[dmanb2b]

Hate to say this but sunroof cracking is pretty common, not just on this platform. All it takes is a small imperfection. The bigger the sunroof, the greater the risk.

Edit...the tinting sunroof thing is somewhat real and somewhat myth as well. I would almost prefer to have additional film for protection, in case of catastrophic failure, liked noted above.

[Wild Blue]

Day 12 of Road Trip
Stationary in Sedona, AZ
Total Miles: 2,967

Another day of extra snow in Northern Arizona. Was crazy all day, going from heavy snow, to sleet, to rain, clouds lifting a bit, and then back to heavy snow. Visibility dropping to a few hundred feet at some points.

Same view off the room balcony today, can't see more than a few hundred feet.





Good news is, today's the end of the storm, so tomorrow should be epic, with clear sunny skies forecast at the Grand Canyon. Hope to get epic pics there.





Daughter and I ventured around the Sedona area, seeing some of the bigger sights. Weather cooperated for some, not for others. First stop was Cathedral Rock, a Catholic chapel built on top of a rock formation.





Walking up a long ramp to the Cathedral yields outstanding views. Thankfully, we caught a lull in the storm, and could actually see some!

See my baby in the bottom of that pic? She looks sexy even from way above.











Out in the distance there you see Cathedral Rock. I think that house at the bottom is pretty awesome, too. That garage deserves some primo Bimmers.





Inside the cathedral is beautiful too, and had the visibility been better, would have been stunning in the windows behind Christ.





Driving around to an actual vantage point for Cathedral Rock, weather was terrible, lifted a bit, and then went way back down. I was able to snap a quick so-so pic before it plunged. 3 minutes after this picture, you couldn't see the mountains at all anymore.








Stopping for gas under an awning, I thought I'd show for my X7 brothers how the mud flap experiment is going. They're functionally doing an outstanding job of keeping road spray from kicking up, even with all the snow and slush here. (side note: again, in the first pic you can see the only visible edge of the PPF on the car, where the film cuts across at the bottom of the front door. Not outrageous, but something I notice)

I continue to enjoy how diverse and wide the scenery, culture, and weather is that I'm experiencing on this trip, across our great country. Everything from beach sunshine to high mountain heavy snow, and everything inbetween.

[Wild Blue]

So, I wanted to share my thoughts on some car performance stuff.

First, I can't tell you how relieved I am, I put on the winter wheel and tire set. With the heavy snows, sleet, and ice here at this part of the road trip, I'd be very nervous, if not outright dangerous, driving with the slick summer tires. That's just something we learn well in Alaska. With the winter tires, the car is a rock, stuck to the pavement. Didn't have a single slippage or the slightest skid all day. At any speed. Even slow around hairpin turns enroute to sites.





It got baaaaad today, but the X7 didn't blink. This was actually pretty much the first time I used the wipers all trip. I was a bit surprised they weren't more "beefy", but they worked fine. Just looked a little thin to me. Hope they'll do as well in some of the heavier snowstorms.

Loving how the rain, snow, and slush beaded up and/or just slid off the hood, with the ceramic coating today.

Rain-sensing wipers? Love 'em. Especially in a climate like Seattle, where you often get drizzle that will fluctuate from light to strong and back, it's just so nice to not have to constantly adjust your wiper speed/interval. Driving a car without 'em, you quickly appreciate how great that feature is.

Enjoying the climate rules, where the car automatically turns on the seats and steering wheel heating when outside is below a certain temperature. I just wish with the steering wheel heat (1) had multi-stage heating like the seats, since the wheel heat gets pretty hot fast, and (2) had some indicator if it's on or off. There's been a couple times where I've pressed the button to turn it off, but because the wheel was still warm, wasn't sure if I really turned it off or not.

At one point today, the X7 actually gave me the warning "ding" and brought up this message. I'm guessing that I was accumulating slush on the front nose, that was impeding some of the driving assistance sensors.




Which brings me to the "Driving Assistant Professional Package". Indulge me while I wax on about this for a bit.

