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Lux Package Buyers - Cost/Benefit

Norm A.

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I'm ordering Lux pkg mainly for the B&O system. Our 2021 explorer has the copilot 360 option and the wife loves it. Within first month it took over braking and saved a collision when a deer jumped out in front of the car she was following that suddenly hit the brakes. The reaction time for these driver aided systems is instantaneous. I ordered this feature for her since she is on the phone doing sales calls 99% of her driving time, her and everyone around her is now a little safer.
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Elwood

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Stop and go demo from 2018 F150. No guarantee Bronco will be the same.

ACC systems vary widely in quality, but generally make driving on the highway on long trips much more enjoyable, automatically slowing when you approach another car and accelerating again when your lane is clear. Many of the newer ones also make bumper to bumper driving better by automatically slowing and stopping the car before driving again when the light turns green, etc. Sone systems aren’t that great and some are much more effective, feel smoother, and are more reliable. Part of it is the software programming, and part of it is the actual hardware used (camera(s), radar antannae, and (rarely) lasers).

Many of these systems also reduce the chance of getting into a crash or the severity of a crash when it happens.

Disclaimer: while these systems make driving in these scenarios easier/ less taxing to different degrees depending on the car and system, nothing on the market now is actually “self driving”. It’s a drivers aide, that’s it.
 

VegasKoop

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Thank you for the reply. I wasn't sure about any cost savings with insurance. TBH, it really isn't a factor in my decision. It's nice if there is a discount associated with safety features, but it's not needed.

With regards to ACC, does the system slow you down and then accelerate on it's own while maintaining a safe distance? I'm coming from 2003 technology where I had to "coast" to reset the CC.

The USB ports and wireless charger are nice add. But by themselves, they certainly aren't worth the cost.

What about the B/O soundsystem? Keep in mind, I still have a CD player from 2003. So I'm by no means an audiophile.
I've had ACC for a decade and hate it. The sensors in my Lincoln detect the gap between me and the car in front of me and decelerates/breaks as needed, then accelerates when the gap is sufficient.

Sounds ok but in reality it's not quick enough to respond (even on my smallest gap setting) in high speed highway situations. Especially on a 2 lane highway where it's almost completely useless.

On a more laid back 4 lane highway drive its reaction time can be sufficient sometimes however.
 

scotts418

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I love ACC. Makes highway driving so much more convenient and safer as we all know we look at our phones a bit too often.

I also can’t imagine not having a heated steering wheel on a $50k+ vehicle soooo lux package it is.
 

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Moparguy

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I've had those systems on couple cars that I owned, was turned off all the time, never seen a friend use them.
 

stonerdoom

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Many of my purchasing decisions come down to the "F-It" factor.
I mean I don't buy a new truck that often. I'm turning 50 and this is only my 3rd new car purchase. I figure I should get what I want. Is it worth it for the stereo upgrade and heated steering wheel? Probably not. ...but eff it.
 

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Does anyone have any clue how Adaptive Cruise Control will work with manual transmission? Will it still break automatically or bring the car to a complete stop as needed even if I am in, say, 3rd gear? It's not a big deal for me (I just want it for highway cruising), but I'm quite curious about the pragmatics of it.
 

Daktari

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I've had some of these on assorted rentals in Europe, never bothered to see if they have cruise control as I didn't need it on the Autobahn. The lane assist was a surprise first, a vibrating steering wheel had me first think I'm getting a flat, LOL.

I am getting the LUX mostly for the stereo, really have no desire to deal with a stereo upgrade later on with modern cars, where everything seems to be built into one computer behind the dash. Plus it's a pain to research/select/install, been there, done that, no thanks.

Heated steering should be standard on much lower packages IMO, but I'd want that too. I'd just not spend the money for that (or the safety stuff) alone.

The stereo is really important to me and while I have no experience with B&O and only remember them for SciFi looking (but not all that great) home stereo setups, I'm hoping this one will be sounding great.
 

Southern Girl

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You'll hear a lot of people complain about 'nanny systems letting people doze off when they should be driving' but I love driver assist systems.

When you're stuck behind a semi on a hilly road, passing isn't possible, adaptive cruise control is insanely convenient. Same with driving in Minnesota where people refuse to maintain their speed on a clear road.

Collision warning... I remember one day where the light turned green and I started accelerating. Car ahead of me slowed down. I was staring right at them but it somehow didn't register until the collision warning came up. Also nice for the rare occasion you're behind some jerkass with nightshaded taillights or a Silverado with crappy aftermarket LED taillights and obscured third brake light -- both instances where their brake lights are hard to notice.

Lane-keeping isn't a full 'car drives itself everywhere', it just nudges the steering if you get too close to the lines. I added it to my car for the minor convenience it brings (plus automatic highbeams).

Your insurance likely won't care tbh.
We will never get caught on a hilly road. We live in Florida. :LOL: :LOL: I think this sounds like good technology to have. Sometimes it is hard to see tail lights around here in the afternoon driving home in the bright sun. Also, if someone else ever drives my Bronco, I will feel better knowing it will backseat driver them.
 

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_finack

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We will never get caught on a hilly road. We live in Florida. :LOL: :LOL: I think this sounds like good technology to have. Sometimes it is hard to see tail lights around here in the afternoon driving home in the bright sun. Also, if someone else ever drives my Bronco, I will feel better knowing it will backseat driver them.
I live in Florida too. I also find it difficult to see taillights when they aren't on at night or are just missing. Both are common occurrences down here.
 
