Driver Assistance Plus vs. Side and Top View Cameras only

[fernande-bmw]

I was looking at the "Driver Assistance Plus" package ($1700) because of the surround cameras and sensors to help with parking, but there are other options with it:

• Active Driving Assistant
• Active Blind Spot Detection
• Side and Top View Cameras
• Speed Limit Info

The speed limit info would be cool, but not sure about the other options.

Does anyone have any real-life comments about the blind spot detection or the driving assistant? The driving assistant has a lot of additional options:

• Lane Departure Warning
• Forward Collision Warning
• Pedestrian Warning
• City Collision Mitigation

Are all the extra options just gimmicks? Or are the actually useful?

It is possible to turn the options on/off individually?

I noticed recently in the configurator that the "Side and Top View Cameras" option can be purchased separately ($750). So, now I am just curious if the extra $950 really add any useful functionality to the car.

I appreciate any information you may provide.

Thanks!

[yocubed]

So I happen to have the DAP package. Honestly I like it but probably didn't need it. To help with your questions, I think the lane departure and Blind spot are nice additions. The lane departure will lightly vibrate the steering wheel if you approach/cross your lane markings. I find it to maybe be a bit too sensitive for my liking and it also goes crazy in a construction zone with lane shifts on my daily commute. Have never had to use the FCW or pedestrian warning but I like knowing they are there.

As for the ability to turn them off.
The buttons replace the drivers side storage under the headlight switch.
Here's the only pic I could find of the buttons online (not my car)



Each is individually turned off if you want.

The features that I like the best of the package are the speed limit info as it also pops up in the HUD, the side/top view cameras and the Blind Spot detection. The others I really could do without but won't complain that I have them.

Hope this helps.

[fernande-bmw]

Great. This information helps a lot. Thanks!

[stevexyz]

I have side/top cams only. I opted not to get the full package because I decided I'd rather not lose the drivers side storage compartment. I'm very satisfied with my decision as I use both virtually every day: the storage compartment for my sunglasses, and the cams to center the car in parking spots.

[Jimbooo]

mines a UK spec car so the packages are different but i have all those options on my F82. ive only had it for two weeks/800 miles but my thoughts so far..

- side view cams - only useful when poking the nose out of my high walled driveway to avoid knocking down the postman. the camera isnt clear enough to rely on for looking for cars/cyclists at junctions. it is occasionally a useful feature but in hindsight the postman can leap out of the way if needed and id rather trust my eyes at junctions.

-top view (surround view) cam - good for centering in parking spaces/avoiding curbs when parallel parking however no front cam so useless when avoiding hitting my front lip on high curbs when parking straight onto a curbed space. this i find really really annoying. also one thing to watch is when raining raindrops run down the mirrors and onto the lens distorting the view. my wife curbed her brand new 3 day old X5 due to raindrops on the lens (sounds better than she messed up!)

active driving assistant - if this is the proximity warning then im not convinced its useful. potentially i suppose if you are not paying attention but i find it blinks at me all the time if im pulling away with any effort into traffic. it seems to assume im about to go flat out beast mode into the back of the car in front and flashes on my HUD to warn me there is a car in front. i do have eyes so not sure this is much use. however if this is linked to the brake preparation then may be of use as in the event of daydreaming if it preloads the brakes then i guess sit could prevent a shunt. in the idrive you can adjust the sensitivity of this so it will allow you to get closer before flagging up a warning.

blind spot detection - invaluable in bad weather. i commute in the dark in winter and when its dark and raining it is quite a skill to pull onto the motorway and change lanes. the car is long and there is always a bit of dithering on my part making sure im not about to pull into comeone in the lane im trying to enter. a quick check of the wing mirror triangle to confirm there is nothing there is useful i use it every day. not to rely on but as an add on check before manoeuvring.

i dont have speed limit info option specced as i tend to drive mostly in the same areas and i know the limits

lane departure warning - i have it turned on but keep meaning to turn off. i think most useful on long journeys otherwise its vibrating all the time on narrow UK roads. you guys across the pond with your big wode roads may find it less intrusive if you have more room between the lines.

i dont have pedestrian warning and not sure about city collision. however the thought of driving my M4 around london does not sound appealing at all!

and yes you can turn most of the "warnings" on and off individually as per the pic above

one option i really really regret not getting was extended storage. i have no hooks in the boot for shopping. this may sound like a small issue but who wants groceries either flying around the boot spilling all over or sitting in your passenger seat making you drive like a granny all the way home so the milk doesnt spill over and burst!.


if in doubt tick everything its a damn expensive car in the first place so to hell with it. just live on bread and water and enjoy the car to its fullest!

[RickFLM4]

Top view camera is the best part of the package, although I wish it showed 360 degrees. I don't recall ever using the side view camera. Speed limit information is nice, but not essential IMO.

