High beam assist

[EmilysDad]

It seems your car does not have this feature - It is far more advanced than you seem to appreciate (Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus) - it provides the best possible visibility without dazzling other drivers. The car ahead looks almost as if it is in a black box while everything around it is lit up and the headlights continually adjust to oncoming traffic and the road (actively uses GPS and speed).

This technology frees you up so you can have a safer journey and pay better attention to speed, road hazards and other issues on your journey.....You cannot really appreciate how good it is until you use it....perhaps you would prefer the old foot operated switch on the floor and headlights that dazzled other drivers.

Well ..... someone has believed the hype.

why's it always the on coming Merc that initially dazzles me if the tech works as well as it says on the tin?

I have to put my hand up & admit I've never used this system, but I fail to see how a headlamp can sense an oncoming car that has yet to come into view like a person can. But I also admit my mind has been elsewhere sometimes and the oncoming car has been met by my full beam. But I've been free to use my full beam when I wanted it.

 

[John Laidlaw]

The 63 had this feature which worked relatively well- as described by Rory when following a car it aided both drivers by bending the beam around and beyond that vehicle - very clever !
What I found less clever was the consistency with oncoming vehicles in that (as Emily’s dad) it didn’t always dip consistently so needed intervention
Summary for me- great idea but a bit unreliable...

 

[rorywquin]

Well ..... someone has believed the hype.

why's it always the on coming Merc that initially dazzles me if the tech works as well as it says on the tin?

I have to put my hand up & admit I've never used this system, but I fail to see how a headlamp can sense an oncoming car that has yet to come into view like a person can. But I also admit my mind has been elsewhere sometimes and the oncoming car has been met by my full beam. But I've been free to use my full beam when I wanted it.

Seriously, did you re read what you wrote before posting

1) You have never driven a car with ILS but it is all hype...........

2) How can you tell the the oncoming car that dazzles you is a MB with ILS?

Cameras & sensors at the mirror are probably a lot more effective than an old fart's eyes (and never forget to dim).

High beam can be activated / deactivated by moving the stalk

Don't knock it if you have never tried it - It is very effective.

Brings to mind the fable from Aesop about the fox and the grapes.

@John Laidlaw .....it might be that the system has improved with time - I have NEVER been flashed by an oncoming car (I do a lot of country lane driving) which tells me that the lights are doing their job as I have them permanently in auto.

 

[EmilysDad]

I didn't say it was hype. I said it was unnecessary tech.
I'm assuming the incoming Merc that dazzles has ils lighting

 

[A.J.]

.....it might be that the system has improved with time - I have NEVER been flashed by an oncoming car (I do a lot of country lane driving) which tells me that the lights are doing their job as I have them permanently in auto.

My system is six years old now. It does sometimes forget to dip against on-coming traffic. It also sometimes gets a bit confused with new, nice clean road signs. On the whole it is a great system although sometimes a little ponderous.

 

[rorywquin]

I didn't say it was hype.

Yes youuu diiid


There is a lot of tech for tech sake around but, I'm pro anything that will make the road safer for me (meaning make other drivers safer on the road). However a lot of it can be quite distracting for drivers (e.g. my wife never uses cruise control because "it's too complicated" )

 

[A.J.]

However a lot of it can be quite distracting for drivers (e.g. my wife never uses cruise control because "it's too complicated" )

My sister has just bought a new Peugeot 208 with cruise control and says exactly that. I don't know about you but I use it all of the time where ever I am, best thing since sliced bread as far as I am concerned !!

 

[Andy.M]

In the main (pun intended) I like the complete ILS experience.
If they could set it up to have auto high beam on a narrow lane at speeds under 30mph it would be almost perfect.

 

[alexanderfoti]

In the main (pun intended) I like the complete ILS experience.
If they could set it up to have auto high beam on a narrow lane at speeds under 30mph it would be almost perfect.

This is my main issue with it. If I am going down a country lane at night, that has bad visibility, I dont want to be going 35 mph just so I can get high beams.

 

[Botus]

It seems your car does not have this feature - It is far more advanced than you seem to appreciate (Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus) - it provides the best possible visibility without dazzling other drivers. The car ahead looks almost as if it is in a black box while everything around it is lit up and the headlights continually adjust to oncoming traffic and the road (actively uses GPS and speed).

This technology frees you up so you can have a safer journey and pay better attention to speed, road hazards and other issues on your journey.....You cannot really appreciate how good it is until you use it....perhaps you would prefer the old foot operated switch on the floor and headlights that dazzled other drivers.

used this, doesn't work for driving fast, safely on country lanes.

its very clever to see it work and an interesting idea. But just like high beam assist the wrong things trigger it. If pressing on, on your own on a dark country lane with no other road user within 10 miles of you, it will still dip / morph / mess about stopping you seeing the road safely when it detects the reflection from a road sign or a light in a house 1/2 a mile from where the road goes... as others point out a normal switch that just works is better

it doesn't prevent dazzle as can be seen all over the country, 9 out of 10 vehicles dazzling you with ridiculously bright, painful light is ALWAYS a modern Mercedes with LEDs

 

[EmilysDad]

My sister has just bought a new Peugeot 208 with cruise control and says exactly that. I don't know about you but I use it all of the time where ever I am, best thing since sliced bread as far as I am concerned !!

