Not my comment, but one by Tiff Nedell (?) on 5th Gear tonight after demonstrating the characteristics of driving through a chicane in a Jaguar on an ice covered track with, and without ESP. If anyone saw it, you would have seen a perfect demonstration of exactly what ESP does. With ESP switched on, he briskly drove the vehicle through a chicane, and with it switched off, he managed to destroy the chicane! I'm unsure of the criteria used, but he stated that Mercedes-Benz specified that 35% of accidents would be avoided if ESP was fitted to vehicles, and Toyota stated this figure as high as 50%. Lots of people on here ask if ESP is worth the

Yep, it's certainly a fair point. If Mr Needell can't avoid the chicane then there's not much hope for the rest of us IMO. I can see it going the way of ABS in the next 5 or so years, that it will appear more and more as standard and will maybe even go as far as ABS has, in that the system will have to be fitted to all volume models sold.

That was a repeat BTW, was the Best of 5th Gear tonight.

Steve

yeah, I've seen those clips before, but agree, ESP should be had where it can, it wasn't the money that stopped me choosing it though, but the fact that I could have a car in 4 weeks if had the one I bought, but LOADS longer to wait it I ordered ESP!

note: should be standard on the vRS !

I saw that programme... totally agree with the ESP, we have it on our octavia and we done similar tests (on a much smaller scale!!) on a runway with and with out ESP and i can confirm it keeps you in complete control.

What annoys me is why 'lower spec cars' are fitted with only front disks & Drums at the rear and only ABS, no other safety features... Like my 1.2 Fabia. I'm sorry but my car weighs close to the same as any 'higher spec' Fabia its no sports car but it will do 70 in the motorway like all the others but yet apparently i'm sposed to try and stop it and keep control of it without any form of aid i'd have more luck throwing out an anchor!

So if Skoda is reading this as i know they do! or anyone else who is in car design.... Please Fit Safety Features such as decent brakes & TCS to all spec vehicles if we all abide by the law we are all doing the same speed at the end of the day be it bottom of the range car or high performance car we all need to stop!!!

What annoys me is why 'lower spec cars' are fitted with only front disks & Drums at the rear and only ABS' date=' no other safety features... Like my 1.2 Fabia. I'm sorry but my car weighs close to the same as any 'higher spec' Fabia its no sports car but it will do 70 in the motorway like all the others but yet apparently i'm sposed to try and stop it and keep control of it without any form of aid i'd have more luck throwing out an anchor!

[/quote']

Thats not really the issue the brakes on your car will be perfectly capable of stopping it from 70mph..

the reason faster cars have bigger more powerful brakes is because they can attain higher speeds faster on say a nice wiggly road.. and it takes more friction and therefore heat to dissipate that extra speed.

if a chipped vrs can get to 100+ in the same time and distance it takes a 1.2 to get to 60.. the vrs will have to brake harder at a corner.

Thats not really the issue the brakes on your car will be perfectly capable of stopping it from 70mph..

the reason faster cars have bigger more powerful brakes is because they can attain higher speeds faster on say a nice wiggly road.. and it takes more friction and therefore heat to dissipate that extra speed.

if a chipped vrs can get to 100+ in the same time and distance it takes a 1.2 to get to 60.. the vrs will have to brake harder at a corner.

very true!

In twenty years of driving I have not put a car in the position where it might touch the extremeties and spin out of control (ok,once in an MG Metro Turbo that I assumed would stick like glue to a road..I was young and inexperienced:O )

It is a good thing yes,but I just drive in accordance with the roads/conditions.I don't normally hang about either.

Sure it has been said before,I think people will be lulled into a false sense of security 'I have ESP ,I am invincible':(

Sure it has been said before' date='I think people will be lulled into a false sense of security 'I have ESP ,I am invincible':([/quote']

What do you suggest - replace airbags with giant spikes or forks that deploy on impact - that would certainly make us drive more carefully!

Just joking (of course) but an interesting idea that the more safety features we have the more complacent we become and the liberties we take.

Sure it has been said before,I think people will be lulled into a false sense of security 'I have ESP ,I am invincible':(

I agree and I've survived without it so far One thing which is also interesting is that people who learn in newer cars equipped with ABS, ESP, etc may become more reliant on it and get into problems if the old banger that they then go out and buy doesn't have it...........

Chris

I agree and I've survived without it so far One thing which is also interesting is that people who learn in newer cars equipped with ABS' date=' ESP, etc may become more reliant on it and get into problems if the old banger that they then go out and buy doesn't have it...........

Chris[/quote']

my instructor actually made me do an emergancy stop with ABS then he removed the fuse and made me do it with out... he said oviously its not strictly by the book but at least then i knew what to do in both situations.

I agree with an earlier comment. If the technology exists as an option then it SHOULD BE a standard feature. It probably will be one day. The manufacturers are more interested in your money than they are in road safety. They will only fit this technology as standard if their competitor does it first.

I agree with Scooby Chris. Take it steady with the technology you have. If you think paying £400 extra is worth it, then get it.

I'd have it on any car in the future. You can drive safely as much as you like but there is nothing you can do about other driversor deer etc. that mean you have to make an emergency manouvre.

Far from giving people a false sense of invincibility I think its those that believe they dont need it who are most likely to crash/be stupid.

