Have anyone picked up a Octavia III with the Driver Assistace package (adaptive cruise assist, lane assist and front assist)?

What are your impression of the systems? Does it work well? Any bugs, glitches? Is it helpful during driving or just annoying?

I am very curious to hear since i have just placed an order on a Octavia 4x4 Elegance 150 hp with almost all extras i could find in the list.

I read somewhere that there could be delays if you choose driver assistance package? Any clues why?

Mine gets built next week with those so hoping delivery in 4 weeks will tell you then

Gahh Gahh! Hells bells.

I want a 4x4 elegance with everything. I can only spec 4x4 with SE trim and the dealers know effing eff all about effing anything about effing skoda cars. I can't get a solid date I can order, when I could have it or a price. What gives ?

Can I order a right hand drive from sweden ?

Sorry not useful to you ...

Edited 13 August, 201312 yr by zacherynuk

^{I've had an Octavia Elegance 1.6 TDI DSG on test for five days now which has the lane assist option. I activated it for the first time today and having never used it before it felt like I had a flat tyre at first, as it felt like I was fighting the system, which I probably was. It uses small but significant steering wheel movements to constantly position the car between the white lines, which would be great on long straight roads but on mildly winding A roads and dual carriageways it's always repositioning the car. I tried to relax and hold the wheel very lightly but it seemed to know this and a warning appeared on the dash asking me to hold the wheel tightly again.}

^{I can only describe it as if someone is sitting besides you and has a hold of the wheel and is trying to move it when you don't want or expect it to move which I found really annoying. Maybe you'd get used to it but personally I didn't like it, although as I said it's my first experience of this technology. I wouldn't spec it as I don't feel it's useful to me, although doubtless others will love it.}

^{Let me add that I currently have a Passat CC 2.0 TDI DSG and was worried about the drop in power, but the DSG suits the 1.6 TDI beautifully and I really like the drive, and have done almost 250 miles today alone, and over 750 in the past five days. A really lovely drive which I am pleasantly surprised at.}

^{Just don't go for the 18 inch wheels as the ride is pretty firm, not sports hard but a little over firm for my liking.}

^{The car is from Skoda UK and is loaded with options bringing the price to just over 29k - ouch.}

Edited 13 August, 201312 yr by cnc

I had an Elegance with lane assist for a weekend on demo.  I really disliked it for all of the reasons stated above.  It was particularly evident on Motorways when performing an overtake.  As I was moving right perform the overtake, I felt as though I was fighting against the system as it was trying to keep me in my lane.

 

I'm about to order a vRS (as soon as our corporate lease company pull their finger out!) and unfortunately, Lane Assist is standard - I asked if I could swap it for cruise control but was told it's not possible.

@freddyg, that's because you're supposed to use your indicators when changing lanes! There's no excuse for not doing it.

 

The system will only try to keep you in the lane if you're not indicating. If you are, it won't do anything.

When pulling back to the nearside-lane after an overtake, there is no requirement (see UK Highway Code) to signal your intent.  The system still fights against you.

 

Similarly on a Motorway with light traffic and there's nothing approaching at speed from my rear (obviously I know this as I check my mirrors regulary and before I perform any manoeuvre) there is no need to indicate - who would I be indicating to?

 

Anyway - it's a moot point really as you don't have to turn the system on in the first place :-)

 

Cheers

Freddyg

(Qualified IAM member for both Cars and Motorcycles for many years)

^{The only assist that i like the sound of is the cruise assit with radar. But if you NEED lane assist, park assist, In the words of my wife when she read some peoples spec on here, on there new octavias withn everything assist. "you can't F***ing drive assist if you Need that" and she nevers swears.  I do personally see the benifits of these options but would never spec them on a car. if you can't park a car in the same space the car can, or need a car to tell you that youre not in lane or theres a car in the blind spot, should you be driving. If your medicaly disabled with limited movement these options are for you.}  

As I understand it if you don't signal to overtake out then back in again the system doesn't know you are doing it so will fight you. Its not a great hardship to signal out then in to keep the system happy, it should help promote better communication to other road users and not driver laziness which is quite evident on todays roads.

