Travel Assist - Assisted Lane changing

[electroasd]

Hello Everyone!

I have been reading this forum for many years, and I am thrilled to announce that I have finally acquired a Golf GTE MY2023! It's great to meet you all!

While I'm not new to the Volkswagen family (I already own a Polo), this new Golf has brought up many questions that I can't find answers to easily. I am hoping you can help me out.

Let's start with this topic, which seems quite interesting.

As I mentioned, my Golf is a 2023 model, and I've had it for a few days now.

I have the travel assist feature, and according to the owner's manual (both the physical copy and the digital one on the MIB3), it includes "Assisted Lane Changing." To use this feature, it needs to be enabled through the following steps:

1) Open the Assist system menu
2) Select Travel Assist
3) Active or deactivate assisted lane changing as a sub-function of Travel Assist.

Despite following the guidelines, I haven't been able to find the Travel Assist menu.

In this video (linked below), which features a car with older hardware than mine, it suggests that I need to click on the grey car icon — something I am unable to do.

Now, here's the interesting part: a user with a Seat Tarraco mentioned in the comments section of the video that he lost this functionality after an update.

Do any of you know more about this? Is there a specific action we need to take to make it work? Could VW have removed this feature, perhaps to include it exclusively in the ID cars?

Last but not least, I noticed some mentions of this feature in this forum, where it was introduced by Volkswagen under the title "Travel Assist with swarm data." While it may be unrelated, I have currently set the swarm data sharing to "off." I am unsure if this affects anything or not.

 

[gjm]

From what I can gather when I was researching the same topic is that you need Park Assist to be fitted to allow the Assisted Lane Change.
The car needs the extra 4 sensors to give it a 360 deg view of what is around the car to ensure the lane is clear.
The manual is not very clear but it does state it uses the parking system, and from that I think it means Park Assist, and not just the UK standard of front and rear parking sensors.

 

[electroasd]

Intresting... I cannot find anything about this. Everywhere they mention about Side Assist not Parking assist. Do you remember where you read about it ?

Also this guy activate the system before 2 years :

 

[gjm]

In my manual dated Nov 2022, under “Using assisted lane changing” it states;

“Assisted lane changing uses the same sensors as the lane change system (Side Assist) and the parking systems.”

So it all depends on the definition of ‘parking systems’? In my mind it means the systems used in parking the car, and that would be Park Assist. In the UK this is a relatively low cost extra, but one that is very rarely picked, whereas in other markets and also with some other models like the T-Roc & Tiguan, it comes as part of the standard spec.

Another aspect is this from the same section of the manual;

“…available only while driving forward on multi-lane motorways that are included in the navigation data…”

So the navigation data needs to have the data for the motorway that you are travelling and recognise that lane assist can be used.

It could be that there is a limited selection of motorways where the system allows this feature to be used, and due to the way VW works it may only have German roads. In the UK, I have travelled on what I would call major motorways, the M25, M1, M4 with Travel Assist activated at no point has the lane change feature shown itself to be available.

Ideally somebody who has Park Assist installed from factory needs to experiment on a motorway and report back.

 

[electroasd]

Thank you very much for the response! It seems that things are clearing with this now.

Here is what my manual says, version June 2022 :

When you set a convenience turn signal, the vehicle can perform assisted lane changing on multi-lane motorways within the system limits if sufficient space has been detected surrounding the vehicle.

Assisted lane changing uses the same sensors as the lane change system (Side Assist). You should therefore read the information on Side Assist carefully and observe the system limits and warnings listed there.

Prerequisites
Assisted lane changing is available only while driving forward on multi-lane motorways that are included in the navigation data of the Infotainment system and from a speed of around 90 km/h (around 55 mph).
Travel Assist must also be switched on.

So with all the data we are having right now and if what the user in YouTube is true and based on those information,` then I am supposing we are having this situation :

1) VW enable this feature for manufactured mid 2022 with Side Assist .

2) Then based on Swarm data, finds that it is not working ok and need also more sensors ( from Parking assist )

3) Remove the functionality from cars without Parking assist.

4) Correct Owner manual with correct information.

The above is just a hypothesis, maybe if someone has this functionality he can enlight us more!

 

[electroasd]

I think I am having the final veridict on this. Yes, Travel Assist, Side Assist , Park Assist are mandatory systems in order to have the Lane Change Feature.