Tech Package/Safety II worth it?

[HBKidJr]

I've been looking at getting into a new truck for a few months. I'm leaning toward the AT4 for the 6.2 (LTZ and HC are also on the list, but I THINK I like the Sierra better). 

 

For all this time, lane-keep assist, the 3D surround cameras, digital cluster, HUD, etc have been on my must have list. But those packages are adding quite a lot of cash to the price. 

 

Do you guys think they're worth it? To be honest, I've tried LKA on a few of the test drives I've taken, and I either didn't trust it enough or it just flat didn't work for me. That's sort of what made me start thinking about it today. I do love the cameras, but honestly, how often would I use all of those things? The aerial view is nice, but do I care that much? The HUD seemed to be a distraction, but I'm sure I'd get used to it. Seems it'd be especially useful with navigation. 

 

Thanks!

[OnTheReel]

Short answer is yes.
 

If you even think you might want these features, it’s worth it. If you don’t believe me, look at all of the threads here that have been created around trying to add these options after the fact, with varying results.

 

My personal experiences...The camera mirror improves rearward visibility quite a bit once you get used to it. Plus it’s just plain cool. HUD is great, I never have to look down at my gauges just to get a speed check. 360 camera is nice but I could live without it. Been a few tight parking situations it helped me out though.

Lane keep assist isn’t really meant to be “trusted“...per se. It is not an autonomous feature, and it is not fool proof. The system can’t always get a read on lane markers depending upon the road and conditions. 
 

I’ve had it move me over a few times when I wasn’t paying 100% attention, and for that it’s good. Other times it can be minorly annoying when you’re trying to give a cyclist or other vehicle room on the shoulder as it will briefly try to pull you back into the lane, but it’s easy to overcome and easier to turn off should you choose.

[JimCost2014]

Completely agree, they are nice to have, as much as we do not want to admit it, we are all distracted drivers with these new trucks.

 

Lots of stuff going on inside with us, and even more outside of the vehicle with the other drivers, pedestrians, etc.….

[AlaskaErik]

I originally had planned on special ordering and getting every single electronic option.  But after a period of introspection I realized that only a few of the features were really important, based on five years of having all the nanny electronics.  Since I now tow a travel trailer, the 6.2L and Max Trailering package were the most important things I needed.  For nanny electronics, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and front/rear parking sensors were what I really used.  For comfort, heated/ventilated seats and heated steering wheel were the important things.  I got all that and more and saved a lot of money.

[FknLeon]

I'm ordering every single tech and safety package I can get on my AT4. The more safety features the better but I want the mirror camera for better rear visibility and the bed camera for watching my loads. I want all the collision prevention and alerts systems I can also get.

[Donstar]

10 minutes ago, FknLeon said:

I'm ordering every single tech and safety package I can get on my AT4. The more safety features the better but I want the mirror camera for better rear visibility and the bed camera for watching my loads. I want all the collision prevention and alerts systems I can also get.

I would do the same and pass on an engine upgrade if budget was a concern!  

[bwoodsmn]

Ordering Tech/Safety2 was a no-brainer for me. I use the cameras every time i park in my garage, i have ~ 2" of clearance front to back, and I use marks in the garage to make sure I can close the garage door. Blind Spot and cross monitoring are also useful. The wider angle of camera view also enhances awareness to the rear corners of the bed.  It does take some getting used to the 2-D image that you see, however.

 

Would not buy the truck without it.

[Fuelie]

I say it may depend on your age...

For me it is a absolute yes. It has already saved me a couple times.

I use blind spot monitor and surround camera the most.

Tom

[tbarn]

YES. Some of the things are more shuttle but I would miss them. And you would think insurance would be cheaper with all these safety devices. You would be wrong, at least with my insurance company.

[Mike Honcho]

One thing to consider is the price of the HUD windshield is quite a bit more to replace.

[Steve Martin]

Just my 2 cents.  I have an LTZ with the tech package.  Recently had to drive a loaner LTZ without.  Completely different truck.  I drove a 98 K1500 for years and never had any cameras, but in just a few short months, Don't know how I would do without some of the cameras on the tech package.  The all around and the views down the side have helped more than once while parking or in really tight areas or drive thru's with tight twists and turns.  Certainly not a necessity, but really helpful at times.  The HUD is cool too.  When I had the loaner, felt kind of naked so to speak without.