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Beach_Bum

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We will never get caught on a hilly road. We live in Florida. :LOL: :LOL: I think this sounds like good technology to have. Sometimes it is hard to see tail lights around here in the afternoon driving home in the bright sun. Also, if someone else ever drives my Bronco, I will feel better knowing it will backseat driver them.
One thing I'm surprised by in driving in Florida's panhandle is how hilly (I dare say mountainous) it is. I've driven the the I10 corridor to Houston a number of times. And the highest elevation will be in Florida.

I think I'm going to get the Lux. Many good points were made. And I tend to hold on to my vehicles forever so getting the tech now, it will serve me in the long run. I'm sure the B/O stereo is worth it along with the other integrated tech. I might even use the heated steering wheel on those cold mornings when it is in the 40's.
 

chownd

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I know a few people who are crazy obsessive audiophiles. As I understand it good sound comes down to, largely, 2 things.



1. The audio components themselves.



B&O makes some fantastic stuff! But they also now make some stuff that the B&O of old would not let out into the world. They put their name on laptop speakers now....



Comes down a lot to how much ford is budgeting for them I think. B&O has stuff at a buch of different price points. They make car systems for aston, bentley, lambo, Audi and ford.



So while the bentley and the Ford have a system from the same company I bet there's isn't a single similarity besides the name on the grille.



2. The space the sound is heard in



The room, or vehicle, matters almost as much as the components. Speaker placement, the surfaces involved in the space, what else is in the room is all crucial. A vehicle with a removable top, even with it closed isn't exactly the best listening experience. And I don't think it'll have any speakers in the doors either. It'll sound different with the soft vs MIC vs MOD too.



I have no real knowledge in this next part but I bet a difference between some of a b&o systems in their other partners vs a Ford is how involved they are in the process. I bet bentley turns the whole car over to b&o to tune every aspect of a system per vehicle for the best possible sound. Again, I'm mostly speaking out of my ass here but I bet the components for a Ford are just going to be a supplier relationship rather than something entirely custom.





So, accepting the space for the bronco is probably going to be a pretty lousy sound stage and it likely won't be specifically tuned to it so I'm not expecting a fantastic experience.

but

1. I'm sure it'll be better than stock.

2. Hopefully ford doesn't cheap out too much and b&o is giving them some decent stuff, hopefully sharing more similarities to an Audi system vs an HP laptop and that it can get loud without a ton of loss in fidelity!

I'm guessing aftermarket will be better choice for sound, focal for sure but maybe even some mid priced alpine gear would be an upgrade but I'm probably going with lux because messing with modern day car systems that are so integrated isn't something I want to mess with
 
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Beach_Bum

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I know a few people who are crazy obsessive audiophiles. As I understand it good sound comes down to, largely, 2 things.



1. The audio components themselves.



B&O makes some fantastic stuff! But they also now make some stuff that the B&O of old would not let out into the world. They put their name on laptop speakers now....



Comes down a lot to how much ford is budgeting for them I think. B&O has stuff at a buch of different price points. They make car systems for aston, bentley, lambo, Audi and ford.



So while the bentley and the Ford have a system from the same company I bet there's isn't a single similarity besides the name on the grille.



2. The space the sound is heard in



The room, or vehicle, matters almost as much as the components. Speaker placement, the surfaces involved in the space, what else is in the room is all crucial. A vehicle with a removable top, even with it closed isn't exactly the best listening experience. And I don't think it'll have any speakers in the doors either. It'll sound different with the soft vs MIC vs MOD too.



I have no real knowledge in this next part but I bet a difference between some of a b&o systems in their other partners vs a Ford is how involved they are in the process. I bet bentley turns the whole car over to b&o to tune every aspect of a system per vehicle for the best possible sound. Again, I'm mostly speaking out of my ass here but I bet the components for a Ford are just going to be a supplier relationship rather than something entirely custom.





So, accepting the space for the bronco is probably going to be a pretty lousy sound stage and it likely won't be specifically tuned to it so I'm not expecting a fantastic experience.

but

1. I'm sure it'll be better than stock.

2. Hopefully ford doesn't cheap out too much and b&o is giving them some decent stuff, hopefully sharing more similarities to an Audi system vs an HP laptop and that it can get loud without a ton of loss in fidelity!

I'm guessing aftermarket will be better choice for sound, focal for sure but maybe even some mid priced alpine gear would be an upgrade but I'm probably going with lux because messing with modern day car systems that are so integrated isn't something I want to mess with
Thanks for the reply on the B/O sound system. As I mentioned originally, I'm no audiophile. I'm still fumbling around with CDs. My CD player in my Jeep has a permanent shuffle feature when no shuffle feature originally existed.

I was reading some threads on the B/O system specifically, and a couple of good points were made. Having it factory installed and covered under the warranty is a benefit that is often overlooked.
 

chownd

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Thanks for the reply on the B/O sound system. As I mentioned originally, I'm no audiophile. I'm still fumbling around with CDs. My CD player in my Jeep has a permanent shuffle feature when no shuffle feature originally existed.

I was reading some threads on the B/O system specifically, and a couple of good points were made. Having it factory installed and covered under the warranty is a benefit that is often overlooked.
Yeah I have a buddy recently who's locked in a who's responsible game for some gremlins in his year old car between honda, alpine and the installer. Anecdotal sure, but it doesn't sound fun
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