[PTinVT]

I'm encouraging an older person in my family to get a newer car with brake assist (stop the car for you if you're about to hit something) and lane departure nanny - either warning, or actual steering correction.

Does anyone have real-world experience with recent car models that have these features? What cars do this well or not well?

BMW is not on their shopping list, but (I'm hoping they would step up to) possibly Mercedes or Volvo in the name of maximum safety - theirs, and everyone else's.

[b4hand]

I had a tlx with those features. Never had to use the emergency braking (thankfully), but the Lane Keep Assist worked great. It just alerts you when you're moving out of the lane, and you can also have it steer for you above a certain MPH.

I think most systems now-a-days from the top brands work well, but the more expensive models have better self-driving features. The acura would alert you after about 15 seconds. I know some Mercedes can go like 60 seconds I think.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by PTinVT

I'm encouraging an older person in my family to get a newer car with brake assist (stop the car for you if you're about to hit something) and lane departure nanny - either warning, or actual steering correction.

Does anyone have real-world experience with recent car models that have these features? What cars do this well or not well?

BMW is not on their shopping list, but (I'm hoping they would step up to) possibly Mercedes or Volvo in the name of maximum safety - theirs, and everyone else's.

Yes, I have the braking on my BMW and active-cruise control (the one that follows the car in front of it). My parents have the lane-thing on their subaru. They are older and I encouraged them to get these features. IMO, they are invaluable for any driving where there's other cars. So many people are out there driving like total jackasses IME. I'd be lying if I said the brake assist hadn't saved my rear end a few times. Would I have still been ok? Maybe, but it's the real deal, car pulls out or suddenly hits the brakes, your car will begin braking and slowing MUCH faster than you could ever react, which buys you real time. Just like anything, you still have to pay attention, but this takes a lot of the BS out of driving in traffic and IF you are actually interested in being safe, gives you more ability to use your senses to detect danger/other vehicles, rather than more time to look at your phone. I know in stop-and-go traffic without my active cruise control I go nuts, thinking that it's the most retarded thing in the world to creep along at 2mph changing your speed all over the place. And while this can be done, I've got a master's in human factors and ergonomics and there's only so much processing capacity we have as humans, these systems do work and in my experience they work pretty well as long as you understand the system and it's limitations.

[MalibuBimmer]

Tell the older person to get a Tesla, but not to read or doze off while it is driving him around.

[domino_z]

my RS3 had both the lane departure and the steering assist

the steer assist is very handy on the road, works at freeway speeds to steer the car and remain in the lane - you do have to keep your hand on the wheel as a safety precaution

it was combined with radar cruise, but i found that really annoying, as it won't let you underpass most of the time, and as soon as someone enters your lane it slams on the brakes, not good on the highway, and equally not good in our country where most people don't know how the inside lane works

the radar cruise worked better in stop/start traffic

the m3 lane departure is a bit meh, i leave it off as i hate looking at the orange shit in the cluster