Techno challenge special

Modern motors are crammed full of technology, but is it all worthwhile? Thanks to a never-ending stream of new innovations, gadgets that would have seemed futuristic only a few years ago are now commonplace. Yet regardless of how much hi-tech engineering goes into a car, it’s still the driver who has the biggest input.

Here we look at four pieces of technology, which all claim to do their jobs better than the driver, to see if that’s really the case. Porsche’s double-clutch PDK gearbox includes a launch-control system, but will it get a 911 from 0-60mph faster than a conventional manual? Another racy aid is Nissan’s Synchro Rev Control. The automated throttle-blipping system improves the smoothness of downchanges, yet will it help you to lap a track faster than before?

But the latest driver aids aren’t only about performance. How about a car which can park itself? Or help you see in the dark? Are these everyday motoring-assistance programmes everything they claim to be?

To find out, we’ve put VW’s Park Assist and Mercedes’ Night View Assist Plus systems to the test. Read on to discover which of these technologies genuinely do a better job than the driver.