DAP is a $1700 option on the X7, which I did add as I fully loaded the car with every option. Do I like it? Do I think it's worth it? The answer is a very strong YES, but deserves some discussion.

I'll preface this section, by saying that I'm a lifelong professional aircraft pilot, but also highly experienced accident investigator. I've investigated every kind of serious accident you can think of, from complete airplane crash losses of hundreds of millions of dollars, to industrial, vehicle, construction, weather, etc. Each time really drilling down into the root causes of the accident, I can show you over and over again how improperly designed automation, and especially how improperly training and/or USAGE of automation, has led to terrible disasters.

I'm far from anti-automation, but am very cautious. We'll come back to that.

Here's how BMW describes the two parts of DAP:

Active Driving Assistant Pro

Innovative camera/radar-based driver assistance systems that provide partly-automated support will always be at your side to deliver peace of mind. Features include Traffic Jam Assist; Steering and Lane Control Assistant; Emergency Stop Assistant to bring the vehicle to a stop in case of a health emergency; and Evasion Aid to assist in critical approach situations by reacting to vehicles and pedestrians in front of you. Important: This feature is not a substitute for the driver's own responsibility. Due to road, traffic and visibility conditions, the driver decides whether and how the system is used.

Extended Traffic Jam Assistant for limited access highways

Extended Traffic Jam Assistant provides partially automated steering input on limited-access highways and controlled access roads up to 40 MPH in suitable driving conditions. Important: This feature is not a substitute for the driver's own responsibility. Due to road, traffic and visibility conditions, the driver decides whether and how the system is used.

Traffic Jam Assistant? Freaking LOVE this thing. One of the reasons that I have to move on from my beloved 2004 330i w/ZHP is that it's a manual transmission. With my muscle disease, in stop-and-go traffic or inner city driving, it gets challenging to constantly be doing clutch-in-clutch-out, brake, gas, brake.

The above video was made by one of our X7 brothers here, Paultattoo . I've used Traffic Jam Assistant maybe 6-7 times already on this road trip, where I got into a traffic jam, such as waiting for construction on highway stretches. (I'm lookin at you, I-10) Traffic periodically creeping along, stop-and-go. When you engage this mode, the car will keep a set distance (that you can adjust) from the car in front of you. If the car in front of you slows, your car slows. If the car in front of you stops, your Bimmer stops. When they start going again, your car starts going. All of that without you ever touching the gas or brake pedals. It's MONEY, and I've found it to be very reliable so far.

I've only encountered Evasion Aid twice, once when someone swerved and cut me off close in front of me, flashing a big red vehicle on the dash and in the HUD, and firmly engaging the brakes for me. The other time, I was in the highway far left passing lane, with a concrete barrier to my left. On the other side of the barrier, a vehicle zoomed by in the opposite direction in an express lane. For a moment, the X7 thought it was coming right at me and flashed the red car symbol, but (thankfully) didn't engage the brakes. I don't know if it just didn't have reaction time or what, but that was good since it was a false alarm.





Now, Lane Control Assistant... I'm not fully sold on this one yet. If you have it configured in the car settings, it's always on, and constantly watches for your lane markings. If you approach one lane edge or the other, will give you an intervention "nudge" back into the lane. See the green icon in the top left of the dash, with the car pointed out of the lane.

We've talked about this one quite a bit in the G05, G06, and G07 forums. Multiple people have reported that it has overly or improperly intervened, compromising the driver's vehicle control. You can adjust the intervention intensity, and from the factory, I've been trying it out at the lowest intensity setting.

Even still, I tend to get somewhat frequent interventions, and there's times that I feel it's fairly strong, making me go "Whoa", and squeeze my steering wheel grip hard to keep control, as the car noticeably swerves. At this point of the trip, I've had two significant excessive over-interventions. One was in a highway construction area, where the lane markings had been scraped off, and the lanes shifted with new markings. The other time, I was in the right highway lane (like every good driver should do), and an exit lane split off on the right. Just as the lane split off, the BMW sensed the lane right edge approaching again, and strongly nudged me left, even though I wasn't excessively on the right side.