Edited 14 August, 201312 yr by redandwhitepauly

^{The only assist that i like the sound of is the cruise assit with radar. But if you NEED lane assist, park assist, In the words of my wife when she read some peoples spec on here, on there new octavias withn everything assist. "you can't F***ing drive assist if you Need that" and she nevers swears.  I do personally see the benifits of these options but would never spec them on a car. if you can't park a car in the same space the car can, or need a car to tell you that youre not in lane or theres a car in the blind spot, should you be driving. If your medicaly disabled with limited movement these options are for you.}  

 

I'm with you on the lane assist. I've only really ordered the park assist to get the front parking sensors which will be useful. I'd have been much happier if I could just order the sensors themselves. Still it'll be fun showing it off to family and friends.

^{if you can't park a car in the same space the car can, or need a car to tell you that youre not in lane or theres a car in the blind spot, should you be driving. If your medicaly disabled with limited movement these options are for you.}  

Agree with parking, agree with lane assist. VAG is only doing it because other cars have it. But the blind spot assist, would be a god send. Especially with those new mirrors shaped like donkey ears - O3 have blind spot of a size of a lorry between hatch with poor visibility and current bottom curvature of the mirror.

The parking sensors are the most useful item on my yeti and make parking really easy without craning your neck round all the time, so they were first on my list of features to have. Must admit I agree about the mirrors, they don't seem the best, but neither were the yetis. I will also find it a little harder as the rear visibility of the Octy is more difficult than the yetis and the view from the sloping  rear window will take some getting used to.

^{The only assist that i like the sound of is the cruise assit with radar. But if you NEED lane assist, park assist, In the words of my wife when she read some peoples spec on here, on there new octavias withn everything assist. "you can't F***ing drive assist if you Need that" and she nevers swears.  I do personally see the benifits of these options but would never spec them on a car. if you can't park a car in the same space the car can, or need a car to tell you that youre not in lane or theres a car in the blind spot, should you be driving. If your medicaly disabled with limited movement these options are for you.}  

I see a big advantage with lane assist if I drive long trips on motorways and especially during dawn, night and dusk. If i would, god forbid, fall asleep behind the wheel and start to drift off course and out in the wrong lane or towards the ditch, the system beeps after a few seconds which hopefully wakes the driver.

Yes of course one should stop and have a rest if one feels tired, but still accidents do happen when tired drivers falls asleep.

Yup I did this once years ago after working night shift, then getting in a car to drive 4 hours to a football match and I was very lucky it was 6am in the morning and motorway was quiet as I nodded off and next thing I knew was BANG BANG BANG of the traffic cones flying over my roof as id strayed into a coned off area....nearly crapped myself !!! Taught me a lesson about driving when tired that's for sure

Does anyone know if you can adjust the speed Lane assist switches on? I know at the minute it turns on at 65kph but it would be nice if you could increase that so for example it only comes on when your upto motorway speeds....

Is there not a button on one of the stalks to activate it?

I think it's in the menu, but I'm not sure.

 

Tbh, I always indicate even when I'm completely alone on the road. I think it's a good habit to maintain. Plus, as well as drivers, we're all pedestrians too and it's nice to be able to tell what a car is intending to do when I'm about to cross the street or similar stuff...

I didn't put my post up to annoy or upset and glad so far it has not. My own opinion on all this assist features that cars are getting now, is what's causing the bad and inability to drive with any level of skill. I see to many people relying on the features to do all the work. I know one guy who bought a focus I think, which has the auto park 6 months ago, he can' park for toffe now,if you put him in a car without it.

If it's the same system as on the Golf I borrowed, it's a good option IMO.

ACC is very good with speed limiter

I've had acc and lane assist on my Passat for the past 2.5 years and can probably assume its pretty similar tech.

Lane assist I only use on the motorway for journeys over half an hour. It is very good, I now by habit indicate out and back in. That said it is not a massive force to pull through if you don't indicate. It works most of the time, does not like chevrons at junctions, very faint lines or heavy rain although it can see surprisingly well. Watch out at road works where the white lines continue and the lanes are divreted via the stick on markers.

