We Tried Mercedes’ New Self-Driving Tech, And It’s Better Than Tesla Full Self-Driving In One Big Way – SlashGear

Mercedes-Benz achieved approval for Level 4 parking technology (that is, driverless with no monitoring) in December 2022. Our safety demonstrations, though, showed off both Level 2 and Level 3 capabilities, as well as illustrating how the line between them can get a little fuzzy. Mercedes says most of these Level 2 features, which generally fall under the umbrella of active brake assist technology, have been available on the S-Class since 2020.

For example, take the evasive steering assist feature, which reacts to a sharp input by the driver to help avoid an obstacle. It’s a Level 2 feature that must be initiated by the driver to work, although it reacts to the obstacle so quickly and effectively it’s almost as if the car was waiting for the driver to notice. It’s similar to, but not the same as, active brake assist with cross-traffic alert, and a system that helps the car navigate across an intersection if an obstacle approaches. These systems, Mercedes notes, work up to full highway speed, 70 mph, to avoid a crash or at least help mitigate its effects.

There was a slight hiccup in the demonstration of the Level 2 self-parking system. This system doesn’t send the car to a remote spot; it’s more to ease it into a tight spot that might prevent occupants from exiting. The driver has to be within six meters of the car with the key (or smartphone app functioning as key) to work, but extremely windy conditions on the day of our demo meant the car and phone had a tough time communicating. On the upside, Mercedes reps pointed out, the phone requires the user to complete a quick test (following a series of dots on the screen) to prevent the system being activated by, say, an errant toddler.