[robohydrate]

At least with FSD you have the option of paying once for the entire feature (currently 15k) or paying a subscription ($200/mo or $100/mo if you paid once for enhanced autopilot feature (currently $6k). And it's an actual software feature, not unlocking your hardware. Though I think an acceleration boost unlock is/was offered for certain Tesla model 3/Y, which I guess is similar to what Mercedes is doing here, but it's a one time thing instead of subscription. /MuskRatOut

[SketchySeaBeast]

I'll guess that the up front cost does kind of make it better, but really, in both cases the car has the hardware already, you're just paying for the software to unlock its functionality. In neither case are they going to replace the engineer or remove the sensors.