Far from giving people a false sense of invincibility I think its those that believe they dont need it who are most likely to crash/be stupid.

If a person thinks they're invincible, then no amount of driver aids can stop them being stupid or crashing, especially if they can be turned off ... as most people on this site with t/c seem to do

Chris

Its not just that though but picture the scene..... you're driving down a B-road at 60mph, car coming the other way in the distance - a large deer runs into the road and stops. You swerve to avoid it, there is some grease on the road...... ESP saves your bacon.

- a large deer runs into the road and stops... ESP saves your bacon.

or venison in this case

deer .

Only met one.Understand there are a few more this time of year though:wmann3:

No amount of ESP's,ASR's,airbags,lifejackets,ejector seats is ever going to save you from the deer who legs it in front of you as you are doing 70 mph.

Look in the back of autotrader at the expensive wrecked cars.ESP didn't save a lot of them.

Not slating it,just don't think it is so special

Of course the demonstration was very good last night and esp is a good feature and should probably be standard on all cars, but if tiff was driving at an appropriate speed for the conditions he was in he would have been able to avoid the chicane without esp too.

My advice to anyone considering ESp or any other driver aid, save £315 and spend £85 on an IAM Skill for Life package.

I've said it hundreds of times, mod the driver, then worry about the car.

:agree:

Of course the demonstration was very good last night and esp is a good feature and should probably be standard on all cars, but if tiff was driving at an appropriate speed for the conditions he was in he would have been able to avoid the chicane without esp too.

The chicane is not meant to represent a real chicane on the road, it is just meant to represent the sort of action you would need to take if a child stepped out infront of your car, or some other sort of unforseen emergency which requires you to swerve while braking then swerve back in again having missed (hopefully) whatever was in your path and avoiding going off the road.

It never ceases to amaze me the amout of idiots that say things like 'I dont need esp' or 'its not that great' or 'i haven't got it and i've never crashed' well hopefully it will never happen to any of you, but even the most perfect law abiding skillfull driver can happen across unforseen emergencies, but if and when you do, believe me, you will be glad you had the esp. some accidents simply can not be avoided without it, that is where the technology comes into its own.

Its proven technology, proven by far greater men than me or any of you for that matter!!

ESP saved my life! Well maybe not, however I have experienced a careless driver come onto the same motorway roundabout twice. I managed to avoid him on both occasions. On the first occasion I was in my old Passat (no ESP), steered (slid) round him and came to a screeching halt sideways on, across the road. On the second occasion I was in my new Passat with ESP and I simply steered round in full control. I was amazed at the different response and would always go for ESP now. Next car might be an Octy.

Its proven technology' date=' proven by far greater men than me or any of you for that matter!![/quote']

Ay.Remember that Top Gear episode with the 'clever' mercedes that drove straight into the back of another car:rolleyes:

Cars still don't drive themselves and by the time they do,the speed limit will be 15mph and we will all have a new version of the Sinclair C5

I suppose it depends on your priorities. No doubt if I got "T-boned" I'd wish I'd gone for the side airbags. But as it happens, everytime I switch on my xenons, I smile thinking "so glad I opted for these".

But I hope ESP does take the lead of other features like driver airbags, abs, power steering and the like, and should become standard on most cars not to far in the future.

Something else to push the price up though :(

Ay.Remember that Top Gear episode with the 'clever' mercedes that drove straight into the back of another car:rolleyes:

That's because they tried to fake it. They knew it wouldn't work in that environment so placed a piece of wood on the floor which when the driver felt the car run over he was supposed to brake. However due to how good the S-class suspension is he didn't feel the wood so didn't brake.

The chicane is not meant to represent a real chicane on the road' date=' it is just meant to represent the sort of action you would need to take if a child stepped out infront of your car, or some other sort of unforseen emergency which requires you to swerve while braking then swerve back in again having missed (hopefully) whatever was in your path and avoiding going off the road.

It never ceases to amaze me the amout of idiots that say things like 'I dont need esp' or 'its not that great' or 'i haven't got it and i've never crashed' well hopefully it will never happen to any of you, but even the most perfect law abiding skillfull driver can happen across unforseen emergencies, but if and when you do, believe me, you will be glad you had the esp. some accidents simply can not be avoided without it, that is where the technology comes into its own.

Its proven technology, proven by far greater men than me or any of you for that matter!![/quote']

Well said, I couldn't agree more with your comments.

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of idiots that say things like 'I dont need esp' or 'its not that great' or 'i haven't got it and i've never crashed'....

I've never crashed in many years of driving, most before ESP was even available, but I'm still pleased that I have self tensioning seat belts, crumple zones, ABS, a passenger safety cell, a laminated windscreen, anti-submarining seats, collapsable steering column, and numerous air bags.......and I add ESP to that list. It's what we call progress. If you don't have ESP now, then it does not matter, but the title of this post says that maybe "Your next car should be fitted with ESP". My opinion is that If you get the opportunity of having it, and you can afford it, then you may as well have it rather than dismiss it. Last winter I played around on an empty ice covered car park, with ESP swiched on, and with it switched off, I was most impressed with the results. What Tiff Needel did last night was very extreme, but it perfectly demonstrated exactly what ESP does.