Peter Williams

Has anyone tried out all the new driver assist features?

How well do each of them work? Which ones are worth getting?

DirkM

ACC alone is worth it to me, on the interstate at least. It's reliable technology by now once you get used to its "driving style". Not much in the city but on the interstate.

Lane Assist is more hit and miss than traffic sign recognition, what's worse is that Lane Assist doesn't detect lanes reliable enough to be relied on when you really need it. I have it on now all the time, even in the city, set to late warning/correction, and sometimes I let the car drive on its own on purpose (when nobody else is around). Sunny day, 35mph city driving, lanes detected according to the VC/HUD, I approach a slight curve and instead of following the curve Lane Assist just turns off. Not even a bing that it did so. So I end up in opposite traffic (no traffic, no risk, just a test). Did that twice so far and decided to not trust that system. If Lane Assist takes over steering its mostly not very smooth, more like a student driver that tries to figure out how to drive curve smoothly.

Traffic sign recognition can get better, and maybe it does get better once Audi enables cloud based sharing and dynamic map updates. There should be a +/- 5%/10%/15%/20% option for ACC to allow driving a little over/under the speed limit. Does anybody even try to drive 55mph in a 55mph zone?

Didn't try the high beam assist yet but don't like that I have to turn it on each time I turn on the ignition.

lsbuffs

I had most of these features on my last car, a 2015 Acura TLX Advance. I've found the same technologies work better on the Audi, especially the Lane Assist. Lines are picked up more reliably than in my last car, and I do especially like how the system will detect just one side of the lane (either the left or right). For example, if you're driving down a road with a center median and no lane marking on that left side, but you do have lane markings on the right, it will stay operational to notify of drift to the right. On my Acura, if I didn't have lane markings on both sides, the system wouldn't engage.

As mentioned, it can be a bit hit and miss but in my experience when visible lane markings are there, they are nearly always picked up. As the previous poster mentioned, the car won't generally accommodate all curves, and that experience was the same in my last car.

I too leave my Lane Assist on all the time. Adaptive Cruise Control works well, but haven't yet tried to use the Congestion Assist. Agree on the High Beam Assist...would be nice if it was enabled automatically.

Regarding Traffic Sign Recognition, it seems there may already be some map-based knowledge of speed limits? I've been on some roads that haven't yet shown signage, yet the system is showing me the proper speed limit. I assumed it was accessing some speed limit data, perhaps not. I'll try to test that out a bit more.

adg44

The lane assist us purposely not butter smooth when driving you back into your lane, as it is an asssit and it is trying to get your attention. It is not supposed to drive itself. You will notice however that traffic jam assist is smooth.

The nav will display a speed via the map data if the camera traffic sign recognition doesn't see a speed limit. The camera will take priority, however.

No driver assist system is perfect, but this one definitely is best in class for features and functionality.

SYMAWD

Lane assist will really only take a turn on the highway (60 MPH+). Speed limits are based on navigation data when the camera cannot detect a sign.

Nullman

Traffic Jam assist is the DA feature I am most interested in. Unfortunately, I sit in traffic every weekday. I hope to use it on my daily commute - it's the reason I ordered a Prestige in the first place.

jbkriss

Is Traffic Jam Assist the same as Congestion Assist? When I'm sitting in traffic with ACC on and the vehicle detects that I'm in traffic, it displays "Congestion Assist." I hit the set button and the vehicle takes over the stopping and going. If I take my hand off the wheel long enough I am prompted to take over steering. So are Traffic Jam Assist and Congestion Assist the same? I can't tell any difference from the manual and I've been driving the new Q7 for a little over a month. Thanks.

adg44

Yes.

SYMAWD

Yeah, Audi uses the terms interchangeably.

OhSee Dee

Is there anyone with drivers assist package that would be willing to create a good demo video of what it can do? Specifically how well can it handle steering, gas/break during traffic jam assist? How often do you have to put your hands back on the wheel, etc.? I've watched some videos on youtube, but non are really that great. I spent about 3 hours a day in stop/go traffic in and I'd love to see how this would benefit my commute. I have just adaptive cruise control now in my BMW i3. I cant find a dealer in LA area with this package so I have not been able to test it myself. Thanks.