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Adaptive Cruise Control, The Savior of Sanity - 2015 Volvo S60 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited December 2015 in Volvo
imageAdaptive Cruise Control, The Savior of Sanity - 2015 Volvo S60 Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com extols the sanity-saving virtues of adaptive cruise control in its long-term 2015 Volvo S60.

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Comments

  • longtimelurkerlongtimelurker Member Posts: 455
    What an awful place to have to drive. Or is that "drive"?
  • kirkhilles1kirkhilles1 Member Posts: 863
    That's good to hear. I've been wondering about the overall status of the adaptive cruise/semi-automated technologies in manufacturers other than Tesla. Haven't really heard of you guys stating anything good about them and seems more of an annoyance than a real assisting technology.
  • 5vzfe5vzfe Member Posts: 161
    edited December 2015
    I think rush hour or other heavy traffic situations are where these systems are supposed to really shine. I remember reading somewhere that ACC was developed to help keep traffic flowing smoothly by removing driver errors and allowing cars to fit in spaces closer together. It seems that when traveling at highway speeds while using this function, you guys seem to have the most issues with the ACC systems, I would assume because the auto manufacturers are trying to err on the side of caution with semi-autonomy and the complications that arise when traveling faster. I'm curious to know, how well does the Volvo system work when the car is moving at highway velocities? And do any of the other cars in the fleet with lower scoring systems perform better at lower speeds?
  • saulstersaulster Member Posts: 48
    I agree, the adaptive CC in my '15 S 60 is a sanity saver in Los Angeles traffic and a true friend on longer trips. That said, it's not "perfect".

    First, if you use it in commute rush hour traffic, it will slow down to a complete stop but, shortly, turn off and need a reset with the button to resume. The "best" systems automate that as well.

    Second, if on a highway trip and find a long downhill ( like the "Grapevine" on I 5 north of Los Angeles ), it doesn't intervene to hold the downhill speed until your are 3 - 4 MPH over your setting, allowing IMHO excess speed above the setting. I end up resetting the speed 3 or 4 MPH down on the long downhill to avoid over speed, potential tickets, etc. If in a long mountain downhill stretch ( like I 80 returning to San Francisco from Reno ), that could be even more annoying, up and down, have to reset or just accept a lower average speed.....

    I view both of the above as "programming" issues, easily resolved by Volvo if they so choose.
  • dmclone1dmclone1 Member Posts: 17
    Question on the adaptive cruise. Do you find that it is constantly applying the brakes, therefore always flashing your brake lights, to maintain the proper distance. In my car (2011 M56x) the adaptive cruise works fine but I rarely use it because the people behind me are probably annoyed that it looks like I'm constantly breaking. Where a human driver would just allow the car to coast the adaptive cruise is always trying to stay within a certain range. My guess is that it also hurts fuel economy.
  • jakek66jakek66 Member Posts: 60
    My '16 GTI's works great. Very smooth and not lurchy. It also has the lane assist and will steer for you if you let it (only for a second or so until it will start beeping). If the system was a little bit more involved (doesn't work on stop and go traffic), I could see it doing the "auto pilot" thing pretty well. Just needs some more software upgrades, the sensors are all there.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Sounds like another death knell for manual transmissions!
  • steve4fordsteve4ford Member Posts: 2
    I love the adaptive cruise control on my 15 Subaru Outback... I used it from Disneyland north to Sacramento, I only intervened 3 times. It leaves in my opinion too much space between me and the car in front of me in heavy traffic, invited others to cut in and forcing the car to brake heavily. As for the one question about the brake lights constantly flashing, it does use the brakes to adjust speed, but if it's only using them lightly, it doesn't light the brake lights, only on "serious" braking, I'm assuming this because LCD on the dash with the car illustration flashed brake lights when it applies them for anything more then slight speed adjustments.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Can you adjust the distance on your car?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    A reporter is looking to interview owners of the Volvo S60 Inscription. Please email PR@edmunds.com before January 4, 2016 with a few words about your experience with the car if you'd like to be considered for this interview.
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