If it's like the cruise control/speed limiter on EmilysMum's Citroen C3 then it's not the most intuitive of set ups .... not helped by the fact that the stalk hides completely behind the steering wheel.

 

[ajlsl600]

It seems your car does not have this feature - It is far more advanced than you seem to appreciate (Adaptive High Beam Assist Plus) - it provides the best possible visibility without dazzling other drivers. The car ahead looks almost as if it is in a black box while everything around it is lit up and the headlights continually adjust to oncoming traffic and the road (actively uses GPS and speed).

This technology frees you up so you can have a safer journey and pay better attention to speed, road hazards and other issues on your journey.....You cannot really appreciate how good it is until you use it....perhaps you would prefer the old foot operated switch on the floor and headlights that dazzled other drivers.

actually. i had a mini cooper just like that,and at the time was happy enough. everyone to their own. i just dont want a system that will go wrong and will cost me a fortune to fix or more likely, replace . that does not actually get me where i need to go. i would rather use the difference in cost to keep something less complicated running tyres ,servicing ect .generally it my view that a lot of tech that seems to arrive is fundamentally designed to put another cost in the food chain ,that previously did not exist . eg computers great, but 5 min later along came the virus .5min later came the additional expense,headache, of the anti virus systems, coincidence ,methinks not.. . we have lights on cars that point generally where we want to go. now we have cornering lights ? then we have the costs to upkeep them and such things that never existed before.and are often FAR from simple and non repairable and ludicrously expensive , if they ever get to £50 and if one can ever fix them ones self i may think about it and such things until then i am content to allow others to pay for them to be ,discontinued,( remember betamax ) superseded or deemed a failure at times it all seems a bit like the 3 km queue when apple bring out yet another phone to replace the earlier, which seemed to work well enough. to me utterly barmy, but as said everyone to their own.

 

[sl500amgsport]

My sister has just bought a new Peugeot 208 with cruise control and says exactly that. I don't know about you but I use it all of the time where ever I am, best thing since sliced bread as far as I am concerned !!

I would not buy a car without cruise control yet my wife never uses it.

The must have list for me is:-
1. Aircon
2. Electric Seats with at least 2x memories
3. Cruise Control
4. Auto wipers
5. Auto lights
6. Heated mirrors
7. Blind spot monitor (missing alas from my SL and I do miss it)
8. Decent music system

Mercedes SL500 R231

 

[ajlsl600]

I would not buy a car without cruise control yet my wife never uses it.

The must have list for me is:-
1. Aircon
2. Electric Seats with at least 2x memories
3. Cruise Control
4. Auto wipers
5. Auto lights
6. Heated mirrors
7. Blind spot monitor (missing alas from my SL and I do miss it)
8. Decent music system

Mercedes SL500 R231

about the same as that tho i would do without electric seats if i found all others my sl has the above and more,frankly i hardly bother with most of it . i use cruise a lot.

 

[coxyhog]

I have high beam assist & haven't used it for ages.I like to control the high beam myself and I think I dazzle less oncoming drivers by doing this.
For the last 3 weeks I've been commuting through darkened lanes morning & evening & I'd much rather dip my headlights before an oncoming car gets within my sights.

 

[John Laidlaw]

I would not buy a car without cruise control yet my wife never uses it.

The must have list for me is:-
1. Aircon
2. Electric Seats with at least 2x memories
3. Cruise Control
4. Auto wipers
5. Auto lights
6. Heated mirrors
7. Blind spot monitor (missing alas from my SL and I do miss it)
8. Decent music system

Mercedes SL500 R231

Hold assist would be up there too...the i8 very strangely doesn’t have it and it’s brilliant imo

 

[EmilysDad]

Hold assist would be up there too... ....

isn't that what your left foot is for?

 

[sl500amgsport]

isn't that what your left foot is for?

Flintstone style with a hole in the floor ?

My left leg has got so used to resting it actually aches if I take a long drive in a manual these days!

Mercedes SL500 R231

 

[EmilysDad]

Flintstone style with a hole in the floor ?

My left leg has got so used to resting it actually aches if I take a long drive in a manual these days!

Mercedes SL500 R231

I just don't drive manuals very far at all these days. There's only Emily that has a manual now & I never have to drive it very far.

 

[sl500amgsport]

Think I need to lose a couple of cylinders as my high beam assist seems to work perfectly all the time, not many 30mph country roads my way thankfully!

Mercedes SL500 R231