MBZFAN55

The (optional) Distronic Plus will accelerate and stop the car in a manner that greatly mimics the typical driver, with the ability to bring the vehicle to a complete stop. Obviously the more urgent the "stop", the more aggressive the braking.

Currently, the Brake Assist Plus will not automatically activate the brakes in a Mercedes, but will greatly enhance the braking ability once that the driver has begun the braking process. Once activated, it feels as if another person has entered the vehicle and has now taken over the braking function. Although standard equipment on S & CL, it is an on/off option for the driver.

Diesel Benz

I guess you are referring to later European cars that also brake with Brake Assist Plus when it detects a stationary object which your are likely to collide with.

Early Euro cars only give an audible and visible warning while later cars also apply brakes if the driver does not react. This is one of the safety features we expected for the first cars and to me it is a real shame that MB did not activate this for the older cars (because it was clearly only activated once they got it up and running well enough).

I'm still a bit puzzled if the BAS+ too only works at speeds above 30 km/h. The scenario where I would see this most useful is at cross-roads when you are looking at the traffic from the crossing road and the car in front of you suddenly stops when you expect there being good space for it to enter the other road while you give one more check at the crossing traffic.

Perhaps Parktronic+ is sufficient there too, it would give an early warning about a possible collision a lot further away than the standard Parktronic feature (again not sure about the speed where this Parktronic+ feature activates).

The autonomous car braking feature is described below, at the very end of the quote form the on-line manual.
PRE-SAFE® Brake* (vehicles with Distronic Plus*)

PRE-SAFE® Brake can help you to minimise the risk of a frontal collision with a vehicle ahead or reduce the effects of such a collision.
This function will issue a warning at speeds of around 30 km/h or more if:

• for a period of several seconds, the distance to the vehicle in front is too short for the speed at which you are travelling. The distance warning lamp in the instrument cluster will then light up.
• you are approaching the vehicle in front too rapidly. An intermittent warning tone will then sound and the distance warning lamp will light up in the instrument cluster.

Risk of accident Pay particular attention to the traffic conditions if the distance warning lamp in the instrument cluster lights up or an intermittent warning tone sounds. If necessary, brake or swerve to avoid an obstacle.
In addition, at speeds of around 30 km/h or more, PRE-SAFE® brake can:

• brake the vehicle gently and automatically within a speed range of up to around 180 km/h
• trigger preventative passenger protection measures (PRE-SAFE®)

Risk of accident PRE-SAFE® Brake is only an aid to assist you when driving. You are responsible for maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles, the vehicle's speed and for braking in good time. Always pay attention to the traffic conditions. You may otherwise recognise dangers too late, cause an accident and injure yourself and others.

With the help of the radar sensor system, PRE-SAFE® Brake detects obstacles that are in front of your vehicle for an extended period of time. If you approach an obstacle and PRE-SAFE® Brake detects a risk of a collision, the system will initially alert you both visually and acoustically. If you yourself do not brake or steer, the vehicle will automatically brake slightly. In cases of increased risk of a collision, PRE-SAFE® is activated

trumpet1

I learned something today that I can't believe I haven't thought of before. I've been traveling a good bit this week due to the holidays and out of the blue I wondered if the cruise system would operate like a regular cruise by turning off the radar sensor. The answer is no. It doesn't work at all when the radar is turned off. It won't accept any set speed.

I do know that I will never have a car again without Distronic (or some type of adaptive cruise system). It really takes the stress out of driving on long trips. It takes a little getting used to but well worth the money.

