Cool technology -- guy gets out of the driver's seat and lets the adaptive cruise and active lane control system drive. But make my car a manual please. I actually enjoy DRIVING, not having a cum-puker drive for me -- if the 'puker is driving, I may as well take the train.

Infiniti Q50 Active Lane Control - Selfdriving Car - YouTube

well, at least you could safely text while "driving".

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1982 300SD " Wotan" ..On the road as of Jan 8, 2007 with Historic Tags

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8E5JEzBszw

The S550 is a bit more sophisticated.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

I have this feature in my current car. It throws a hissy fit if your hands are off the wheel for more than a few seconds. It's not intended to allow you to catch up on your reading of War and Peace. When it senses that the car is approaching the edge of a painted lane line, it will give the wheel a gentle nudge in the other direction. All bets are off if the painted lines are missing or in bad repair.

I will never trust an automated car. Stuff breaks. Reliably.

And oh yeah, the headlines could read "and a family of four was killed today on the interstate and the driver of a tractor trailer injured when the car's computer rebooted at an inopportune time."

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

The vid about the S class was impressive. Except, perhaps, for the part where the windshield wiper went on for no obvious reason....

I remember a conversation with a friend many decades ago about what classifies something as sentient. I argued that a car that could drive itself and also had an arm that permitted it to get fuel without assistance was essentially sentient.

That day appears pretty close and it will fundamentally transform the world once again by retiring 10s of millions of people who earn their livelihood by driving.

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Toyota is a leader only because their drivers block everyone behind them. Oh what a feeling.

Not so much that but why would I enjoy "driving" in stop and go traffic? If someone could take that away from me, why wouldn't I be thrilled?

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

I'd be thrilled, but only if public transport remains an option as well.

Good point. Glad humans are so reliable, aren't they? I mean, they would never get tired and behind the wheel, get distracted, get high and/or drunk, play "pattycake" with the kids, etc, etc.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Pass as long as I can afford it. I'd drive a beater car to avoid having to sit with a bunch of strangers with body odors, kids screaming, inane attempts to start silly conversations, etc, etc. Know what the nice thing about the Vette or bike is? "Sorry, love to give you a ride but there is no passenger seat (unless I put it back for the wife) and my bike is a single seat".

I don't see this car as bad. I would buy one if it was affordable for a work vehicle. Punch in destination and relax without having to fight traffic.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

I used to love taking the commuter train(*) home from work exactly because there were lots of opportunities for serendipity and people tended to start silly conversations. One or two of them ended up getting a phone number of a member of the correct gender. Also picked up a few business clients that way.

Now since I live in the city, I mostly bike or walk, but there are still plenty of opportunities for conversations with random people. A society where everyone sits in their own personal bubble and there's no human contact other than during "approved" situations would depress the hell out of me. Think of Wall-E with all the fat-arsed euthanasia-bait gimps riding in their own bubble-scooters.

(*) - the NYC subway is more about personal bubbles since people are packed so close during rush hour, but during other times, I've had interesting conversation as well.

I got no business clients that can afford me that take public transport so it don't work. While women might be nice they are often kids and I'm married so not really too keen. My car is part of my personal space much like my house. I have enough idiots I work with that if I can get away from any more, it is a joy.

When I am working, I have to interact with all kinds of people. Fine. Work pays and if I want to pave pleasure, I have to pay for it. Where I can, I limit my contact to people I want to associate with and not some "fat-arsed euthanasia-bait gimps" that is sitting next to me.

I don't think you can describe Robin Williams as that but he did seek and succeed in taking his own life. Not sure what that reference is to.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

In general, wealthier people take the commuter train into NY.

Wall-E. It's a movie. Which peripherally involves the obese, crippled remnants of humanity riding around on self-driving mobility scooters. Not any reference to Robin Williams...

http://t3kd.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/walle-e1362467568798.jpg

Not here they don't. I don't know about NY. My best clients are those who are unable to get around on their own.

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01 Ford Excursion Powerstroke
99 E300 Turbodiesel
91 Vette with 383 motor
05 Polaris Sportsman 800 EFI
06 Polaris Sportsman 500 EFI
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Red
03 SeaDoo GTX SC Yellow
04 Tailgator 21 ft Toy Hauler
11 Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow

Manhattan is an island with 6 lanes of traffic total going from NJ to the area where most of the jobs are. The lanes are pretty much used to capacity unless cars get a LOT smaller. There are also 6 rail tunnels. Do the math

It's not only a question of serendipity. I take the train between NY and Northern Virginia south of DC fairly regularly. It's nice to be able to get up, walk around, have a snack, urinate, etc while you're moving at 120 mph. Yeah, I suppose everyone might drive around in RV's 50 years from now, but that will be energy-prohibitive and a strain on road infrastructure.

PS - with your bedside manner, how do you deal with invalids all day without their families beating you senseless?