Adaptive cruise is very good. I use mine in the most aggressive mode as other wise I find it slows down earlier than I would like. You can press the throttle and close the gap. If someone pulls out in front of you it can brake quite aggressively so I tend to cancel and then resume once there is a gap. Occasionally losses car in front on a tight bend, more a roads than motorway. Also does not like snow, I think it builds up on the sensor.

thread hijack/

 

 

Tbh, I always indicate even when I'm completely alone on the road. I think it's a good habit to maintain.

 

An Interesting point this.  I was of the same opinion as you until I completed my IAM advanced driver training.

 

I was pulled up by the observer for indicating when there were no other road users in the area.  He asked why I was indicating and I responded, like you, that it was a good habit to maintain.

 

His response was that if it is a habituat action rather than a conscious decision to indicate you are more likely to do without consciously assesing your situation and appropriately planning your move.  He had a point.  How many times have we seen drivers stick-on their indicators and just move lanes without checking the situation around them?  Personally, loads!  Just because they are indicating doesn't give them the right to pull out no matter what; to some, indicating seems to mean "I'm on my way" - quite often done as they're actually crossing the line.

 

/thread hijack - apoligies for the distracition :-)

thread hijack/

 

 

An Interesting point this.  I was of the same opinion as you until I completed my IAM advanced driver training.

 

I was pulled up by the observer for indicating when there were no other road users in the area.  He asked why I was indicating and I responded, like you, that it was a good habit to maintain.

 

His response was that if it is a habituat action rather than a conscious decision to indicate you are more likely to do without consciously assesing your situation and appropriately planning your move.  He had a point.  How many times have we seen drivers stick-on their indicators and just move lanes without checking the situation around them?  Personally, loads!  Just because they are indicating doesn't give them the right to pull out no matter what; to some, indicating seems to mean "I'm on my way" - quite often done as they're actually crossing the line.

 

/thread hijack - apoligies for the distracition :-)

 

Erm, my reply would have been for the benefit of someone I may not have noticed, rather than just assuming I'd seen everything.

 

I can see the roadworks thing where they change the lines being interesting if the car wants to continue straight into the cones. When enough cars have this kind of tech, it will make for some interesting vandalism by painting new lines on a road diverting into a field

 

His response was that if it is a habituat action rather than a conscious decision to indicate you are more likely to do without consciously assesing your situation and appropriately planning your move.  He had a point.  How many times have we seen drivers stick-on their indicators and just move lanes without checking the situation around them?  Personally, loads!  Just because they are indicating doesn't give them the right to pull out no matter what; to some, indicating seems to mean "I'm on my way" - quite often done as they're actually crossing the line.

 

 

:Give that man a noble prize smiley:

Most people doesn't see it as an 'indicator' but as a 'turn signal. I believe 75% of all people flick the lever as they are turning the wheel because it is a convenient one-motion action.

I gave the lane assist a good try when I test drove the VRS. There are 3 settings: Off, Keep you in the middle of the lane, and give you a buzz when you stray out of lane.

 

So you can set it for your liking and I believe it remembers the setting each time you switch on the car. 

 

It feels rather odd, but I've just driven to Croatia in my Superb and I really could have done with it. Especially in a strange environment on a different motorway I really think it would have helped.

 

Whether I will use it on my VRS I am not sure.

 

I have ordered adaptive cruise with front assist and I would like peoples take on that if anyone has any thoughts. A guy on the VW forum had an issue where it saw a carrier bag and slammed on the brakes in the middle of the road!... should be fun!

 

I also have park assist ordered, but like another commenter that was really for the front sensors.. which I actually find more useful than the rear ones..

I gave the lane assist a good try when I test drove the VRS. There are 3 settings: Off, Keep you in the middle of the lane, and give you a buzz when you stray out of lane.

 

So you can set it for your liking and I believe it remembers the setting each time you switch on the car. 

 

Great, thank you Jakeyc for your information. That was exactly the kind of info i wanted to hear. I will most likely set the system on the third buzz option