Ford Safe & Smart Package - What are your Thougths

[MaskedRacerX]

I love a good HERF DERF ELECTRONICS IS THE DEVIL post ...

Anyway, yes, the S&S was a notable want, the wife's DD/RT has those same safety systems, so I appreciate having "feature parity" across our two vehicles.

With MY19 it wasn't quite as desired, since two of the I-can't-believe-a-modern-car-doesn't-have-this features were pushed into the 401a (BLIS and something else I don't recall at the moment), that's why the S&S had a ~$500 drop in price between MY18 and 19. Even then, the couple of additional safety features, for $1K, seemed like a no brainer unless some kind of deal came along for a '19 that didn't have them.

I love my loaded GT: 401a, PP, Mag Ride, Active Exhaust, B&O and the Safe and Smart.

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[Avispa]

Ok, Here is another question to complicate things, would you trade down to a 4-banger if that was the only car available? My local dealers only have EcoBoost with all of the features I want but I'm just not sure I can give up performance of a GT

No, definitely not. Wasn't even sure I was going to offload the Cobra, but the '16 popped up and had a blower already installed for about the same money as a plain GT. Didn't really wanna spring for a Shelby, but that was next on the list if and when the time came. Used, that is. You get used to a certain level of performance after some time and its hard to give it up.

 

[samanosuke47]

I'm very happy with Safe & Smart. It eliminates the little second mirrors in the side mirrors which look odd to me. And lane keep can be turned on and off at will even when using adaptive cruise. The adaptive cruise is grand for the few long road trips we do a year. Also, lol use your blinker OP. We have some of the coolest rear blinker lights out there, show them off as someone else pointed out.

Also, the collision warning, which I think was part of the package, if not then nvm, but It's my first experience with it, and I don't find it annoying, if anything there has already been at least one time where it reacted a millisecond faster than I did at noticing a person was taking a little longer than normal turning right off the lane than I would have, braking was not near as abrupt thanks to it. lol

Even without it this car feels pretty safe all things considered, with it, I feel modern and pretty damn safe. I don't use any of the windshield wiper features though lol so I'm negating some 'safe' I presume? need a little risk in your life I guess. ;)

 

[Briebee72]

LIke it or hate it I can tell you this. The 1000 option for the safe and smart was a whole lot better deal and worth it over 895 (now 995 on 2020s) for that crap B and O stereo. I personally love the adaptive cruise control and the blind spot system. I do have to agree the lane watch is total crap, half, no 2/3rds the time it doesn't even notice im out of the lane. I just turn it off. But in FORDs defense the web site does say its only to help you notice if you are out of the lane. Typical ford venacular with ifs, helps and maybes. How they cover their backside to basically say it does nothing. but other then that I love the package and glad my car came with it. It was not an option I wanted but to get the car I wanted I had to take it.

 

[lacanteen]

The reverse cross traffic warning has saved my ass more than once backing out of a parking space.

 

[Linkster1666]

Just curious, all of you who got Ford Safe & Smart Package what do you think of it? I'm contemplating of trading in my 2017 GT PP Manual for a 2019 GT A10 and while test driving one was not overly impressed. I found it annoying every time I changed lanes without signaling that the steering wheel would start to shake (Yes, I know you supposed to signal). The car didn't keep me in the lane when the road curved even slightly (1) and adaptive breaks kept me way too far from the rear of the car in front (2) even the shortest distance setting. with my family living about 200 miles away, I do a lot of back and forth on the highway and it would be nice to simplify my long commute but..... What do you folks think?

Thanks,
Alex

1) it isn't supposed to. It is a warning - NOTHING more. It isn't a Tesla.

2) It is adjustable, it will let you get close enough, according to everything and every book I have ever read about highway design and construction. No, you are not supposed to drive that close to some one at speed, EVER, PERIOD! REDACTED

It will take some getting used to, I'm ok with it after 2800 miles. YMMV

 

[CS19]

LIke it or hate it I can tell you this. The 1000 option for the safe and smart was a whole lot better deal and worth it over 895 (now 995 on 2020s) for that crap B and O stereo. I personally love the adaptive cruise control and the blind spot system. I do have to agree the lane watch is total crap, half, no 2/3rds the time it doesn't even notice im out of the lane. I just turn it off. But in FORDs defense the web site does say its only to help you notice if you are out of the lane. Typical ford venacular with ifs, helps and maybes. How they cover their backside to basically say it does nothing. but other then that I love the package and glad my car came with it. It was not an option I wanted but to get the car I wanted I had to take it.