WSH

Refuse to drive w/cruise ctrl (for more than a brief test); view cruise control as a dangerous feature, as it lulls driver's senses and introduces mechanical delay of driver's feet vs throttle/brake pedals in any emergent situation....precious second or two of delayed decisionmaking/mechanical response can dramatically change odds of avoiding an accident or lessening injuries

Like DistPlus' advance warning of risky situation (and presumably) prepping of brakes, stab ctrls, seatbelts, etc....but critical risk-avoidance maneuvers are really up to driver's anticipatory judgment and instantaneous decisionmaking....is one going to be rear-ended by the rusty 10yo POS following too closely? Are adjacent lanes empty for an emergent swerve? etc etc....would argue one's sense/judgment of rear-view mirror and side mirrors may be just as important as front DistronicPlus data in a critical high-speed fwy situation on a busy, multi-lane urban fwy

Often drive on a high-speed fwy in SiliconValley where one not uncommonly has several new 65s/599s/Scuds moving at brisk speeds in busy commute traffic....remarkable how well-disciplined are most drivers of such high-perf cars vs the typical driver of a 10yo POS Honda/Toyota/SUV (Darwinian selection perhaps?)....unfortunately, DistPlus isn't smart enough to risk-profile nearby cars, nor analyze implications of rapid braking vs risks of being rear-ended

BTW, have found BlindSpotAssist to be superbly engineered and esp useful in routine urban driving....am an addict for always turning my head before ever changing lanes, but find BSA as another layer of defensive data

Still amused that some 3yrs post intro of DistPlus, every other mfr in world, incl Veyron, 599, GT2, etc, still has those archaic bulletholes in bumpers for Parktronic (incl the archaic '09 SL65).....reminds one of how much more advanced is MB S/CL tech than that of any mfr/model in world

cjf_moraga

WSH - No one here puts it in quite the same way as you do!

I actually find myself using the adaptive component of Distronics less these days as like WSH I preferred to be engaged directly with my car at all times... but I have not done any long distance freeway trips lately with the regular steady speed traffic for which adaptive cruise control is best suited.

However the simple radar warning alarm that goes off whenever I am approaching a vehicle in front too rapidly (or a 10yo POS Honda/Toyota/SUV cuts in front of me) is the single most important feature in the S-Class IMO... (Well... apart from the engine and wheels) Probably saved my neck a couple of times on the roads around here.

Chris

WSH

LOL, cjf

I rarely have any need/desire to ever drive more than 75mis from either SF or LA....and, even when I did, prefer to be rather "alert" to where CHP might be, as well as inept drivers

Indeed, view smart, real-world driver judgment as far superior to most sophisticated active/passive safety systems available today, as well as supposedly superior track-driving mechanical skills, if combined w/mediocre judgment

As you know, disproportionate no. of 600/65/63 and 599/Scuds in SF region, often used in daily commute traffic....always amusing how low are insurance premiums for these drivers and cars, given the demonstrated safety of these drivers over many yrs....and how smartly/safely driven are $150K+ cars vs lesser cars in a region where many jaded drivers exist, who know where/when brisk driving makes sense...and when it doesn't.....

Mat

STAY AWAY FROM DISTRONIC UNLESS YOU WANT TO COLLECT SOME SPEEDING TICKETS - I made the mistake - got a brand-new 09 with all options - The distronic in mercedes uses the K-band (most commonly used by the Speeding Police) - it can't be used with any radar detector - Mercedes really screwed up with this one - i have filed an official complaint with Mercedes to fix this issue - Lexus folks are smarter as always: they picked a different band and does not interfere with any radar detectors - afterall what good is a vehicle of this Calibre if you can't go 5 miles over without being afraid of getting pulled - just my 2 c - If there's no fix within 3 months - I will put mine for sale and probably never ever get another mercedes - This was absolutely stupid design flaw !

Diesel Benz

You can always follow the speed limits. And if you are clever enough, do a search on posts that show multiple installations of radar detectors. A bit of intelligence is needed when the windows are IR and RF proof.

drksuh

As I told Mat in another thread, my Escort Radar Detector works perfectly with the Distronic and is never set off. I love the Distronic Plus.

