Gadgets

The CL's standard equipment list is long. Our test car came with a number of option packages; here are some of the highlights:

For starters, the blind spot monitors are included in a package that also gives you adaptive cruise control, which maintains a set following distance from the car in front of you, even if it slows. With that package, you also get lane-keeping assist, which thrums the steering wheel if you go over a lane marker without signaling. I tried it out, and it works obtrusively enough to alert you that you've strayed, but not so harshly that you think you've broken something and/or are about to die.

A Premium Package includes massaging front seats. They're nice, work as advertised and can be set to Active mode, meaning the same bolsters that massage you can inflate to hold you in your seat better when you make a turn, then deflate when you hit the straightaway. I skipped the Active setting and snugged the bolsters up to my body just for driving around; it felt more natural and comfortable than having the seat suddenly start pushing on me.

The Premium Package also includes Night View Assist PLUS, which uses invisible infrared headlights to display a view of the road on the screen where the speedometer usually appears. It's a good idea, but not necessary in the city, where there's plenty of ambient light to begin with. Perhaps if I lived in the country it would have impressed me more.

    See also:

    Fuel filler flap emergency release
    WARNING Avoid contact with the vehicle walls as they may contain sharp edges. Otherwise, you could injure yourself while releasing the fuel filler flap. The emergency release is located in ...

    Removing and installing the cover in the front wheel arch
    You must remove the cover from the front wheel housing before you can change the front bulbs. - To remove: switch off the lights. - Turn the front wheels inwards. - Slide up cover 1  and ...

    ATA (Anti-Theft Alarm system)
    A visual and audible alarm is triggered if the alarm system is armed and you open: • a door • the vehicle with the mechanical key • the trunk lid • the hood The alarm is not switched off, even ...