sportflyer10

I am retired and don't drive long distance that much , maybe 2 to 3 times a year for trips lasting more than 5 hrs . Most times I am driving around the Vancouver , WA area or to Portland Oregon.

I am thinking that besides the surround view , the ADV Parking feature is not useful at all. My friend does not use this feature at all because he thinks he can parallel park the vehicle manually better than the system. Do you guys use the Adv parking feature at all ? Can the active parking feature be used for parking at 90 degree stalls like in parking garages?

What about the Driver Assistance Pkg in PO3 ? Do you guys use the distronics and lane keeping feature ? Under what circumstances are they useful?

For my type of driving I think that P03 is most suitable .

Maybe I can just live with P02 +LED lights +Blind Spot Assist

Your comments and advise please

Thanks

dieseldoc

Have both. Love them. Very useful.

dejongj

I've had it on my GL class which as you'll undoubtedly know if two sizes bigger than the GLC and pretty large. Most of my driving is in country lanes and city center of London in the UK, well known for its narror streets and multi-story carparks made for vehicles the size of a mini.

In my three years of ownership (and incidently the Prius I had before that had it as well so six years) I only used it three times. Purely and simply for the purpose of demonstration opposed to need. In fact I find it slower and more fiddly to use and trigger than just get it in myself.

Likewise with the surround camera system. Yes I've used it on the GL class, but seriously the GLC is so much smaller, narrower, shorter in every which way, also comes with the excellent mercedes front/back parking sensors and as standard (in the UK) with the rear camera parking guides, I honestly couldn't think of any other reason than having to have a gimmick to spend the little amount extra on it. Sure it is only the cost of two good evenings out, but I rather have those evenings.

Personally I do not think it is required on such a small vehicle.

ec_nova

I got both. I find the distronic to be very useful (I have used it on previous vehicles/road tests)

As for parking/surround view, I mainly got it for the surround view and proximity sensors. This vehicle will be for my wife, and to her a GLC is big. The surround view shows the path of both front AND rear tires when turning, which is helpful in her work parking lot as there are sharp curbs and tight turns.

The proximity sensors are nice because they will let her know when she is about to hit something.

Lastly, I have two small children, and neighbors with children so being able to see all around is helpful. Not saying it's an excuse for not paying attention of your surroundings, but it can certainly help!

sportflyer10

This car will be driven by me 99% of the time except on long vacation trips when my wife may take over the driving for a duration .So I think that P03 will be better for us. The problem is where I live P03 comes with other options like Sports package and Panaorama roof that we dont need . Hope I dont have to special order.

wbbgjr

I only have the pkg assist. Its very useful for the surround view. It's saved me from having to get out and see if I'm within the lines a few times. Especially useful when you parallel park and then have to make sure you are parked in the designated stall (and not in the red curb).

I never use it for the automatic parking.

reddemon73

I got both packages for my wife car. The driver assistance is very helpful in traffic situation along with distronic cruise. All you have to do is sit back and relax.


I only used parktronic a few times. It worked great but take too long to park your car. I used it to "show off" to friends only.

RedwinGV

I did have surround view on my Infiniti. I miss it, though I don't see the value for what MB is charging for it. Though, one gets a lot more than just the surround view. If money is no object, pull the string.

irvinelaw

I use Distronic and Surround View all the time in my daily driving. The self-parking feature is mostly a fancy toy.

I make many drives back and forth to Los Angeles on the always-congested 405 freeway. The Distronic takes a considerable amount of the stress out of the drive by managing most, but not all of the acceleration and braking. I have to emphasize that it does not eliminate the driver's role or the need to pay attention to what is going on. When other drivers make sudden lane changes into a tight gap, the Distronic is usually too slow to recognize the situation. If I did not intervene in those situations, there probably would be some metal and plastic on the roadway.

The Surround View is also very helpful. I find the dark windows and difficulty seeing the corners of the vehicle lead me to rely on the Surround View in almost every parking maneuver.

While I have used the self-parking feature a couple of times so I would know how to use it, the size of the parking space was so large that it would not have been a challenge to park manually.

MaxFactor

Have park assist on a small Vauxhall Corsa that the family use for local trips usually ending up at a car park. The feature has never been tried. Got it on the GLC, never tried it. But the 360 surround view on the GLC is very useful.

Max

Toobad

I optioned the 360 camera. Having migrated from a pickup truck with no cameras, I certainly don't have any trouble manoeuvring the GLC. It just occurred to me that if I or SWMBO accidentally kerbed just one wheel, the refurbishment cost would probably exceed the cost of this "gimmick". I daresay I will still find a way to kerb a wheel eventually. Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

MB190

I use Distronic and Surround View all the time. Think I let the car park itself once. We have 2 GLCs, I would never buy another car in the future without the Distronic and Surround views again. Spoiled...

Distronic is also awesome for city driving. I hardly use my gas or brake pedals anymore. I feel safer knowing the car can react faster than I can, and does so flawlessly.

bfinkie99

I second (or third or fourth or fifth, as the case may be) the notion that the surround view is perhaps the most useful element of the parking package. I've frankly had issues getting the car to recognize viable spots in which to parallel park, but would still do it all over again given how nice the camera setup is.

