jlc

When we ordered our S4, I'd read on the forums about people being surprised when DAP quietly turned itself off mid-curve, if it couldn't find the lane markers, if there was a wall that confused it, et cetera--enough to feel certain that it very definitely wasn't for us. However, since then, I've been reading sometimes-glowing reviews of the DAP, w/people writing that if one takes the time to learn how it really works, it's great, and that the issues people are complaining about are primarily due to user error. While I'm certain there's some level of user-ignorance involved, I'm also wondering if the driving environment (road conditions, locally accepted (as opposed to legal) driving rules) is a significant source of the difference b/t the love and hate crowds.

So: if you drive in the NYC metro area and have DAP, how does it work for you? I'm most curious if it can handle the morning commute into Manhattan from Westchester and lower Fairfield counties, both via I-95 and the Merritt & Hutch. (I'm thinking particularly of the time period around 8-8:45a, when the middle and right lanes of I-95 are slow, but still gappy enough to allow fast left-lane traffic to work its way, though with some effort, around the inevitable left-lane-dawdlers moseying at ~75 mph. If you can use DAP at all, are you mostly confined to the middle lane? Or?) Also, how does it manage the execrable stop-and-surge reverse evening commute? Can it maintain the short nose-to-tail distance b/t cars to sufficiently discourage opportunistic cut-ins? How does it respond to the construction (the oddly placed K-rails, the brief appearance of conflicting lane markers, the giant trucks parked around blind corners)?

Separately: has anyone used DAP in Manhattan (say, south of 96th Street) w/o causing seriously turbulent flow in the traffic around them? I can't see how this would be possible, outside of the pre-dawn hours when the streets are relatively sparse, but would be delighted to hear otherwise.

markcincinnati

The current version of DAP qualifies as Level-2 automation. Traffic Jam Assist works well and it does/can provide acceleration, braking, and steering -- for limited periods of time. You are required to touch the steering wheel to keep TJA alive. Adaptive Cruise Control with automatic go is typically more of a benefit, in my almost 9,000 miles of experience. Our "big town" of Cincinnati may only rarely translate to the traffic afforded drivers in NYC, but in heavy traffic -- short of a jam -- I find DAP's ACC is a set and forget feature.

Mostly, unless I'm using TJA, I engage ACC at the posted speed limit +10. Of course, I have to steer, but -- with "distance" set to position one (1) -- I find ACC to be most helpful and a bit of a stress reliever in that it keeps me moving along and not as frustrated as I would be without it. Once traffic opens up I can also enjoy -- if that is even possible these days -- the Interstate commute thanks to ACC.

Level-3 automation can't come soon enough -- at least based on what I've read about the capabilities of the new A8. If only cars could be upgraded like airplanes. Small private plane owners are often able (or required) to upgrade the avionics in their planes. It would be fantastic if I could add the requisite hardware to my S4 and upgrade the software and graduate to Level-3 automation. Level-2 is good, but it has proven, for me, to be more of a foretaste of what's coming, what's possible -- hence Level-2 is more like watching a well-crafted/edited movie trailer. It makes me want to see the whole movie!

At this stage, I can't imagine what it would be like to "go back" and lose ACC, TJA and the automatic headlights. Yet, at the same time, I grow more impatient for the next gen automation.

How or even if this might translate to driving in the NYC metro area I'm not entirely sure. It seems, based on my experience, that ACC does translate and should be a godsend for you jlc.

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I tell myself that an RS5 SB with Level-3 automation would be, at this stage of evolution, a huge step up. Then, I recall just how often (or seldom, perhaps better said) I've been able to exercise the performance afforded by the S4's engine, transmission, and suspension. It is probably safe to assume that the upcoming S4 will again improve upon the performance of the B9 S4 (just as the B9 moved the ball forward vs the B8 and B8.5); so, perhaps I should keep my $15,000 (my estimate of the premium an RS will command) and recognize the virtual impossibility of exercising even the S4's capabilities. Maybe Audi could offer an S4+ with many/most of the non-underhood bits of an RS model.

Daydreaming , , ,

seven-six-two

I think the important thing to remember is that LKA stands for "Lane Keep Assist", rather than "self-steering" or "piloting". It's designed to nudge you back into your lane if you drift over the line, not to steer the car around a bend fluidly. Yes, at slow speeds it can do "TJA" and follow the car in front, being mindful of the traffic lines, but again, this isn't about steering, but "bump-stops" at left and right. Which is probably why you can set the LKA to be early or late in application.

I like to see it as going bowling with your five year old and putting the gutter bumpers up.

After the novelty of LKA wore off (about 3 weeks for me), I find that I seldom turn it on as it doesn't track naturally to my mind and often "loses lock". Only Tesla have cracked that with a ton more cameras, sensors and compute power.

For now, I'm very happy with ACC-only in traffic as it works fine in all conditions by watching the car ahead and if you set it real close, it will tail-gate just fine and for me I find it can follow a little too closely, but I'm just a hippy Oregonian. If you want a car with an aggressive personality, you still need the human component.

I can see that one day I may be driving down I-5 from Portland to Redding, CA and upon crossing the CA border hear my Audi announce: "Increasing self-driving ******* coefficient to geographical norms. Speed limit overrider adjusted to plus 15mph. Blinkers disabled. Air horn secondary systems enabled..." *snort*

jlc

Seven-six-two, thanks for the smile and laugh. "Bump-stop" would explain nicely a lot of the dismay I'm finding elsewhere, as people seem to think (and are trying to let) the car steer on its own. Fwiw, hippies and I get along just fine. Home for me is an extremely relaxed small liberal town in upstate NY, where the driving is only tricky b/c of the topography and weather (and, I suppose, the fact that the bizarrely-angled roads were put in place long before "city planning" was remotely a thing). Unfortunately my husband has chosen a profession that keeps us from actually being home much; until he decides to do something else, we're effectively tied to the NYC area, and I've been required to learn how to drive w/a significantly higher ******coefficient than is in my nature.