German Magazine Vanishing Point has published a video on its YouTube channel of a driver in Germany testing his Infiniti Q50S. In the video, two men experiment with the Infiniti’s safety features, and the driver takes his hands and feet off the controls.
Partway through the film, however, he actually climbs out of the drivers seat entirely, putting his fate (and everyone else) in the hands of his luxury sedan.
Why is this so crazy, you ask? Aren’t autonomous cars a thing now?
Well, this Infiniti Q50S car is not really self-driving; it’s merely semi-autonomous and equipped with Active Lane Control. The safety function assists the driver by keeping the vehicle in the center of the lane, and its Distance Control Assist adjusts throttle and braking during certain traffic conditions.
This particular Infiniti is also equipped with Predictive Forward Collision Warning, which produces an alert tone when it senses an impending collision between the two vehicles in front of you. It does this by measuring respective velocities of the cars ahead, but it does not interfere with braking or throttle.
Another impressive feature of the Q50S is its Forward Emergency Braking system, which detects incoming collisions and engages the brakes if necessary. Despite the Q50’s impressive tech, the testicular fortitude required to leave the driver’s seat on a crowded freeway does not come standard.
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To be fair, the Infiniti does perform quite well on the gently sloping highway, but I’m not sure it’s worth the risk for a few YouTube hits.
Watch the video of the gumptious German below. The white-knuckled maneuver starts at the 1:26 mark.