These kinds of interventions are representative of the situation concerns that other owners have raised. I'm tempted to turn this particular feature fully off, but it also has been helpful, particularly on longer drives, when I'm not as sharp about sticking my car right in the middle of my lane. For now, I'm going to keep trying it, with a verrrrry careful eye, and hands at the ready on the wheel.

Side note, I LOVE how when the BMW senses a vehicle passing by you, or you closing up on one in front of you, she also puts a graphical representation of it on your dash and in the HUD, like you see in the pic above. If it detects that the vehicle is an 18-wheeler truck, it even changes the little icon to be a big rig. Makes me chuckle.





Which, then brings us to the full monty, the semi-automated driving (noted in this picture with the green lane edges and green steering wheel icon, also represented in the HUD).

I'm actually impressed how well the car does with this, with its imperfections. This mode includes speed cruise control, additionally augmented by distance sensing in front of you. if you reach your preset distance to a car in front of you, the cruise control will slow to keep that distance, until you change lanes to pass, at which time it will re-accelerate if clear in front of you. (and you can even have it auto-change lanes when this mode is engaged, just by clicking your turn signal. It's a little aggressive in the lane-change operation, though)

The big part, though, is automated lane keeping. The car actually does a pretty darn good job driving itself, staying in the lane. Like others, I also find it, though, to "ping pong" a bit, slightly bouncing from left edge to right edge, and back. Slightly noticeable, but not overly bad. I'm VERY VERY cautious of this so far, but she's been reliable.

It was much worse the day I drove from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque, with strong southerly crosswinds up to 35 mph and gusting. It makes extra work for a human driver, but it was too much a couple times for the automated lane keeping. The system will chime at you, with yellow icons and lights on the wheel, letting you know she's not able to fully keep control, and you better take over. It's a little eye-opening.

I just especially watch it like a hawk with both hands firmly on the wheel when there's another vehicle on either side of me, as I'd just hate to have her spontaneously swerve me right into that vehicle, with an erroneous sense of the lane parameters. It's also a little unnerving when she "ping pongs" and drifts towards that vehicle next to me. But so far, she's caught herself every time, and kept the lane.

I've found it useful to use this mode, while still steering myself, on long highway stretches. The automation tends to just help me drive the car, although at time, I do feel like I'm fighting it just a bit, where she likes to keep the car farther to the right in the lane than I do. Dunno--maybe she actually has a better feel for where the lane center is than I do.

Each of these features does require you to touch the steering wheel at least once every 8 seconds or so, (and sometimes it seems to be picky which part of the steering wheel you're touching) to keep that mode active. That's very much a good thing, if you're not at least loosely keeping a hand on the wheel, as it brings me to my first big point:

1. None of these settings are intended to drive the car FOR you. They are to HELP you drive the car. We are headed in a neat direction, and some day, will have fully autonomous driving vehicles. We're not there yet. All of these technologies are good starts, and headed in the right direction. But each one requires you still to be fully in control of the car, aware of your surroundings, ready to control the car at any moment, should the automation fail, or the driving environment require your actions as the human driver.

2. Over-reliance on automation will 100%, without fail, eventually result in an accident. This may seem obvious, or it may seem excessively alarmist. But I'm telling you, I have seen over, and over, and over again, in every kind of industry. Over-reliance upon automation has degraded alertness, degraded operators' skills, and resulted in complacency.

Even professional airplane pilots, who are infinitely more trained and regulated than any vehicle driver, have taken perfectly good airplanes, not a thing wrong with them, in perfectly good weather, and flown them straight into the ground because of various issues with handling automation. That may sound ridiculous, but it happens, and automation is a very slippery slope technology.

