soamz

I see the G350d config has ACTIVE BRAKE ASSIST added in the features list already, so do I need to buy the extra ASSISTANCE PACKAGE for 3000 USD ?
Does it make sense ?

What extra features does it have ?
MB config website shows, it has blind spot assist and brake assist features.

But my invoice clearly shows the car already is shipping with ACTIVE BRAKE ASSIST.

Can someone shed some light about this package and if its really useful ?

streborx

Depends on how attentive you are while driving. If you want sensors and microcontrollers driving your car so that you can tend to more important activities like making phone calls and selecting media entertainment, then this $3K well spent. I would pay an extra $3K to have this system removed, especially the Lane Keep Assist that helps you collide with objects when you swerve to avoid them.

sandmed

I agree with you on that

Nik640

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I believe this is a standard option, don’t think you have a choice if you don’t want it.

sandmed

Lane keep assist (LKA) is one of the EU mandated safety features which came into effect for 2021.
https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/n...s-mandate-2021.
While I applaud the thought and effort to increase safety, I think the current implementation of "lane keep assist" gives unpredictable results in narrow or poorly constructed roads like we have in the US. In Germany roads are well-constructed with strict standards which include the border line spacing, etc. I heard Harry Metcalfe (Harry's Garage on youtube) mention in one of his videos about the new BMW X5 how unsuitable lane keep assist is to narrow roads in the UK as well.
On my 2020 G550, which came with mandatory LKA you can thankfully disable it each startup but it defaults to active again the next time you start. One time I forgot to disable LKA and when I entered a construction zone where the lines were diverted the car thought it was an emergency. It applied emergency braking and took the steering wheel away, almost causing an accident with the tight traffic around me.
Welcome to the future of European cars!

streborx

Some of the driver assist features are beneficial -- I certainly don't object to the blind spot alert, backup camera and adaptive cruise control. Features like the LKA and collision avoidance braking are to me encouraging drivers to tend to other more important tasks than paying attention to driving their car. I read on another forum a comment from some loony-tune who wanted to know how he could bypass the hand sensor on the steering wheel, so that his car's LKA would remain active. His objective was to get his car into a self-driving mode using cruise control, LKA and collision avoidance. Regarding LKA specifically, U.S. highways have a long way to go before achieving parity with European roads. Lane keeping technology that relies on the mish-mash of lane striping methods and practices that change state-to-state and even county-to-county seems at best a crap-shoot. I think LKA is far from ready for prime-time, and I think MB and other manufacturers are still collecting performance data as we all drive around. MB's vision of the future is in its brochure at https://www.daimler.com/innovation/c...e-pilot-2.html.

streborx

The Wall Street Journal reports today that motor vehicle deaths in 2020 rose 8% to about 42,000 over 2019's death total, despite a 13% drop in total highway miles driven. No statistics were reported regarding the impact of driver assistance systems.

sandmed

Here in Tennessee people are driving much faster since Covid with 100 mph not uncommon through the center of the city. The main cause of accidents on the interstate highways is lack of lane discipline (slower traffic does not keep right) forcing the faster ones to follow too close and use small gaps to get around the slower ones. But the aggression level is way up since Covid. I was recently in Atlanta and it was way crazier than here. Real mayhem. I had a fender bender with a guy that was flying around me when I tried to change lanes. The cop in Atlanta told me that accidents were way up recently. Lane change assist does not help much in those conditions because fast, dense traffic sets it off continuously.
Lane keep assist is for cases where the driver gets distracted or drowsy and drifts across the line. I don't see that happening much except occasionally with long-distance trucks on the interstate.
I hate to see us give up on improving driver skills because of driver assistance technology. I believe there is no substitute for conscientious, courteous driving.