My wife is looking to change her "giant purse". We looked at Infinity, Lexus and Mercedes

On the Infinity test drive the salesman says "Do you trust me?"

He asked her twice.

Then he said, "See that car we're coming up to at the stop light? Don't hit your brake. Don't touch it."

I'm in the back seat, she's doing 40 and the back end of that car is coming up fast. About the time I began to fear for my life, the automatic system turned on and the car stopped. Poor guy ahead never knew he was a target.

Once you were on a road for a few hundred feet, the system learned the lane you were driving in. It would beep if you drifted left or right and if you didn't respond it would and turn back to keep you there. If you had a car next to you and tried to turn into it, it wouldn't let you, it kept you in your lane.

At one point however we made a left and were following another car to a stop light. My wife decides to try auto braking again. The salesman goes "No Hit the brakes it's not locked on yet."

Guess it's not quite perfect.

The cruise control had the ability to lock on a car in front of it and maintain speed equidistant to it.
The distance between was adjustable on a scale of 1 to 4.

All the cars we looked at came with a similar option. All they need now is a gps link and an app. Who needs a driver?

Siri take me home


fltsfshr

 

MB is introducing a similar feature on the E-class this year.
it also has a lane keeper function so if you start to drift into the other lane it will automatically steer back for you.
The sentence from the salesguy who knows me ended with " but you can shut it off"

If you've seen the ads it will also decide to brake in the event of an imminent collision for something coming in from the side.
It makes me wonder what speeds it cuts off at such as cruising down the highway at 70 in heavy traffic when a deer decides to make the bolt across the road.
I'd rather take out the deer than have that overloaded 18 wheeler behind me perform unnatural acts on my car.

 

All this automatic stuff has me concerned....

On my Genesis Coupe, the traction/stability control is so invasive its crazy.

If is on (which it is by default)... and you try and take off either to the right or left quickly, the car almost stops.

Try turning left across traffic with it on, it will scare the sh*t out of you....

Just let me drive, and I'll take my chances!

ps... I always turn the traction control off when I start the car!

 

Had a Genesis Sedan loaner for a few days a month or so ago....

When you are out on the interstate and going up on someone, better get out there quick before the sensors see the car ahead and put on the breaks.....

Never did find a way to turn that "feature" off!

 

an interesting thought occurred to me.
Starting in he mid to late 70 for a span of about 10 years, there just weren't a lot of good cars.
Emission controls, fear of insurance liability, and fugly bumpers choked the life out of the auto industry.

Are electronic nannies and safety assists about to do it again?

 

There is no way in hell that I am going to rely on software to stop my car that was written by some snot nosed 14 year old in some far away foreign country. I think I will be using the brakes myself.

 

That is... if they let you still use them!

 

I'm with you, 100%. ANY of those features are enough to cross a car off my 'list'. Oh, and the "stability control" is always off in the Crosstour and the new Civic whenever I'm driving them.

 

The above ^ are perfect examples of the dumbing down of America.

 

I don't know. We are all enthusiasts, we enjoy driving and take it very seriously. We don't want or need the car to think for us. Unfortunately, we are the minority. Based on what I see on the road every day, not only do most people need these features, they need much more. I have seen things on the road in the last couple of years that I never imagined in my wildest dreams that people would be foolish enough to do.

As much as I dislike the idea of Google's self driving car, it may be the only way to keep the roads safe.