Tech geeks will loudly proclaim, "ah, don't worry, there's a tech solution for everything. There's no way this thing can crash. It can't fail". But I'm telling you, those are dangerous, dangerous words. No matter how well something is built, Murphy's Law is always at work, and the human USE of the automation is beyond critical. (we'll reserve discussion of completely humanless operation for the future). I can point to thousands of dead people, in every kind of industry, that prove this point.

Which will bring me to my final related point. In aviation, the #1 overriding principle, in every situation, no matter how dire, is to control the airplane. For driving:

3. Just drive your damn car, man.

So.. let me reel this back from my soap box and bunny trail, to the BMW Driving Assistant features.

Overall, VERY GOOD features, that I'm really liking. The full-monty semi-automated driving mode can reduce fatigue of full hands-on driving, for long road trip stretches like mine. The automation can help, assist, and prevent accidents.

But...

It's all up to the driver. YOU must know how to properly use the automation, its limits, and perhaps most importantly, when not to use automation. YOU must always keep yourself fully in control of the car. The moment you cross that thin line, to just letting the car drive for you, you're daring Murphy's Law to take over and throw a situation at you that you're not ready to handle.

So, I like it, I'm using it, and I'm carefully learning how I can use it to help me, and make for an ever better driving experience. I think it's great for other very aware and competent drivers too. Many of them are right here on this forum.

The thing that scares me a little, though, is that there are lots and lots of drivers out there that are not aware. Not competent. And would not properly use automation like this. You already see these kinds of people every day, blabbing with their phone up their ear, oblivious to any vehicle around them, and how their driving affects anyone else. The drivers who just sit in the left passing lane without a care in the world, because it's convenient for them, at everyone else's expense. Those drivers who will come up behind you on the road, and just sit behind you, no matter what speed you drive or what lane you're in. Those drivers might as well pop their steering wheels off their dash and hand them to you. They're not driving their cars. They're zoned out, either just doing their own thing, or copying whatever you do.

So the thought scares me a little, that the car that's driving next to me, might have someone at the wheel using semi-automated driving, without the skills or discipline to properly operate the automation, totally tuned out, and expecting the car to be driving for them. And if they inadvertently bump the wheel in their stupor, or their car freaks out on the lane edge and swerves into me, and that operator isn't paying attention and fully ready to react, they could wipe me out and all sorts of other traffic in an instant.

Okay, that's enough for the day. I've reviewed and pontificated enough. Grand Canyon tomorrow!

[Wild Blue]

That last post TLDR?

Summary: BMW Driving Assistant automation is a good start, in the right direction. I like it. Dialing in the best way to use it.

But it has room for improvement, and I'm wary of its limitations.

And if nothing else, just drive your damn car, man.

[sahajesh]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

That last post TLDR?

Summary: BMW Driving Assistant automation is a good start, in the right direction. I like it. Dialing in the best way to use it.

But it has room for improvement, and I'm wary of its limitations.

And if nothing else, just drive your damn car, man.

Last post TLDR? Not at all. Hanging on every post here, this is a dream trip for someone like me so being able to experience like this is still pretty good.

Re the seat conditioning rules - do they work for driver and passenger, or just driver?

On my X5, it's driver only (although apparently it was both in previous MY) - tried to code it, the menus changed but still no option for passenger rules. My wife is not impressed

Love the description of DAPP - useful info

[Benmac]

Awesome, thread so basically just another one from the uk checking in to say thank you and I do hope the sunroof woes get sorted.

On that front have you thought about calling the chaps you did the collection with? Not exactly their problem per se but as their level of service was a cut above any of the dealers and they will know and have access to BMW NA people maybe they could be a help?

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

That last post TLDR?

Summary: BMW Driving Assistant automation is a good start, in the right direction. I like it. Dialing in the best way to use it.

But it has room for improvement, and I'm wary of its limitations.

And if nothing else, just drive your damn car, man.

Great write up on driving assistant and agree with you on the pro's and con's of the system.

But ja, ETJA is f'ing awesome.

[MashinBenzin]

Great write up on the assistance tools. I have the same set on my MY20 Discovery and preferred the implementation of the lane centring - a lighter touch which is both more natural and helps keep the driver engaged.

