Driver assistance package

[s5tuart]

I've scoured the manual and can't find the answer but someone here knows I'm sure.

Does Distronic need to be on to have Active lane assist, pre-safe brake assist plus, collision mitigation and brake assist plus with cross traffic assist active please?

I also can't find how to adjust the audio tone controls for Apple Play.

....not a very productive morning I'm afraid!

 

[sonic]

You will know if active lane assist is active as soon as you start up & move off. Both mirrors will show the yellow triangle, until your speed increases.
Audio tone for Apple Play in in the radio setting, its one of the same.

 

[Ron240]

My car does not have the Driving Assistance Package therefore I do not have Distronic, which is something I am unhappy about because this feature should be included in a top trim spec car, and much lower priced cars from other manufacturers have it included in their top spec.
Anyway...I do have Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Brake Assist which are standard features of the lowest trim spec.
The Driving Assistance Package adds adds a lot of other features with interesting names, but note Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Lane Changing Assist are 2 different features.
I am only able to confidently answer one part of your question - Distronic is one feature of the Driving Assistance Package and it does not need to be active to have Active Lane Keeping Assist, with the latter not being part of the package.
All of the other features you mention should function independently.
Distronic is simply the handy feature that keeps your car a set distance from the vehicle immediately in front.

 

[s5tuart]

Thanks for the replies.
I only ask because when I do change lanes I don't seem to get any warnings.
I'll have to have a proper play but it may be that my Active Steering Assist isn't working.
I'm too much of a wimp to see if Active Emergency Stop Assist is working by driving it at a wall


Ps. Being easily confused i can't remember the myriad of "Active" stuff I have on my car. The minute I read the spec I forget what's what!!

 

[s5tuart]

...and yes Ron. The high end cars should really have Distronic as standard IMHO.
When I was on my buying quest I found sorting through the shooting brake adverts to find out "what was what" a total nightmare until someone here suggested I ask for the VIN and find out that way. That worked well.

 

[BillyBoy]

Lane assist and steering assist are separately controlled by the buttons on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel (on the E class at least) Lane warning assist does not need cruise activated, but steering assist does. Collision avoidance is always active as I'd cross flow detection.

 

[s5tuart]

Lane assist and steering assist are separately controlled by the buttons on the dashboard to the right of the steering wheel (on the E class at least) Lane warning assist does not need cruise activated, but steering assist does. Collision avoidance is always active as I'd cross flow detection.

Aha! I seem to remember something about that!! I'll be having a play later and check that everything is turned on

 

[Ron240]

The terminology is confusing and the precise names that Mercedes have given to their features which may be different to more common terms used by other manufacturers.
Distronic being a prime example, with it being more commonly known as Adaptive Cruise Control.
The lane keeping function that is linked to Distronic in this case would seem to be called Active Steering Assist.
It can all be quite confusing....and sometimes even the manufacturer does not make it clear as crystal.

 

[sonic]

I have had my Active Brake Assist activate twice so far, both times when the car in front was turning off left.
I must have got a little too close for its liking.

 

[Ron240]

I have had my Active Brake Assist activate twice so far, both times when the car in front was turning off left.
I must have got a little too close for its liking.

Haha me too.
I thought to myself FFS calm down I'm completely in control.

 

[EmilysDad]

The terminology is confusing and the precise names that Mercedes have given to their features which may be different to more common terms used by other manufacturers.
.....
It can all be quite confusing....and sometimes even the manufacturer does not make it clear as crystal.

Maybe it's intentional .... Artico springs to mind ....

 

[Botus]

...and yes Ron. The high end cars should really have Distronic as standard IMHO.
When I was on my buying quest I found sorting through the shooting brake adverts to find out "what was what" a total nightmare until someone here suggested I ask for the VIN and find out that way. That worked well.

I walked round north oxford BMW the other month, out of 60 cars !!! only one had active cruise.... the dealers claim the idiots want the m sport looks before the one option they all need

mate had to order his 5 series (taking 3 months) to get it on his... making his at the time (in 2018) only the 6th BMW I'd ever seen with it fitted. Not a single road test I've read on a BMW has mentioned how it works, what its like or that its even fitted... yet one of those 6 was my 335 from 2007 and it was a hell of a lot better than the effort on my s class

 

[Ron240]

Maybe it's intentional .... Artico springs to mind ....

