×

[Sponsored] Function in its finest form: Driverless cars are here

Sponsored by Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge

Would you trust a car to brake for you in an emergency? Get used to it: Autonomous driving is already an integral part of our present-day lives. Driverless cars are key disruptors in the technology revolution; however, the main barrier to adoption is the lack of public trust. But let’s be honest, these cars will be better and more efficient at driving than we are, and our roads will become a great deal safer thanks to these advances.

Many drivers welcome enhanced features of autonomous technology, like adaptive cruise control and automatic braking, but they aren’t yet keen on a fully self-driving car. A major advantage in autonomous cars is that their silicon brains won’t do careless things like text while driving, drink and drive, or drive erratically when they’re emotional after a bad day.  As technologies emerge and become more commonly and widely used, they prove themselves trustworthy. We checked in with a trusted automotive technology innovator, Hess Crockett, General Sales Manager at Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge, to see how the 2020 GLE SUV incorporates automation in a way that makes it easy to assimilate.


When parking spots are hard to find and even harder to fit, your car can find a spot and park itself for you. But how does it work?
Augmented reality view or the GLE’s parking package with 360 camera

When you are ready to look for a spot, simply slow your speed below 20 mph. The active parking assist feature will automatically engage at those speeds to find a spot. A blue “P” icon will light up on your trip computer when your vehicle is actively searching. When it locates an available parking space, it will alert you with an arrow icon. The arrow will appear on your dashboard, indicating which side of your vehicle the space is available. The display will instruct you to use the active parking assist feature by putting it in reverse. Press the “OK” button on the display when you are in reverse and ready to go. From there, the active parking assist independently steers your vehicle into place while it still allows you to disengage with the brake if necessary. Experience the 2020 GLE’s automated features for yourself at Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge.


LETTING GO: HOW COMFORTABLE ARE YOU?

Level 1: Automation features some small steering or acceleration tasks being performed by the car without human intervention, but all other functionality is under human control.
Level 2: Compare this to advanced cruise control: The car can automatically take safety actions, but the driver must stay alert at the wheel.
Level 3: A human driver is still necessary, but the driver is able to shift some safety-critical functions to the vehicle, under certain traffic or environmental conditions.
Level 4: Automation is such that a car that can drive itself almost all the time without any human input, but might be programmed not to drive in unmapped areas or during severe weather. This is a car you could nap in while taking a road trip.
Level 5: This delivers full automation in all conditions. Mercedes is currently working on some exciting advancements to take us here.


 

The GLE command center

The GLE’s cockpit is home to an intuitive driving partner. Not only are these hi-tech cars designed for comfort with a quiet cabin, smooth power on-demand and the Mercedes-Benz luxury touches—the system is so polished that the touch-pads even know the difference between the driver’s and passenger’s hand when using gesture controls. The navigation system’s augmented reality leads you to your destination with addresses and directions laid directly over the forward-facing camera display. The Mercedes will even change lanes for you, using the blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping features. All you have to do is turn on the turn signal.

 


OTHER SMART FEATURES TO LOVE

—Mercedes’ EQ Boost electric assist is a mild-hybrid system with a 48-volt onboard motor-generator that can add 21 horsepower for short bursts.
—The 48-volt system also supplies juice to the GLE450’s E-Active Body Control system, which is a combination of air suspension and hydraulic dampers that can control each wheel independently—making for nearly flat cornering.
—Using GPS, the GLE450’s system can read the road ahead and slow down automatically for curves, toll booth plazas and so on.
—Active Speed Limit Assist allows the driver set the cruise control to 65 miles per hour, but when the limit drops to 55 mph, the car will automatically slow down

Experience the 2020 GLE’s automated features for yourself and find out why Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge just won the “Best of the Best ” award for the eighth time.