Overall I rated the Driver Assistance as 10/10 on the X7 versus 9/10 on the Discovery, but that particular piece Land Rover did better. As I recall it, traffic jam assistant was better than the LR equivalent - being slightly quicker to respond on pull away. [ETA - scores based on my experience up to that point, not what a system would ideally be capable of. Experience being Model X, X5, D5, X7]

Totally agree on the dangers of the technology. My view, and aim on each long journey, is to use them to limit fatigue and enable better concentration on everything going on around me - road and other vehicles - by allowing the car to lane centre and handle speed keeping. Doesn't mean my foot isn't poised to jump to that brake pedal or hands ready to steer.

[crackerjack15]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Oh, wow! crackerjack15 what was the final result for you? Did the dealer replace it under warranty? Ever determine a cause?

It was a bright sunny day, not sure what caused it. It is not a covered part under warranty.

[Wanderer73]

@Wild Blue ditto on your windshield wiper comment. IMO they are junk. My XC90's design was excellent. Barreling through the mountains in a snowstorm was never an issue. I always had excellent visibility. I was driving up north to Fort Collins in the snow and had the X7 wipers at full speed and had some visibility issues. I'm trying to find some other wipers that might improve performance.

[MashinBenzin]

Originally Posted by Wanderer73

@Wild Blue ditto on your windshield wiper comment. IMO they are junk. My XC90's design was excellent. Barreling through the mountains in a snowstorm was never an issue. I always had excellent visibility. I was driving up north to Fort Collins in the snow and had the X7 wipers at full speed and had some visibility issues. I'm trying to find some other wipers that might improve performance.

I'd forgotten that aspect of the X7. It was one of the things that added up to a little lack of SUV-ness for me and that was one of the factors that swung me to another Disco. Still love the X7, not knocking it!

[Wild Blue]

Day 13 of Road Trip
Sedona, AZ - Grand Canyon - Page, AZ
Total Miles: 3,334

Big day today. And I'll have to make tomorrow morning an early departure, so I'm going to make this a quick post. Very picture-heavy today.

I apologize for not having time tonight to respond to other posts. Will get back tomorrow night.





As promised, today was bright and sunny, the winter storm all gone. Had some early clouds as we left Sedona, as I stopped at Bell Rock on the way out of town.





Some of the back roads on the way to the Grand Canyon had residual slush and ice. The X7 with winter tires did absolutely awesome. Unfortunately, there were lots (LOTS) of not very good drivers on the road, on their way to the canyon. On a small 2-lane road, all it takes is one goofball driving extra slow, to back up a trail of 40 cars behind them. Congestion. Traffic. Bad juju.





Enroute to the Grand Canyon, the drive is actually not that exciting. Flat, boring plains. Makes you doubt if this big canyon is really up ahead or not.





Yup. It really is. This is my #1 favorite landscape view in the entire world. It's beyond majestic. There's so much visual information there, it's absolutely overwhelming. Really breathtaking.

You can stand and stare at one section of the canyon, drinking in the sight, processing all the visual information. Marveling at the beauty. Then once you think you've actually got it taken in, just shift your view 20 degrees to the right, and it's a whole new view.











I really can't properly describe it in words. Overwhelming. And today was a rare treat, with clear sunny skies, right after a snowstorm that left some snow traces.











The main view points of the canyon are heavily visited, with big parking lots that are a short hike away. But on the scenic Desert View road, you can park at a few viewpoints, and at least get some of the canyon in your pics.

Strange... I asked several people where the spot was, that I could jump over the canyon in my car, and nobody knew.

The car is getting soooooooo dirty, particularly with that big winter storm in Sedona.





Random snap on the drive to Page. Lots of beautiful scenery.

Unfortunately, with COVID, the eastern entrance to the Grand Canyon park is closed, which made me do massive backtracking through Flagstaff, adding hours of extra driving.





A stop at Horseshoe Canyon near Page. Beautiful.