Mat

DB,
Thanks for your advise: as far as smartness and intelligence go - I do not want to get into a contest (although, just FYI I am a double Ph.D. running a successful business) - my gripe with MB is, why make things difficult if not impossible - I have see all the posts for radar detectors and also spoken with techs at K-40 and midcity etc. They cannot install ANY detector without disabling the K band and unfortunately its still very popular with the speed-cops here in the US. I would strongly recommend sticking to the speed limits cause people have all day to go and no where to go in pretty Europe ! Thanks for trying to help me though - appreciate it
Mat

Red Marko

How interesting...
It puzzels me how differently people evaluate/pick/choose their vehicle preferences. I chose mine on merits of being:
most comfortable
most luxurious
safest
most powerful (sans 65 obviously)
most fun to drive (to me)
It looks like, if you had another chance to pick once more and knew about Distronic Plus .... well, I suspect no fix within next 3 months, sell the car and go back to appliance luxury automobile (Lexus that is)
But... de gustibus non est disputandum (just checking)
Mark
PS.
I drove over 25k miles within 7 months, 75 - 85 mph if weather and traffic permits with no tickets. Know your routes, roads, environment and you should be ok. If you do not know those parameters, stay within 5-10 mph over and still you should be ok.
Don't be silly, stay with MB.

Mat

Thanks my friends but I guess, you folks haven't driven in the state of Indiana - before I moved here, I never had a ticket and got 2 in 2 days back to back for doing 10 miles over - its a major source of revenues here I supppose ..
I will find a fix though - Always owned an S class thru the years
mat - by the way - Lexus is a pretty good and no-nonsense car though !

Mat

Yes, I believe so - I got the "looks" from at least 2 police cars coming in from the opposite direction on a free-way "heads turned" as well !

Diesel Benz

Well, it would not prove you being intelligent if you prove you are more intelligent than me, so I'm happy to leave that discussion aside.

What about switching the radar system completely off when you want the detector to work? Or did you want to use both cruise and radar detector at the same time?

The hardest option would be to retrofit the standard cruise with acoustic Parktronic. There is even a mix of acoustic Parktronic and Distronic (without the plus) but I assume it also turns cruise off when the radar is turned off (I have not even tried but someone mentioned that cruise does not work at all when the radar is off even if it could work as a standard cruise control system).

Mercedes22

Cruise and Parktronic does not work when the Radar is off.

marttang

i have a msg show Distronic plus inoperative does any one face this problem before and what cause this and how you solve it in the end ?

MBenzNL

yes...it can

just finished retrofitting distronic plus, park assist, parking guidance & blindspot assist in an S that only had regular parktronic

greetingz,

avb777

Steve, what is required to retrofit blindspot assist only. I have a P3 and no distronic.

NJS430

That has to be a pretty complex and expensive upgrade! Aren't the sensors for parktronic different then those used for distronic? Did you need to replace the bumpers, mirrors and Grill?

MBenzNL

BSA is an add-on to the distronic plus system...so you will have to have distronic first (1 radar sensor), then you need distronic plus (6 radar sensors) and then you can add BSA (2 more radar sensors).

yes - those have all been replaced...the car has also gotten a standalone heater, a heated steering wheel, a mercedes Ipod kit, a video in motion module and a "racelogics video vbox" installed.

pictures (7 pages with 12 pictures each) of the actual car (& modifications):

http://www.mbenznl.nl/index.php?opti...id=28&catid=44

greetingz,

Mercedes22

Hi Steve I visited you in Holland from the UK in July 2005 with my C43 AMG it's in Obsidian and you put 210 mirrors and a Comand in for me which i still have and everything is still working

I now have a 2008 W221 500L with Distronic Plus how big a Job would it be to install BSA in my car

MBenzNL

I remember that...email us at info@mbenznl.com and make sure to include your VIN...I will get back to you with a quote.

greetingz,

jeffreyy

Coooooool!

J

Mercedes22

Many thanks. Have emailed you my Vin No.

Regards,

Peter.

lalithster

Am I correct on the availability of Distronic Plus in the US?

s600 standard
s550 optional
s63/s65 standard
E-class optional
CLS-class optional
CL/SL optional
slk not offered
c-class not offered

thanks