Driver Assistance Pkg, worth it?

I am looking for my next car, and checked X3, Q5, and GLC. In BMW or Audi, the driver assistance pkg is optional pkg and usually need cost $2000 to $3000 more in the total lease cost (Since usually dealer will have bundle of optional pkgs in the car). So my question is , have anyone try to use such assistant pkg in daily commute? How does it feel?

Context: plan to move to a apartment which need 30 mile one-way commute to my company

This sounds like a fun weekend project for you, testing and comparing for yourself.

The features and functionality vary between brands, and they change. Even if you drove a Volvo 6 months ago, the most recent Sensus update changes how some of those features behaves in some different/interesting ways. I would be cautious about second-hand (and possibly outdated) opinions from people who will never drive your car.

A number of those systems are worth the (residualized) cost IMO, but only you can decide if it’s worth it to you.

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It’s pretty amazing what’s standard on plep mobiles now too. I’m still impressed everytime I use the ACC on my sub $200/mo :taco:

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I have it on my car, I have no idea what driver assistance is like on bmw or audi but the Honda is very basic, steering wheel will shake as you veer off your lane and “driver assist” will sort of keep you in your lane as long as it’s not windy and after 10 seconds or so the system will alert you to place your hands back on the wheel. Mine came with the car, however I wouldn’t drop a few thousand bucks on it.

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I guess all current system will need the driver to put his/her hand on the wheel.

For bmw the traffic jam assistant takes over under 35 mph on a highway, like hands free. Have seen it work well, however all acc systems seem prone to lane darters.

Another caveat is that drivers assistance plus or pro is hard to find on loaners and demo’s if you’re looking for a good deal. Also it’s not the dealer bundling things its the way the manufacturer has everything set up, bmw offers a mini package on the x3 (lane keep) and then the full package (acc + others)

I think you need to provide insight on where you live or a rough geographic location, for example acc in the city is not as useful as acc in stop and go traffic on the highway or even general slowdowns. On a daily basis it’s going to depend on your commute, 30 minutes in a city is a pain in the a** but 30 minutes on the highway in moderate traffic is a breeze.

Before the shutdown, I was using BMW’s Driver Assistance Professional w/ ETJA in my G05 on a near daily basis, for a combination of suburban, highway, and city driving as I’d go into Philly using 76 from out in the KOP suburbs.

ETJA is an absolute godsend when it takes over on the highway, though it certainly has its limitations. The pedestrian collision warning in the past has also assisted me in the city for a runner who fell into the roadway as well as a bicyclist who veered into traffic. Believe it or not, the ACC was actually useful in the city for me since ultimately I’d just bring the follow distance down to 1 (from 4) and allow it to still just play follow the leader.

Now, those downsides… it’ll disengage rather quickly and without much advanced warning around anything too sharp (the Conshohocken curve, for example), but then again you need to be paying close attention on all L2 systems anyways. The driver attention camera that’s watching you does appear to work, since I’ve gotten dinged before for looking away during the ETJA full assist.

Also, it’s hit or miss on stationary objects ahead of you, i.e. a car stopped at a jam that you’re coming upon. There’s enough discussion online about the ‘why’ and this is not just limited to BMWs, but I’ve found that in 2/3 cases, the car does recognize the object in the Assisted Driving View screen, though it just would have to brake too hard to slow down in time on its own. It’s made me nervous once or twice, though manual braking intervention usually gets assisted and is fine. There was also this one occasion where a wet leaf blew onto one of the sensors as I was driving and I immediately got a “Reduced Driver Assistance Features” message… I’m somewhat surprised we haven’t overcome something that simple yet.

Another potential downside, and maybe it’s just with the M Sport steering wheels since I’ve picked up that this happens to them more often, but it’s rather sensitive and will sometimes disengage even when you have a pretty decent grip on the wheel. Quickly adjusting positions usually does the trick, but it’s definitely quirky sensor behavior, since there are other known successful ways to fool it into thinking your hand is always on the wheel (do not recommend this - not safe and not intended for public roads).

Finally, do remember - this is ultimately fueled by early software. I’ve seen it get more or less accurate as well as finicky over progressive software updates, which may or may not be for everyone. To some degree, you’re still an early adopter/tester on some of the more advanced features, so YMMV.

All in all, for a 1700$ option, it was absolutely worth the cost for me and it’s definitely helped to reduce my driving fatigue significantly. This video, while shot in an EU nation that may perhaps have better road mapping by BMW, was still really helpful for me to see where this could be headed - https://youtu.be/ecE6_A7uJZo.

With all that said, I’ll definitely have to echo @jeisensc - you need to check this out for yourself and see how you personally drive with it since each person and each car can be quite different. The systems change by manufacturer and even within one, by model or by year, so you’ll ideally want to make sure you’re researching the exact parameters.

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I considered it a must have when I got my G20 330ix a few weeks ago. I went for drive assist and park assist pkgs. I consider these as safety features really, especially for my wife. I do very much miss ACC from my Genesis G80 though, but drive assist pro pkg was hard to find in my area.

I will never lease/purchase another car that doesn’t have a robust acc/driver assistance system.

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I think it will get harder not to find a car without a driver assistance system as nearly every company offers it in their cars these days. Some have it already in the car without it being an added on option.

I am in the bay area, and most of those 30 miles commute will be on US-101. So I guess it will take 40-60 minutes at the rush hour

I would look for a vehicle with it then, the traffic jam assistant is a must have.

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Can you expand on this? When was the update released and what did it change?

https://www.volvocars.com/en-th/support/topics/maintenance-service/software-updates/software-updates

Ford has always been good about posting Sync release notes and self service updates online. Many brands publish something similar but sometimes it’s hidden - they don’t want you coming if just for every little update, especially if nothing is broken (for ALL brands: if it ain’t broke or recalled, DON’T UPDATE)

I’m running the June 2020 update, which was about a year worth of updates since PDI. My Service Writer’s exact words were “there isn’t any software anywhere in your car that isn’t new” - engine management, safety systems and infotainment. I double checked my Polestar was still on there.

To me, the parking sensors, CTA, and forward collision avoidance all behave differently. On the XC60 its subtle enough that I wouldn’t prefer or exclude it if I was buying again today, but I notice it.

IMO all of these systems are very different, and many have a lot of adjustments you can make (e.g. how loud things beep, how soon they warn, radar cruise distance) - but some of them can’t be turned off. It took me probably 4 rides in my loaner V60 to match the preferences in my XC60 - making me wish for roaming profiles in the cloud…

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