C63 Driving Assistance Package

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GSEH88

Active Member
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
152
Location
London
Car
AMG C63S Estate, AMG C63 Black Series, Porsche Cayman GT4 & Porsche 964 Carrera 2 Cabriolet
As the spec of my new C63S Estate is soon to be frozen I am still trying to decide whether to include the Driving Assistance Package. I normally steer clear of this level of electronic nannying but really appreciate the intelligent cruise control on my Audi in the London traffic jams. My salesman tells me I can switch off everything apart from Distronic Plus if I want to. So my question is "Exactly how clever is Distronic Plus?". Last weekend I read an American review of the C63 (which I can't find now!) which seemed to say the DAP even steered the car in traffic jams up to a certain speed. There is no mention of this in the brochure which doesn't even clearly state if the system is as clever as Audi's which will decelerate, brake to a halt and accelerate relative to the car in front in traffic jams. There are so many variations of the package that it's difficult to tell which bits apply to the C63. I hope you guys can fill me in on the details.
 
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So my question is "Exactly how clever is Distronic Plus?". Last weekend I read an American review of the C63 (which I can't find now!) which seemed to say the DAP even steered the car in traffic jams up to a certain speed. There is no mention of this in the brochure which doesn't even clearly state if the system is as clever as Audi's which will decelerate, brake to a halt and accelerate relative to the car in front in traffic jams.
As you say there are different versions of the DAP that provide different functionality. If you take a look at the e-brochure for the W205 C-Class, it says that the Driving Assistance package (Option Code DP2) comprises:

  • Active Blind Spot Assist
  • Active Lane Keeping Assist
  • BAS PLUS with Cross-Traffic Assist
  • DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot
  • PRE-SAFE Brake with pedestrian detection
  • PRE-SAFE PLUS
The definition for DISTRONIC PLUS with Steering Assist and Stop&Go Pilot is:

DISTRONIC PLUS is a radar assisted cruise control that helps the driver to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead, even when braking to a stand-still. Steering Assist tracks road markings and the path of the vehicle ahead to keep the vehicle on track.​

So it will brake to a halt and accelerate away again if required, and it will carry out autonomous steering (up to a particular speed).

I have an earlier version of Distronic Plus on my W212 E63 which doesn't have autonomous steering, but it's still great.
 
Thanks for your response and clarification Phil. I couldn't understand why your info was different from the details given in the e-brochure I had but I've just realised mine is from Dec 2014 but there's a new one from June 2015 and the spec and price of DAP has changed. The December version cost £1495 and only included blind spot assist (non active), Distronic plus (no steering assist or stop & go pilot), Lane keeping assist (non active) and Pre-safe (no elaboration on Plus or Pedestrian detection). There was also no mention of BAS Plus. So for £200 the latest version of DAP throws in quite a few more features. For me the extra functions for Distronic Plus are enough to tempt me into ticking the box. Thanks again for clearing up my confusion.
 
Hi,
We have everything except the automatic steering on our ML63 and it is simply amazing.
The auto steering would be the icing on the cake!
Cheers
Steve
 
I have written quite a bit about this having gone from serial Audis to a C63 a couple of years ago.

initially I loathed it :
Cars: We All Fall in Love With Our Models: C63 AMG. More is Less? Options That Make or Ruin Your Car

A year later it had grown on me a bit:
Cars: We All Fall in Love With Our Models: DISTRONIC PLUS: Brave New World

Today all the blind spot/ lane monitoring stuff is still turned off and only the comedy beep telling you that you are about to crash still irritates me. We all shout "Daffodil" when it beeps in our family as it is set off by the flowers on the edge of my drive.

It is quite good in traffic, much better in Motorway jams and constant speed traps. I am actually quite reliant on it, as I found when I drove our V12 Vantage and forgot that I had to decide how hard to brake in it.
 
I have this on my E63 and it's bloody brilliant. I don't think I can ever have a car without it again. It just takes the stress out of driving in stop and go traffic.

Paul.
 
Thanks all for the encouraging comments although rjmghome's mention of beeps is rather worrying. Despite that, the box is now ticked. Now for the long wait till delivery.......
 
Hi Mr Don! Yes I still love it to bits and since I have "THAT" engine, I have the excuse to swap my saloon for the new car. I drove the new C63 (non S version) around the Brooklands track and to be honest, I wasn't wholly convinced. It's certainly faster, especially in the mid range but the pops and bangs on down-changes seem to have gone too far and now seems slightly too contrived. Thankfully, rear traction is much improved and good turn-in makes the car seem more agile. I've ordered the C63S Estate as I don't like the drooping tail of the saloon (and the resulting reduced boot). Build date is end of October with delivery estimated about 20 November. Fingers crossed there are no delays and I can't wait for my new toy! Hope you're well.
 

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