One more thing....
There is no officially designated definition for what constitutes a SAS
If I go to AC 27-1B Appendix B section b(6)
Stability Augmentation System it states:
If a SAS installation stabilizes the rotorcraft by allowing the pilot to "fly through" and perceive a stable, well behaved vehicle, it qualifies as a SAS...
That's the FAA's definition of a SAS per the advisory material, and it is pretty clear to me that it applies to the "hands on" flying behavior. And in order for the pilot to perceive something different than the rotorcraft's natural, (usually unstable) control behavior, you have to break the direct link from the pilot to the control and add or subtract input as required. That's certainly most people's understanding of what constitutes a SAS.
I'm not saying its a bad system. But if it's primarily a hands-off system, it's a clever autopilot - not a SAS.