Okay, don't tell Extreme Colors, but I just couldn't take it anymore. The car was really getting filthy. Didn't do any wiping, or use any soaps, but just some water spray at a self-serve car wash to get the heavier dirt off. Made sure to not get anywhere near the roof.





Ahhhh, that's it. She's so much happier without all that dirt. Got to watch the sun set just as we got to the Page Hyatt Place. It must be new. Slightly different styling than other Hyatt Places.








Decent place. And beautiful view out the window as dusk set in. Unfortunately, both hotel elevators are out of commission. Ugh.





Another victim of COVID, the beautiful Antelope Canyon is just a half mile from the hotel here. However, it's on Navajo Nation land, and is still closed during the pandemic.

I was hoping it would re-open in time for my stop through here, as pictures of it are amazing. But no such luck.

[JF01]

Wild Blue

Hey! Just logged in and read the last few posts and I got mixed feelings.

Really sad to hear about the situation with the roof. Hope your local BMW office will help you as quickly as possible. As I know from BMW warranty specialists, this might happen with any glass roof on BMW. Infrequent case, but anyway. Fingers crossed this was the biggest trouble with your X7 over its lifetime.

Btw many thanks for the pics of the mountains!!! I'm in love with these landscapes... One day I'll visit the Grand Canyon too, for sure.

P.S. Please keep us updated.

[FreeDarko]

OP, thank you for documenting this trip with all the pics and highly appreciative feedback on automated driving options on the X7.

We have a Model S and Y and I use autopilot routinely now. I'm coming from a bunch of M cars over the past 20 years and dabbled with cruise control maybe 2-3 times in those years.

However the Tesla Autopilot has honestly made me a more lazy driver in short amount of time. After reading your advise on the dangers associated I'm forced to recognize my own lapses over the past few months of using the tech on daily basis. Especially with a new born added to the Fam.

So thank you for sharing that which I believe was even more impactful knowing your background.

As for the roof, I'm sincerely sorry to hear as we've experienced this personally on 2 occasions with previous Mercs, on long road trips where the weather shifted from warm to cold quite sudden and now that I think about it, both times were in March.

[Fugly M3]

Originally Posted by FreeDarko

OP, thank you for documenting this trip with all the pics and highly appreciative feedback on automated driving options on the X7.

We have a Model S and Y and I use autopilot routinely now. I'm coming from a bunch of M cars over the past 20 years and dabbled with cruise control maybe 2-3 times in those years.

However the Tesla Autopilot has honestly made me a more lazy driver in short amount of time. After reading your advise on the dangers associated I'm forced to recognize my own lapses over the past few months of using the tech on daily basis. Especially with a new born added to the Fam.

So thank you for sharing that which I believe was even more impactful knowing your background.

As for the roof, I'm sincerely sorry to hear as we've experienced this personally on 2 occasions with previous Mercs, on long road trips where the weather shifted from warm to cold quite sudden and now that I think about it, both times were in March.

Interesting...I was wondering if it had to do with the weather shifts. Good to know as the two-sunroof Discovery I had serves as the ski vehicle.

[Wild Blue]

Originally Posted by nynd

And to add to the above, temperature changes along with body flex can cause stresses in the glass to do exactly that. Not sure if the added weight of the wheels and luggage in the back can create more flex when driving resulting in what is seen.

The strange thing is, the conditions when the sunroof broke. I was cruising in New Mexico at a constant speed, straight with no turns. The weight of the extra tires and luggage in the trunk would add to maybe 375 lbs, the equivalent of having 2 full size adults in the 2nd row, much less having any additional people in the 3rd row and luggage in the trunk. We're wayyyyyy below GVWR.

Temperature was holding constant at maybe 50-60 degrees F. It cracked way before I crossed into New Mexico, much less when the temp dropped at Flagstaff.

I tell ya what--if there's any time that variations and body flex would have cracked the sunroof, it was when I was throwing that BMWNA X7 around that autocross course in the first post in the thread, max performing that baby. She was twisting and turning all around that small road course.

