CX5 2018 (Aus) - Enable more safety features

Hello,

I have a CX5 2018 Australian model, on my settings menu, safety submenu, I only have two settings available:
  • Smart City Brake Support
  • Parking Sensor Indicator
Is there a way to buy / upgrade / unlock / retrofit more safety features? For example:
  • High Beam Control System (HBC)
  • Adaptive LED Headlights (ALH)
  • Driver Attention Alert (DAA)
  • Lane-keep Assist System (LAS) & Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS)
  • Traffic Sign Recognition System (TSR)
  • Advanced Smart City Brake Support (Advanced SCBS)
  • Smart City Brake Support [Forward] (SCBS F)
Those features use the already installed Forward Sensing Camera behind the rear-view mirror, I wonder if I can simply pay for them at a dealership or enable/unlock them somehow.
 
No, they will not do this for you I can promise you. Not one car company will. Personally never understood this. If I ran a car company I would absolutely offer this as a way to bring even more money into my dealerships.
 
No, they will not do this for you I can promise you. Not one car company will. Personally never understood this. If I ran a car company I would absolutely offer this as a way to bring even more money into my dealerships.
If they did this people would not buy the higher trim models.
 
If they did this people would not buy the higher trim models.

Or they might complain that the prices are too high to "unlock", or complain that the features should just be enabled since they paid for the car and the hardware. This could potentially also lead to some people "hacking" the systems, resulting in loss of revenue for Mazda and possibly creating unsafe risks for those who have their systems "hacked".
 
Or they might complain that the prices are too high to "unlock", or complain that the features should just be enabled since they paid for the car and the hardware. This could potentially also lead to some people "hacking" the systems, resulting in loss of revenue for Mazda and possibly creating unsafe risks for those who have their systems "hacked".

Funny you mention that. I recently read an article that's what Tesla is doing with their long range models I believe. No change to vehicle physically, just 'unlock' the extra battery capacity that's already there. I think it was a $4000 charge to reprogram.
 
Chances are your vehicle lacks the hardware for those features. Some of those features require the front radar (as distinct from parking sensors). The chips and other hardware that process the input may be lacking as well.

I'd presume neither your headlight stalk nor wiper stalk have "auto" settings. If those settings are absent the stalks would have to be replaced along with everything else to make those functions operational. If your stalks have those auto settings you should try them--perhaps you have those functions.
 
Funny you mention that. I recently read an article that's what Tesla is doing with their long range models I believe. No change to vehicle physically, just 'unlock' the extra battery capacity that's already there. I think it was a $4000 charge to reprogram.
Tesla does what Tesla always does--Job #1 is getting product out the door.

If that means turning off autonomous functions that turn out to be not so autonomous, replacing chips with actuators, putting expensive battery cells in a vehicle and not charging for them unless somebody subscribes (if that's what they actually do), or chucking out poor fit and finish in their least expensive models, then so be it.

Then there's BMW that's going to a monthly subscription model to 'unlock' features, including - get this - heated seats! Heated seats? Really? (I'd be hacking those suckers ASAP!)

That's actually consumer friendly. If you really want heated seats but not the other stuff in an option package or higher trim for thousands of dollar, it's an attractive option. I wonder if you can subscribe for 6 months, cancel in warmer weather, and then resubscribe the next winter?

I'd guess turning the heated seats on and off is a touch screen function. Having dash buttons that don't do anything would be pretty cheesy while p*ssing off some buyers who thought they had that function. Hacking touch screen logic would not be easy to say the least.
 
That's actually consumer friendly. If you really want heated seats but not the other stuff in an option package or higher trim for thousands of dollar, it's an attractive option. I wonder if you can subscribe for 6 months, cancel in warmer weather, and then resubscribe the next winter?
And this is exactly what people will say to justify buying this so it is only going to encourage more companies to do it.

I don't think allowing upgrades later would discourage upgrades o the used market at all.
 
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