Is BMW Driving Assistance Professional Package Worth It?

Hello, the details of the $1700 Active Driving Assistant Pro package are a little hazy in the US build configurator’s description. The following is the description:

Innovative camera- and radar-based driver assistance systems offer partially automatic assistance to promote comfort. When a health emergency occurs or there are unexpected vehicles or pedestrians in front of the car, features like Steering and Lane Keeping Assistant, Lane Change Assistant, and Evasion Aid help the driver.

Even my dealer is unsure exactly what is included in this package and what is normal. For instance, improved cruise control keeps the car’s distance from the vehicle in front of it. monitoring for blind spots, etc.

Do you know for sure what is included in the base model and what is actually included in this package?

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I disabled the “bump the wheel” steering aid feature, leaving simply vibration and, I believe, dash alert. The vibration is quite minor—much less so than with my F250.

I also disabled the speed limit help. I think that feature is fairly terrible. The automobile jack-knifing at my specified speed bothers me. The wheel’s LIM button is simple to bump. In my opinion, that feature belongs in a menu, not on the steering wheel.

The steering assist, which I’m sure is the improper name for the device that does some of your driving, is quite effective. I don’t use it as frequently as the ACC, but it’s better than my Tesla was. I like that switching it on and off with just one button press doesn’t involve any fuss.

Excellent, I’ll be delighted as long as I can toggle the majority of it. Still think it was a strange decision to leave this specific package out of the M50 when choosing the trim. Well, anything. I appreciate your responses.

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I own an i4M50 with the Driving Assistant Pro bundle that is a US model. Using the driving assistant pro, the car handles highway driving well, navigates curves on its own, and uses the cruise control to maintain a set speed and distance. Every 45 seconds or so, the steering wheel symbol in the driver’s display will depict hands touching it; if you don’t touch the wheel, the autopilot will turn off. On the steering wheel, there are yellow LED bars that illuminate during all autopilot functions, including parking and auto reverse. I also have self-parking, which is a little odd because it will only park in places that are parallel or diagonal; this was confirmed by BMW. I’m shortly embarking on my first long-distance journey, so I’ll test this out more thoroughly.

I observed that BMW does not particularly promote this feature, possibly on purpose for the time being. I do believe that the existing system and sensors/cameras can support fully autonomous driving. BMW will only need to upload a few firmware upgrades and enable it. The present capabilities actually caught me off guard, and I discovered that the feature only functioned by accident.

Does the Driver Assist Package offer value?

According to a research by the American Automobile Association (AAA), driver-assist systems in modern cars are frequently faulty, which could undermine the safety advantages they provide. The association looked at five different 2019 and 2020 models, and discovered that the systems had faults roughly every eight miles.

What is the cost of the BMW driver aid package?

With the exception of the Driver Assistance Pro Package ($1700 option on the BMW builder), it has everything I’m looking for. Does this matter? I have two options: I can build one from an allotment or I can go for this automobile and obtain it immediately.

Can you add a kit of driving aids to a BMW?

Which Models Have a BMW Active Driving Assistant? On more expensive BMW cars like the 5 Series and X5, this feature is standard. You can still choose to have this technology in your new BMW vehicle because other models provide this suite as an optional system.

Is BMW pursuing autonomous driving?

BMW and Qualcomm announced that after appearing in BMW vehicles starting in 2025, they will make their jointly created autonomous-driving platform available to other automakers.

According to the partners, BMW will employ the Snapdragon Ride automated driving platform, which was created with assistance from Arriver, a company that specializes in developing autonomous driving software, which Qualcomm acquired last year as part of its acquisition of Veoneer. Chips provided by Qualcomm serve as the foundation of the platform.

According to Nakul Duggal, head of automotive at Qualcomm Technologies, the platform would be made available to other automakers and tier one suppliers after it is utilized in BMW automobiles starting in the middle of the decade.

The goal is to create an open platform that can adapt to different vehicle kinds and geographical areas as needed, according to Duggal.

For automobiles running Qualcomm’s New Class platform, BMW’s Automated Drive suite of technology will convert to utilising the Snapdragon Ride platform.

According to Nicolai Martin, BMW’s head of driving experience, this platform, created with Mobileye, is presently being rolled out in the iX electric SUV and the soon-to-be-released 7-Series replacement vehicle.

The UKL small platform, which is used for BMW compact automobiles and the Mini brand, and the CLAR platform, which is used for larger BMWs, will be replaced by the New Class electric-first architecture lineup.

To cut expenses, it is being made available to other automakers and suppliers. Martin stated, “We are developing a highly effective structure for greater income for all stakeholders.

The goal, according to Duggal, is to establish economies of scale that will enable automakers to quickly scale-up technological advances that, if implemented independently, would need a substantial investment. Developing closed systems, he continued, significantly lengthened the time to market.

According to Duggal, the BMW/Qualcomm/Arriver package would resemble a “bookshelf,” allowing users to choose what they require and also send data back to the “depository” to enhance the overall quality of the product.

With the new 7-Series sedan, BMW will introduce Level 3 hands-free driving capacity; however, the new system, starting in 2025, will enhance that capability, according to Martin.

In order to improve the functionality and provide an even better product, he remarked, “We will reuse the IP [intellectual property] we generated in the current generation for the base.”

For instance, according to Martin, the new Level 3 system might incorporate more roads besides motorways, low-temperature driving, night driving, and tunnels in the so-called operational design domain (ODD) for hands-free use.

Last year, Germany authorized the use of Mercedes-Level Benz’s 3 Drive Pilot on highways at speeds up to 60 kph (37 mph)

According to Martin, midsize cars built on the New Class platform will be the first to receive the new hardware and software for automated driving.

BMW would probably provide two options: Level 3 capable vehicles would receive an updated sensor package that included “additional lidars,” while Level 2 Plus vehicles would receive “address to address capabilities” via an over-the-air update.

While Level 3 gives the vehicle and manufacturer management and legal accountability, Level 2 Plus comes very close to hands-off driving but still requires the driver to be in complete control of the vehicle at all times.

BMW offers hands-free driving, right?

The seventh-generation 7 Series from BMW features a new Highway Assistant package with increased hands-free functionality.

The new BMW i7 EV is a part of the expanded 2023 7 Series lineup, which will make its debut on April 20. It is not a stand-alone model. The i7 will have all the same features and technologies as every other 7 Series vehicle, with the exception of its electric motor. This includes a new driver-assistance suite that adds long-distance hands-free driving to the BMW lineup for the first time.

This Level 2 driving aid, known as Highway Assistant, operates at 85 mph on pre-mapped sections of US freeways. Similar to GM’s Super Cruise or Ford’s new BlueCruise systems, BMW refers to Highway Assistant as a “Level 2 Plus” technology since it has improved capabilities that enable hands-free driving for extended periods of time.

The process is easy. I push the on/off button on the left side of the steering wheel to turn on the lane-keeping and adaptive cruise control while traveling on the German A8 autobahn west of Munich. The i7 is ready to take the wheel when a steering wheel icon appears in the digital gauge cluster. As of right now, the i7 acts as a typical Level 2 driver-assistance system, similar to what BMW already offers and combining adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping features. Here, the i7 performs the work while I can just barely keep my hands on the wheel. However, unlike other configurations, the wheel doesn’t require driver inputs to register torque in order to continue operating. It stays on as long as it recognizes that I’m touching the wheel in any way.

Does lane assist make sense?

Lane-keeping assist is a useful feature of driverless technology, even though self-driving automobile streets are decades away. 40% of fatal crashes, according to a 2014 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) research report, featured drivers who mistakenly veered out of their lane.

How does the BMW lane assist function?

You can tailor BMW Lane Departure technology to your preferences. To identify painted lines on the road, the technology makes use of cameras mounted on the BMW. The steering wheel will vibrate and adjust your car if it notices that the BMW is veering into another lane or is perhaps in danger.

What is the purpose of driver assistance?

Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS), often known as driver assistance, are technologies that increase the safety of motor vehicle travel by automating, enhancing, or modifying part or all of the duties involved in driving a vehicle.

Driving is made more enjoyable and simple with the help of driver assistance, which also improves vehicle and traffic safety. While some technologies aid in driving, others, including lane departure and tiredness detection, warn the driver of mistakes or dangers. Driver assistance can also refer to other driving activities including navigation, route planning, and obstacle detection in addition to vehicle control.

Both straightforward technologies, like anti-lock brakes, and complicated systems, like the technology and software running a driverless automobile, are included under driver aid. Radar, lasers, machine vision, and other position-detecting technologies are some of the most sophisticated systems that take over control of the vehicle.

The field of driver assistance is young. In particular, there are some technological and ethical issues with improved driving assistance. While technological issues can be resolved with advancements in cutting-edge technology like artificial intelligence and machine learning, ethical issues can be more challenging to resolve. Moral concerns about the viability of autonomous driving systems arise in challenging circumstances like occupant vs pedestrian safety. Technology firms like Google have partnered with automakers like General Motors and Ford to spearhead continuing studies, inquiries, or dialogues concerning these moral conundrums. In an effort to inform the moral judgments made by artificial intelligence, academic programs like MIT’s Moral Machine have also focused on the problem.

What is included in the driver aid package?

The following improvements are included when you choose the Driver Assistance Package: Active Distance Assist Distronic with Extended Restart: Adaptive cruise control that can stop the car in stop-and-go traffic, maintain a safe distance behind traffic in front of it, and automatically restart after 30 seconds.

The BMW lane change assistant is what?

Learn how to use the Lane Change Assistant to change lanes automatically in this video. When changing lanes on multilane roadways, the driver is assisted with the Lane Change Assistant. Push and hold the turn indicator lever in the desired direction until the resistance point to momentarily indicate, if the traffic circumstances permits lane changes. After a brief period, you will experience steering assistance in the desired direction and an instrument cluster with a green arrow when changing lanes.

View the remaining episodes of the BMW How-To Series, and be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.