Personally, I'm a little disappointed in the active blind spot detection because it was one of the primary reasons I got the package. I find the indicators more difficult to see than in my last car, an Audi. It works - just not as easy to notice when the light is on. Maybe its because my car and the light are both orange.

I leave frontal collision warning "on" but it hasn't done much for me as I don't drive much in cities and generally pay attention when driving. It doesn't do much on highways except tell you when you are tailgating - to effect a stop you need to be going at lower-than-highway speeds (35 MPH, I believe). I leave the lane departure "off".

IIRC the difference in price between the package and cameras only is around $1,000 so I didn't dwell on it too much and just got the package, particularly since it was the only was to get the active blind spot assistant. Despite being a little disappointed in that feature I'd probably order it again for the price difference.

[fernande-bmw]

Thanks for all the valuable information. Good food for thought!

I think this comment kind of summarizes the feeling:

Originally Posted by Jimbooo

if in doubt tick everything its a damn expensive car in the first place so to hell with it. just live on bread and water and enjoy the car to its fullest!

Thanks!

[shoei]

I have all those features and I can tell you I've looked at side / top view cameras maybe a couple of times... I do use the backup camera but just for my garage / car fits like a condom in said garage...

HUD I've had in the past three cars (F80 is 4th car with it) and I can't imagine life before... Speed limit notification is nice but it's not like I listen to it anyways... But the rest of the options that pop up, highly useful - especially the songs or movie playlist (my car is coded)
Plus they have a specific M HUD which is pretty nice looking...

Blind spot I don't feel works as good as other cars... Either it's not bright enough or just in an awkward place...

Collision warning - 99% annoying but that 1% it did save my ass big time...

Lane departure it's efficient but after a short period with the car, you forget about it completely by becoming desensitized about it...

Food for thought - if you get exec package it also include free extended leather...

Hope that helps...

[Reach]

Yep. I debated the same and ended up ordering the full DAP.

I LOVE the top-view cameras. We all lament the lack of including a forward camera, but the top views can still see about 6" in front of the bumper, and it's enough to still be able to use it to pull right close to a wall. I use this for parking every single time.

Side view cameras... less useful. They came with the package, what can I say.

Blind spot detection I find to be a great feature. I haven't had it on my car before but my wife's SUV has it so I know about these systems generally. I think it's nice and un-obtrusive, but still always noticeable. I don't agree with the earlier complaint. If you happen to signal a lane change (like you're supposed to do) and then begin to merge into a lane while it senses an obstruction, it will vibrate the steering wheel at you something fierce to make sure you really want to do that. A nice feature. Saves "near misses" frequently, and if it saves a real incident only once in the car's life it will obviously have been worth it.

Lane departure is annoying day-to-day, but I can turn it back on for long trips when it might catch me daydreaming.

Active driving assist is another that I haven't had use for, but I like that it's there and on. Another feature that if it saves the car once in it's life, it will have been well worth it.

[alz0rz]

I just went through this myself, granted I have not gotten the car yet, but I decided on just getting the side and top view cameras and save the $1,000.

[stevexyz]

Originally Posted by fernande-bmw

Thanks for all the valuable information. Good food for thought!

I think this comment kind of summarizes the feeling:

Thanks!

Just remember, picking the option deletes the driver side storage compartment.

[ND40oz]

I'm not a big fan of the city collision mitigation. I had a bike pass me and cut back over quickly when I was going roughly 40 mph and at first I thought the car was dropping the transmission. The red car on the HUD flashed instead of just showing up like it does for the forward collision warning and it used the abs system to slow the car. I'm pretty sure it downshifted as well but with all the flashing going on on the hud I was still trying to figure things out when it turned back off as the motorcycle sped away.

Speed limit info is worth the extra $950 on its own on top of the side and top view camera cost. Use it constantly as the speed limits change a lot where I live.

[SoDamnCrispy]

I opted out of this package and just got the side and top view cameras. I had the blind spot monitoring on my F30, but I still look to the sides to check my blind spots as to I never really trusted the system. I don't know if it was just my car, but I could be in a completely empty road, and the thing would still be detecting something when nothing was there. Brought it in for service several times and they found no problems with it. I also like that I get a compartment on the drivers side now.

[mazharracer]

When u r building a 70+k whats another $950 i say you go for it.

[yungster]

I found the speed limit really useful on my ED. I'm not used to looking for the different speed limit signs in Germany so would often miss a change (and it changes a lot on the autobahn). Also, not knowing the default speed limits around the cities, it really helps to have it appear in the HUD.

Also, you can get a pic like this

[woobiee]

I also only got the side/top cams but I should note that I've tried parking with and without the cams. Using without the cams generally yielded a better parking job.

Never for a second thought about getting the DAP. Honestly those features in the package would annoy the hell out of me on a daily basis -- no offense to anyone who got it. I just want to drive with as little distractions or automation as possible which is getting harder and harder to find with the current state of modern cars.