Assisted driving notes

★★★★☆

Mercedes uses its advanced suite of active safety systems as a lever to sell its highest-trim-level cars.

So if you want a collision avoidance system with pedestrian and cyclist detection, or an adaptive cruise control system that can automatically adapt your speed to the posted limit, or a blindspot monitoring system clever enough to warn you before you open your driver’s door into the path of a passing motorbike? Well, you need to have AMG Line Premium Plus specification, and then add the £1695 Driving Assistance Package Plus on top, making for a rather expensive car.

As standard, however, the C300e gets simpler blindspot warning, autonomous emergency braking and active lane keeping systems that all work fairly unobtrusively and effectively. The lane keeping system reactivates itself with every ignition cycle, and can only be deactivated through the touchscreen, but there is at least a shortcut to switch it off.

AUTONOMOUS EMERGENCY BRAKING

● Does the system seem prone to false activation? ✖

● Can it be deactivated? ✓

● Does it have pedestrian/cyclist detection? Driving Assistance Package Plus not fitted.

LANE KEEPING ASSISTANCE

● Is the system tuned to keep the driver engaged at all times? ✓

● Is it adjustable for sensitivity? ✓

● Does it allow you to drive around a pothole/obstacle within your lane easily and without deactivation? ✓

INTELLIGENT CRUISE CONTROL

Not fitted.