That's a fact! That B&0 Stereo is greatly overpriced.

 

[ManyfordsnoMustang]

You should drive a Fusion with lane assist - I have no idea how it varies so much form the Mustang. On the fusion the lane assist can almost drive itself and seems to me much more aware of the traffic lanes. The Mustang barely knows where it is if I have walls on both sides of me. I also notice that the Fusion has more sensors up front to make you aware of possibly hitting a parking block, the front of the garage or the side of the garage. Again, not sure how that can not be part of the Mustangs system unless all those sensors are additional to the self parking option on the Fusion and are utilized in the driving assist modes on the Fusion as well.

 

[StynkyLomax]

I could go without the lane keep assist. Adaptive cruise is useful, but I find the braking is too aggressive sometimes. Overall, for $1000 I’d say it’s worth it if you like that type of technology. It’s not as advanced as some auto makers, but it’s definitely useful.

 

[Norm Peterson]

Even without it this car feels pretty safe all things considered, with it, I feel modern and pretty damn safe. I don't use any of the windshield wiper features though lol so I'm negating some 'safe' I presume? need a little risk in your life I guess. ;)

You're on the right track. Most things we do in life come with a finite level of risk, so the real question probably goes something like "what's your risk tolerance?".

Intentional or not, what's been happening on the product safety and occupational safety fronts has created an atmosphere where people now have far less tolerance for risk than was once the case. Risk in and of itself is not a guarantee of unpleasant consequences, so long as you're aware of it and take the necessary precautions. But today's fear-driven advertising and commentary let's you skip right past owning your own safety. Just let somebody else do nearly all of it for you.

Maybe you have to be older and actually lived with managing all of the risks you took yourself to truly understand it that way, and maybe that's what's gotten lost in today's sound-bite, video-clip world. People today can't be bothered to spare the time or the effort.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

1) it isn't supposed to. It is a warning - NOTHING more. It isn't a Tesla.

This is what I was getting at about people being willing to let the electronics take over driving tasks - it's easy to think that the computer is always going to get it right, even when what it would actually take to get it right is completely outside its programming.

2) It is adjustable, it will let you get close enough, according to everything and every book I have ever read about highway design and construction. No, you are not supposed to drive that close to some one at speed, EVER, PERIOD! REDACTED

Unfortunately, "supposed to" does not work with the reality of many driving situations. A two second gap (the number I remember from my own driver-ed days) amounts to 117 feet at 40 mph and 190 feet at 65 mph. I bet nobody here follows that unless there simply isn't enough traffic to put them that close other than momentarily.


Norm

 

[Norm Peterson]

Beats keeping quiet and making it look like you're just as fearful about every thing in life as the next guy . . .


Norm

 

[Spork3245]

Beats keeping quiet and making it look like you're just as fearful about every thing in life as the next guy . . .


Norm

Somebody just called feelings :(
Most people are terrible drivers. I welcome our autonomous robot overlords to protect us good drivers.

 

[Briebee72]

funny thing is they did a poll and asked people if they thought they were good drivers and how they felt about other drivers. well no surprise 92% said they were good drivers and that everyone else was crap drivers..LOL The insurance industry begs to differ. Truth is most people are crap drivers. These systems are there to make things a little less crappy. Even myself which in 47 years has had no accidents or claims. I still from time to time dont see some one or they dont see me and ill pull out in front of them or vise versa...crap happens. So if they or myself have a braking system that helps or a warning chime its all the better. Like someone else said the rear warning has saved me a few times backing out of a spot. Because you know when someone with limited sight is trying to back out the normal thing for everyone to do is rush in behind them or jet through cause they dont want to wait. People that wont let someone back out of a spot is one of my irritants in life. Only time they will stop is when they want the spot.

 

[Qcman17]

I like the convenience features of the S&S package more than the actual safety stuff. ( Auto high beams & rain sensing wipers mainly) I do rarely turn on the lane assist but its nice to have it to encourage me when I feel the need. If I recall right one of the knocks on the advent of ABS braking was people started following closer to the car in front of them because they had better brakes or something like that. So I can see where it could be a bit of a crutch for some folks too.

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