Originally Posted by Benmac

On that front have you thought about calling the chaps you did the collection with? Not exactly their problem per se but as their level of service was a cut above any of the dealers and they will know and have access to BMW NA people maybe they could be a help?

Originally Posted by Brukes

What about trying your PCD delivery specialist? He may have some ideas.

Yup, getting input pointers from multiple sources! BMW employees don't always have access to management for these kinds of things, but we've got the process started and are making connections.

I called BMWNA directly this morning and had a positive phone call. Am hopeful for a good direction.

Originally Posted by sahajesh

Re the seat conditioning rules - do they work for driver and passenger, or just driver?

On my X5, it's driver only (although apparently it was both in previous MY) - tried to code it, the menus changed but still no option for passenger rules. My wife is not impressed

I checked it today, and confirmed the climate rules only activate heating and ventilation for the driver. Sorry about that.

Originally Posted by JF01

Wild Blue

Hey! Just logged in and read the last few posts and I got mixed feelings.

Really sad to hear about the situation with the roof. Hope your local BMW office will help you as quickly as possible. As I know from BMW warranty specialists, this might happen with any glass roof on BMW. Infrequent case, but anyway. Fingers crossed this was the biggest trouble with your X7 over its lifetime.

Btw many thanks for the pics of the mountains!!! I'm in love with these landscapes... One day I'll visit the Grand Canyon too, for sure.

P.S. Please keep us updated.

From your lips to God's ears, on hopefully this being the biggest snag. You most certainly need to come visit the Canyon and this greater area. So much beauty.

Originally Posted by FreeDarko

As for the roof, I'm sincerely sorry to hear as we've experienced this personally on 2 occasions with previous Mercs, on long road trips where the weather shifted from warm to cold quite sudden and now that I think about it, both times were in March.

Interesting. I keep hearing more and more about people whose sunroof spontaneously broke.

Originally Posted by Auricom

Great write up on driving assistant and agree with you on the pro's and con's of the system.

But ja, ETJA is f'ing awesome.

Hey Auricom buddy, what is the "Assist Plus" light on the dash? Haven't seen that one yet.

[Auricom]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Hey Auricom buddy, what is the "Assist Plus" light on the dash? Haven't seen that one yet.

That's the Extended Traffic Jam Assistant active - unlimited hands-free autonomous driving, where the system drives and steers for you in traffic up to 40mph - works on multi-lane highways.

With Driver Assistance System (Assist button) and Driver Assist mode (MODE button) in ACC Stop&Go with Steering Assistant (including
Traffic Jam Assistant) active, as soon as the functional requirements are met:

- speed under 40mph
- freeways or multi lane highway
- driving on road w/on pedestrians or cyclists
- system detects driver is paying attention to traffic

Extended Traffic Assistant will display as an additional symbol -
"ASSIST PLUS READY" indicator in white will display (system is ready)

Press MODE button to activate.

Then the symbol will change to "ASSIST PLUS" in green and the two LED lights above the controls on the steering wheel will turn solid green.

Now you're in fully hands-free autonomous driving up to 40mph - system will maintain distance from vehicle ahead, accelerate as need, slow to stop and steer.

[Wild Blue]

Interesting. I've had that engaged, but apparently didn't notice the Assist Plus lit up on the dash.

[Wild Blue]

Day 14 of Road Trip
Page, AZ - Bryce Canyon, UT - Zion National Park, UT - St. George, UT
Total Miles: 3,679


Been a full and amazing two days. Lots of driving, lots of doubling back, lots of incredible landscapes.

Yesterday, starting from Sedona in the south, drove north to the Grand Canyon, and then stayed the night in Page, AZ, to the northeast. Even though the roads there in blue are open, the Eastern entrance/exit road from the canyon is "Closed due to COVID", if that makes any sense. (it really doesn't) Which means instead of cutting east after the canyon, I had to double back all the way south to Flagstaff before turning back north. Ugh. Thanks, China.

Then today, there were two doublebacks, one after Bryce Canyon to get to Zion National Park, and then after the main Zion park, seeing the ancillary Kolob Canyon in Zion park required another up north-and-back jaunt.

In the end, it was all worth it. So many pictures. Apologies that this will make this page of the thread likely the longest yet. But I'm just going to upload all sorts of fun pics today.

Starting with one of the coolest, archway approaching Bryce Canyon.





The M50i engine was amazing climbing up into the mountains. On the small 2-lane highways, multiple times I found myself behind a slowpoke car, or 18-wheel big rig. When a gap in traffic opened, all it took was a short punch of the gas, and the car lept forward, climbing up and around the car(s) in front of me, zooming to pass before cutting back in my lane before the traffic gap closed.

Bryce Canyon is at 8,100 feet elevation, with multiple viewpoints looking down into various parts of the "Ampitheater".








Bryce Canyon is the largest collection of "hoodoos" in the world, those distinctive rock formations that you see there.

Again, it was a rare treat to have a beautiful day, right after a big snowstorm, seeing snow highlights all over the scenery.








After that, it was over to Zion National Park. Entering from the East entrance, we were treated to a fun trip through old school, small, dark tunnels, and steep winding switchbacks down into a valley.





In parks like this, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Yellowstone, I always wonder about the first people to discover the place. Even in sites surrounded by regional beauty, like Zion National Park, I wonder what that would have been like, to be exploring, when suddenly you wander into this paradise masterpiece landscape of God. Nobody selling you tickets, or steering you there via a guidebook. The first person to experience such majesty.

As a disabled vet, I was allowed a rare treat of driving my private vehicle up the road, into the main Zion Park canyon, when everyone else had to ride a shuttle bus. Few vehicles around, plus an awesome car, a cup of majestic landscape, with a dash of good weather, all makes for a slew of picture fun.









































The snowstorm in Sedona meant we chose to compress and combine some parks, to still make it into California later this week, and hopefully get my sunroof repaired without having to delay it into next week. (still in work)

Timing ended up working out great. Weather was great. Crowds very manageable. Roads in pretty good shape. Everything's been going well. Other than the snowstorm delay, and the sunroof cracking, both of which are hopefully just manageable speed bumps, everything's been clicking right along.

Nothing's totally perfect, so the trip's been great so far. Let's hope the rest turns out well too!

Stayed the night at another Hyatt Place in St George, Utah. Standard, and nice. (first pic stock photo)

[Atl Fahrer]

Originally Posted by Wild Blue

Interesting. I've had that engaged, but apparently didn't notice the Assist Plus lit up on the dash.

I have been reading your posts with much interest. Thanks so much for allowing us to join you on your adventure! Having also taken delivery at the Performance Center, I echo your enthusiasm for the program.

With regard to assist plus...even if it is “engaged”, the driver must actively select the assist plus condition by pushing the mode button on the steering wheel when it’s available. This only happens when the car is in cruise control on a limited access road, i.e. interstate highway, and you encounter traffic below 40mph for a period exceeding ~20 sec. You will know it’s available when an assist plus warning message appears on your iDrive screen. Hope that helps.

[djbonsu]

Originally Posted by Atl Fahrer

I have been reading your posts with much interest. Thanks so much for allowing us to join you on your adventure! Having also taken delivery at the Performance Center, I echo your enthusiasm for the program.

With regard to assist plus...even if it is “engaged”, the driver must actively select the assist plus condition by pushing the mode button on the steering wheel when it’s available. This only happens when the car is in cruise control on a limited access road, i.e. interstate highway, and you encounter traffic below 40mph for a period exceeding ~20 sec. You will know it’s available when an assist plus warning message appears on your iDrive screen. Hope that helps.

Additionally, I have found assist plus to enage when all conditions are met AND the vehicle comes to a compete stop in traffic while using driver assistance.

[LittleJoe]

Beautiful pics Wild Blue, keep them coming!