep the vehicle in lane
Last edited by raja777m; Jun 22, 2017 at 09:22 PM.
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 68
From: Charlotte, NC
2014 E350 4M Diamond Silver
MBWorld Fanatic!
Joined: Dec 2015
Posts: 1,190
Likes: 68
From: Charlotte, NC
2014 E350 4M Diamond Silver
I have my car at the dealer, and they are checking Lane Keeping Assist (doesn't pull the car back into its lane)/Distronic (biases to the right side of the road)/Parktronic (beeps for no reason, with no obstacles in front of the car).
I am not expecting much, but we'll see what they say.
I am not expecting much, but we'll see what they say.
Thread Starter
Super Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 998
Likes: 136
From: VA
W212 E-class, W211 E-class, F10 5-Series
https://youtu.be/v1bwL-TzTYw
hope this video helps. my vehicle is kind of staying in the middle of the lane.
hope this video helps. my vehicle is kind of staying in the middle of the lane.