Yes I absolutely believe it is intentional.
Manufacturers like to differentiate themselves from others by giving exclusive names for what is effectively the same thing, which is where it gets confusing for the consumer.
I had no idea what Artico was when I first read it.

 

[Blobcat]

I walked round north oxford BMW the other month, out of 60 cars !!! only one had active cruise.... the dealers claim the idiots want the m sport looks before the one option they all need

mate had to order his 5 series (taking 3 months) to get it on his... making his at the time (in 2018) only the 6th BMW I'd ever seen with it fitted. Not a single road test I've read on a BMW has mentioned how it works, what its like or that its even fitted... yet one of those 6 was my 335 from 2007 and it was a hell of a lot better than the effort on my s class

My 5 Series was the first in the UK with Distronic in Jatoba (Brown). I didn’t want M-Sport which delayed the order substantially

 

[BillyBoy]

I would not (through choice) have a car without the drivers assistance pack now. Like above though, when I specified it on mine, the dealer commented that hardly anyone orders it, and it is very rare on second hand cars.

 

[s5tuart]

I would not (through choice) have a car without the drivers assistance pack now. Like above though, when I specified it on mine, the dealer commented that hardly anyone orders it, and it is very rare on second hand cars.

My shooting brake was hard to find, especially as I wanted Airmatic too

 

[rorywquin]

I've scoured the manual and can't find the answer but someone here knows I'm sure.

Does Distronic need to be on to have Active lane assist, pre-safe brake assist plus, collision mitigation and brake assist plus with cross traffic assist active please?

I also can't find how to adjust the audio tone controls for Apple Play.

....not a very productive morning I'm afraid!

Not on my car.

 

[rorywquin]

I would not (through choice) have a car without the drivers assistance pack now. Like above though, when I specified it on mine, the dealer commented that hardly anyone orders it, and it is very rare on second hand cars.

It is a big cost extra - people are usually buying cars at the limit of what they can afford & do not see additional driver aids as a priority. I ordered all the driver aids I could get for mine and am happy that I have them (although I have been fortunate to never be in anything more serious that a minor bumper bashing in 50 years of driving).

I posted elsewhere how active & passive safety systems (in an Audi Q7 with everything) allowed my son's wife and our grandkids (aged 1 & 4 in safety seats) to survive unscratched from T-Boning a Golf which pulled in front of them, from a side road, when they were doing 70mph....(no idea what the impact speed was). The occupants of the Golf had to be cut out of the car & helicoptered to hospital.

IMO you cannot have too much of anything that will make the journey safer.

 

[barry jones]

I have had distronic on all 6 or 7 of the S Classes I've owned... it is the one feature I would not do without (although driving near Jodrell Bank in Cheshire in a facelifted W221, the distronic shuts off... something to do with the frequency apparently!!)

The active lane keeping on my new S Class is quite subtle and if like me, you have tried its effectiveness by taking your hands off the wheel, a warning flashes up on the dashboard... I recently had an Audi A8 with the same feature and that was soo intrusive, it even tried to steer you back when you were changing lanes

 

[rorywquin]

I have had distronic on all 6 or 7 of the S Classes I've owned... it is the one feature I would not do without (although driving near Jodrell Bank in Cheshire in a facelifted W221, the distronic shuts off... something to do with the frequency apparently!!)

The active lane keeping on my new S Class is quite subtle and if like me, you have tried its effectiveness by taking your hands off the wheel, a warning flashes up on the dashboard... I recently had an Audi A8 with the same feature and that was soo intrusive, it even tried to steer you back when you were changing lanes

The lane keeping in my car will intrude (depending on setting) if I do not use the indicator when changing lanes but can still be "forced" there is nothing in the car that will prevent you overriding any of the aids.

In the last 5 years my son has owned X6>Q7>E53, each with all the extras and although he loves the AMG, he still prefers the Q7 (now the wife's car) driver aids (lane keeping, distronic, nav etc). They have now ordered a Q8 (after test driving all the competition (RR Sport, Volvo, MB G class etc) to replaced the Q7 which was damaged in the accident.