The traffic sign recognition is a gimmick and doesnt work perfectly. For example i see 100mph speed limits now and again.
I honestly dont see the point of it because i can see road signs by looking out of the window much better than the camera in the car can.
I find the lane departure thing useless because it will warn you when simply changing lanes to overtake unless you make a very decisive movement.
The active city stop is arguably its best feature, but something you will never know about until it works and has saved you. There is talk of insurance companies offering a discount in the near future for cars fitted with this feature.
Having said all that im actually very pleased my car has the Driver Assistance Pack, because when it is specified on Zetec and Zetec S it also adds -
auto headlights, auto wipers, auto dimming mirror, power folding mirrors, and one shot up/down windows with global closing.
This is why it costs £200 more than when specified on Titanium models.

Its definitely worth looking for on a used car, because like with most factory fitted options they only add a fraction of the price they originally cost when new.

 

I find the lane departure thing useless because it will warn you when simply changing lanes to overtake unless you make a very decisive movement.

Not if you use the indicator.

Like lots of options I think it depends how you use the car. If it is for a low mileage regular commute and shopping car, then probably not worth it.

I drive over 1500 miles a month for my work and think it is great. The road sign recognition on mine I would say is 95% correct. The high beam assist (is that on the driver assist pack?), I have found very good and affective.

I do think it is something that will add value or help sell a car when the time comes. Especially as things like city emergency stop is becoming more widely available on other cars.

 

Its the Titanium model i'm looking at, ideally the X version as i'd like the xenons - both our TT and Cupra have them and i love them, not sure if the Focus's turn like the Leons do though ?

Auto wipers and lights are not so much of an issue, the auto wipers i had on my Golf were a pain, however they worked better on the 206 i had ....

I guess its not a dealbreaker then, if i find a car and it has them then great, but if not then i won't lose any sleep. As for options adding to the price, it'll make the car more desirable but not worth anymore. My Golf had around 4k of extras fitted to it - not by me but by its original owner, it was worth no more than any other Golf diesel come trade in time.

 

Yes it makes sense that the lane departure system will not activate if you use the indicator when changing lanes.....i did not know that.
I am the type of driver that always looks to see if anybody will directly benefit from my indication, and if the answer is no i do not use them. I do not indicate out of habit, every time is an individual conscious act, so this is why i do not like the lane departure warning system.
I do not drive long boring motorway distances, so i do take your point karlak that it could be a good feature for somebody who does.

You say the road sign recognition on your car is 95% correct, but can you honestly say it is anymore than just a fancy gimmick? The signs only flag up for a very short time before disappearing, so if a driver is paying attention to this more than watching the road ahead, they really need to work on their observation skills.
Yes the high beam assist is part of the driver assistance pack and works when auto headlamps are active. I havent actually tried it, but i doubt it would work quickly enough to avoid blinding oncoming drivers at all times.
What about when approaching a distant car from behind on an unlit road, will the system detect this car and turn off the high beam in plenty of time like i would manually?
The Active City Stop is the best feature of the Driver Assistance Pack, certainly from a safety point.

I dont think the driver assistance pack will necessarily add value to a used car, but like you say it will help to sell it over a similar car that does not have it.
I bought my car brand new from stock so the options were already on it, but if i was in the market for a used Mk.3 Focus i would definitely look for one that has the driver assistance pack.

Forgot to mention - if specified on Zetec or Zetec S, it also adds the larger coloured trip computer screen.

 

What about when approaching a distant car from behind on an unlit road, will the system detect this car and turn off the high beam in plenty of time like i would manually?

Yes it does, although mine has twice decided to flash people! It dips the lights when approaching streetlights and also at slow speeds approaching junctions.

 

The traffic sign recognition is a gimmick and doesnt work perfectly. For example i see 100mph speed limits now and again.

I honestly dont see the point of it because i can see road signs by looking out of the window much better than the camera in the car can.

I find the lane departure thing useless because it will warn you when simply changing lanes to overtake unless you make a very decisive movement.

The active city stop is arguably its best feature, but something you will never know about until it works and has saved you. There is talk of insurance companies offering a discount in the near future for cars fitted with this feature.

Having said all that im actually very pleased my car has the Driver Assistance Pack, because when it is specified on Zetec and Zetec S it also adds -

auto headlights, auto wipers, auto dimming mirror, power folding mirrors, and one shot up/down windows with global closing.

This is why it costs £200 more than when specified on Titanium models.

Its definitely worth looking for on a used car, because like with most factory fitted options they only add a fraction of the price they originally cost when new.

Those extra features make it well worth it!

I was very naive buying a new car second time round.

When I bought my Clio (2.0 182 bhp) 8 years ago it had auto lights, auto wipers, climate control, xenon lights, cruise control all as standard. I don't even think there were any options available! I think I chose my colour that was it.

8 years on I totally expected to have most of these features come as standard but couldn't be more wrong! In most cases, you'd be buying several or all packs just to claw back the features I'd lost!

 

Those extra features make it well worth it!

Agreed.....it is a very desirable option, especially on Zetec & Zetec S.
All im saying is that it will not necessarily add any value to a used car, so a potential buyer should specifically look for one that has the driver assistance pack fitted.

 

I totally agree! Any minimal additional resale value wouldn't come close to recouping the initial outlay.

I would have loved Sat Nav and rear cam personally. Rear Cam for me is almost a necessity. With my Clio I used to get in ridiculously small spaces blind folded!

Now it feels like I'm trying to park a bus!

 

The good thing about the Driver Assistance Pack is that every individual item can be turned off and on so you can choose which you have running. The blind spot indicators were very useful when driving in Europe. The high beam assist works very well on single carriageway roads but I am not sure on 3 lane motorways. I think it detects the angle of the oncoming car and decides whether to turn off high beam. So if I am in the left lane and the car coming in the other direction is in the left lane, there is 4 lanes plus a central reserve between us. I am not sure if the other driver would be dazzled but the high beam stays on and I manually over-ride it.

 

The good thing about the Driver Assistance Pack is that every individual item can be turned off and on so you can choose which you have running

This is good to know. I hadn't wanted this pack but its on the car I am getting. I had been worried it would be pinging warnings at me all the time!

 

I completely forgot about the blind spot warning system, that is a good feature.

 

Hmm, not sure about mine. I assume it has a fault, drove home tonight and apparently a metal metal fence either side of the road was overtaking me

 

Sounds like a good system.....just with a few limitations which are to be expected i suppose.
With the standard cruise control on the Focus it does disengage when you change gear, so you have to hit Resume after doing so.

 

Hi, yes the standard cruise will disengage once you use the clutch..
Chris