[jlong1984]

Mine has forward collision alert, lane keep and all the other nannies. I got a good deal on the truck, but if I had ordered, I wouldn't have gotten them. I leave them turned off. I wouldn't own a truck without the front/rear sensors and blind spot warning though. 

[relevante]

I skipped them and don’t regret it. My previous vehicle (a Mazda CX-9) had pretty much the whole array and I never found them very useful and in a few cases, even potentially dangerous. Lane keep would try to alarm/intervene when drifting over a bit to miss a hole in the road, intentionally clipping the apex of a curve, etc, which was annoying so that got turned off very quickly. The auto braking could obviously be helpful if you fell asleep or got too engrossed in Facebook while cruising down the road, but on the other hand, if you’re actually paying attention, on more than one occasion I was in the process of safely passing a stopped car when it jammed the brakes on without warning at the last moment. Fortunately it never caused an issue but it’s not hard to imagine how that could be dangerous. I don’t have much negative to say about blind spot monitoring, but if you’re paying enough rearward attention you shouldn’t need it, and I don’t recall it ever actually being a factor in 50k miles or so. It also didn’t work at all while towing, not sure if that’s also the case on the trucks.

 

I love technology, and I fully accept that there will likely be a day in the not terribly distant future when I take a nap in the backseat while my truck drives me to where I’m headed, but from what I’ve seen all this driver assist tech still has a lot of work to be done to get to a place where I’m excited by it enough to voluntarily pay for it (or in some cases even leave it enabled after I have).

 

I did appreciate the HUD on the Mazda but don’t really miss it on the truck.

 

I did get the 6.2 and am very happy I did. The occasional romp onto the highway and easy trailer pull up a hill at 80mph make the premium gas worth every penny.

Edited October 31, 2019 by relevante

[relevante]

One note on the other side of the equation, I forget what package it would have been in on the truck, but the one bit of tech I do miss from the Mazda is the auto high beam headlights.

[Bob2C]

One note on the other side of the equation, I forget what package it would have been in on the truck, but the one bit of tech I do miss from the Mazda is the auto high beam headlights.

There is an auto high beam function if your vehicle is equipped. The instructions from the manual really don’t tell you how to activate it. Pull the signal level toward you twice like your flashing someone, then push forward once like your going to place high beams on, then put back in normal position. And A will show up on your headlight indicator.

From the manual:

IntelliBeam System

If equipped, this system turns the vehicle's high-beam headlamps on and off according to surrounding traffic conditions.

The system turns the high-beam headlamps on when it is dark enough and there is no other traffic present.


This light comes on in the instrument cluster when the IntelliBeam system is enabled.

Turning On And Enabling IntelliBeam

To enable the IntelliBeam system, with the turn signal lever in the neutral position, turn the exterior lamp control to AUTO. The blue high-beam on light appears on the instrument cluster when the high beams are on.

Driving With IntelliBeam

The system only activates the high beams when driving over 40 km/h (25 mph).

There is a sensor near the top center of the windshield that automatically controls the system. Keep this area of the windshield clear of debris to allow for best system performance.

The high-beam headlamps remain on, under the automatic control, until one of the following situations occurs:

The system detects an approaching vehicle's headlamps.

The system detects a preceding vehicle's taillamps.

The outside light is bright enough that high-beam headlamps are not required.

The vehicle's speed drops below 20 km/h (12 mph).

The IntelliBeam system can be disabled by the High/Low-Beam Changer or the Flash-to-Pass feature. If this happens, the High/Low-Beam Changer must be activated on then off within two seconds to reactivate the IntelliBeam system. The instrument cluster light will come on to indicate the IntelliBeam is reactivated. See Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer and Flash-to-Pass.

The high beams may not turn off automatically if the system cannot detect another vehicle's lamps because of any of the following:

The other vehicle's lamps are missing, damaged, obstructed from view, or otherwise undetected.

The other vehicle's lamps are covered with dirt, snow, and/or road spray.

The other vehicle's lamps cannot be detected due to dense exhaust, smoke, fog, snow, road spray, mist, or other airborne obstructions.

The vehicle's windshield is dirty, cracked, or obstructed by something that blocks the view of the light sensor.

The vehicle is loaded such that the front end points upward, causing the light sensor to aim high and not detect headlamps and taillamps.

The vehicle is being driven on winding or hilly roads.

The automatic high-beam headlamps may need to be disabled if any of the above conditions exist.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk