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This spring I've been on two road trips in my 2018 E400S, one from MD to Charlestown SC, and one from MD to Manchester NH. I was anxious about run flat problems, but with 11k on the car, including 1100 miles in three days on the last trip, run flat anxiety is diminishing (I'll probably get punished for this soon, but until then my confidence is growing).
Although 2018 drive pilot sucks compared to Tesla autopilot (we own both a model 3 and the E400S), it was pretty good on Interstate highway driving, and I used it for around 90% of the 1000 mile trip up to NH and back; it made the trip much more relaxing. A big discovery was that you do not need to grab the steering wheel to tell the system you are still in control; instead, a very brief touch on either of the pair of steering wheel multi function, capacitative sensing buttons has the same effect as gripping the wheel. So for a long distance trip all you need to do is a brief tap on one of the buttons when the car signals in the HUD/driver information display display the red steering wheel warning, or chimes an alert. This makes a huge difference in 'hands off' driving, when its appropriate for the traffic/road conditions.
Finally, as noted in several recent posts by others, the gas consumption and range of the E400 (I assume E450m is similar) is unbelievable. The two shots, taken at the end of the trip from MD to NH immediately after refilling the tank, speak for themselves: 700 mile range for a V6 with > 300 HP is amazing.
Thank you for this excellent bit of information on the auto-pilot usage. My 2019 E450L is due in a few days and I’ll be embarking on a 3 week ME-NY-OH-PA-DC-NYC-ME road trip in mid July.
Frankly, as a software developer, I don’t yet trust a completely autonomous, completely sensor and GPS based, auto-pilot system.
There are situations where reading the white lines with cameras and sensors and determining actions to take are too tenuous without some understanding (awareness/sentience) of the surroundings, which is beyond current computing capabilities.
IMO, we’re years away from an auto-pilot system that’s anything more than a driving tool, to be used to make the driving less monotonous, while the driver retains full awareness of the surroundings, for when the auto-pilot gets confused.
On the other hand, the active cruise control (which I’ve had since a 2008 Lexus), is more mature and trustworthy. Even so, vehicles ahead turning left or right can cause problems and occasional quick “take control back” is vital.
Great info re the multi function switch. Until now I have ‘twiched’ The wheel to show I was still present!
On those long highway trips where there isn’t much gear changing try Eco and you may get even more mpg. I do and do not find any difference in the drive.
For me it is the worry about getting a flat tire, being stranded while waiting (perhaps days) for a replacement tire.
With a fully laden vehicle a run flat tire is good for about 20 miles. Even in town I'm often further than 20 miles from a tire dealer or repair shop. On a trip one may be a hundred or more miles from a repair shop let alone one that happens to have a run flat tire in the correct size.
The fear of getting a puncture and not being able to get a replacement without a major trip interruption, especially on a weekend. In this forum similar concerns have been expressed in multiple threads by drivers in the US where distances between service centers can be substantial.
For me it is the worry about getting a flat tire, being stranded while waiting (perhaps days) for a replacement tire.
With a fully laden vehicle a run flat tire is good for about 20 miles. Even in town I'm often further than 20 miles from a tire dealer or repair shop. On a trip one may be a hundred or more miles from a repair shop let alone one that happens to have a run flat tire in the correct size.
Does anyone know if Mercedes Roadside Assistance is any help in case of a run flat failure?
Why would you think that Roadside assistance would not respond to a flat - regardless of whether you have run flats or regular tires?
It is my understanding that Roadside assistance is there for us in the event we have a flat.
I used MB assistance once when I had a double flat in my W211 due to rakes that fell from a truck 30 ahead. I was in nondescript place call Lehigh Acres about 15 miles from the Ft. Meyers MB dealer. I called MB about noon. It took them 2 hours to arrive and another hour for a flatbed to arrive. At about 4 pm I was told my car would be ready the next day. I had to spend the night in a hotel. IMO MB Assistance is a last resort option.
I used MB assistance once when I had a double flat in my W211 due to rakes that fell from a truck 30 ahead. I was in nondescript place call Lehigh Acres about 15 miles from the Ft. Meyers MB dealer. I called MB about noon. It took them 2 hours to arrive and another hour for a flatbed to arrive. At about 4 pm I was told my car would be ready the next day. I had to spend the night in a hotel. IMO MB Assistance is a last resort option.
Lehigh Acres? Lucky you survived. Every time I turn on the TV news, as sure as the sun is coming up, someone is getting shot in Ft. Myers, Lehigh Acres, or Cape Coral.
06-12-2019, 08:35 PM
