Trust me – I’m an AMG driver

You pay £1700 for assistance systems and they treat you like an idiot? Time for a reboot.

NOT ALL technology is great. The optional £1695 Driving Assistance Package in the C43 is extremely useful at pointing out the bleeding obvious and crying wolf at every opportunity. I think it has been taken out of a low-end A-Class and had very little fettling done to it to adjust for a C43’s higher velocities (and possibly the dafter driving of the occupant). Bong! I know I’m approaching a car quickly – I’m in an AMG. Instead Merc should have an AMG Driving Assistance Package, something less panicky and more encouraging, like having Bernd Schneider sat next to you: ‘Floor it, beat those lights!’ or ‘Don’t brake, there’s ages before that corner!’ At least there’s an AMG menu in the trip computer, so you can track your g-forces or lap times (or, more plausibly, your school-run times).

But there is some tech that is very useful. For a start this car’s infotainment is too old to be afflicted by the addition of Apple CarPlay, surely one of the most glitchy, wobbly systems you can have. So instead I’m on Bluetooth and it works perfectly. I like the touch-sensitive pad too, which lets you change tracks using just a flick of your index finger.

I’ve gone all virtual as well. The head-up display, an £825 optional extra, shows speed, revs and gearchange. I can’t remember the last time I looked at the dials to see what was going on. I’d be lost without it, especially in manual mode, where it lights up like Piccadilly Circus as you approach the rev limit. It’s especially useful in this car, as the first few gears are very, very short. Of all the options, I’d say this is the one to have.