As for the driving assist, I have quite a bit of FOMO for not getting it and did not because I figured I wouldn't be doing enough highway driving for it to matter. I did not take into consideration its viability in city driving.

clarst

Our car will arrive in approximately three weeks, so I haven't used the systems.

But, regarding Distronic--there is no way I would buy a car now that doesn't offer every safety package available. There have been a number of big safety advances in auto history (seat belts, anti-lock brakes, air bags) and auto-braking/adaptive cruise is every bit as important as those. Of course, not everyone can afford them, but I would probably buy a cheaper car that was so equipped; I think it is that important.

As for the parallel parking, I doubt I will ever use it. The camera systems look useful.

dejongj

Not everybody can afford them? What a strange comment to make.

The important one, auto braking is standard across the range. The only bit you pay extra for is auto cruise control. If you are someone who uses cruise control then it makes sense I agree, but if you don't then to me it really doesn't make sense to get it, regardless whether you can afford it or not

dieseldoc

The distronic is outstanding. I bought the park assist for all of the camera views as well as parking sensors. I do not use it for self parking. I would not buy a car without these features

clarst

In the U.S., P03 package is $7,780. That pushes the price of the car up substantially. Why is that strange?

dejongj

I already explained that

But lets entertain that a little further with your explanation of why you think it isn't a strange statement; So by your reckoning the only reason people don't get P03 package is because they cannot afford it?

I always love it how people on the internet know the reasons why others spec their car, camera, computer, whatever, better than those who buy them.

I have no interest whatsoever in paying extra for all the to me unnecessary items in the safety pack. As I said in my first response, the important one and very useful one is standard on the car anyway. All the pack does is integrate it with the cruise control, and as said if you use cruise control often it is useful if not then not. Personally I couldn't give a toss about all the other gizmos like lane control etc, if it is standard then great but I see not value to pay extra for lane control, blind spot etc. We manage absolutely fine on the high speed German autobahn's and tiny little European streets, it is not a question of affordability.

Oh the arrogance

clarst

The premise of your outrage is incorrect.

I did not say the ONLY reason people don’t get P03 package is because they cannot afford it. I said “not everyone can afford them”, which was an acknowledgment that the package represents an over 18% premium to the MSRP of the car, and would move the cost high enough as to be beyond some people’s budget. If you view that as arrogant, well, I guess I can live with that.

dejongj

Whatever makes you happy to backtrack buddy. I won't loose any sleep over it.

edofloat

I skipped the parking pack, I would have liked the 360 cam and maybe the sensor under the rear bumper to open the end gate but at $1,550 not worth it to me with the other features. My wife has the auto park feature and I have used it a few times and found it is too slow on busy streets. However, I did get P03 to get the lighting and dsitronic features.

guido3

Questions about option preferences vs value or affordability obviously (see above) trigger a wide ranging opinions and quibbling over semantics. For me the affordability question reduces to “can I afford to waste money.” Ok, I pay cash for my cars, so the justification that only a few dollars are added to my monthly payment is out the window. Would I rather pocket the $7K cash for the 03 package and instead take a couple of nice road trips, or for that matter, a trip to Europe for me and my wife? Yeah, for sure.

Also, I want to feel “with it” and in control when I’m driving. Do I want buzzers and lights going off telling me things I should already know? No, I don’t. In my view the only worthwhile electronic safety features are now standard equipment – collision prevention and attention assist.

jimbobboy

My circumstances seem to be very comparable to yours and I have had a GLC with the options you asked about for almost a month now. However while I have almost 5,000 miles of experience with the car on a road trip just completed I have not been back in DC long enough to tell you about the usefulness of the PA option. Distrionic Plus and the 360 degree camera view are very useful in lowering the stress of driving, and I think you will find them worth the cost on the highway and on local roads.

guido3

When a car takes a share of the stress away from the driver, that’s a good thing. I totally understand that. But trust in a car’s adaptability to consistently and appropriately do that is critical for less stressful driving. Without that trust, warning systems become a distraction and an annoyance for some drivers, including myself.

As an interesting side note, IIHS researchers found that cars – Mercedes was included in the study – equipped with lane departure warning systems were 10% more likely to be involved in an accident. Go figure.

DManton

Regarding Parking assistant, I have a few questions / comments. I have the option in my GLE and have played a little with the functionality; I would characterize it as a little "quirky" yet a fun option and useful in certain circumstance. Love the idea, and can see using the parallel parking feature yet I don't see myself using the "Head in " or "Back in" as that is second nature to my driving style already.

My question is regarding a small "P" in a blue square in the lower left of the divers side dashboard which appears seemingly randomly when I am driving through small common roads or neighborhoods. Sometimes the "P" in the box has a white arrow to the left or right. Interesting enough, this appears WITHOUT the parking function engaged and may even appear when I am about to pull into my neighborhood, I would think it has something to do with the parking assist feature yet again it appears without the function engaged and when I am just driving through random places NOT shopping areas.

Thoughts ?
D