Adaptive Cruise Control

[Kodiak]

I have a question on how the Adaptive Cruise Control works.

First, will it work with a manual transmission?

Second, does the feature that detects collisions only work when the Cruise Control is set and actively controlling your speed?

I know it works if you are set at a certain speed and driving along and someone stops in front of you. If it detects a collision it will warn you and apply the brakes.

My question is...will this work if you are just driving and Cruise Control isn't on? Or...if it is on but you have touched the brakes so it isn't actively controlling your speed...will it still work?

I rarely drive with Cruise Control on. I do like the idea of a warning system to prevent collisions but if you have to be actually driving with the computer controlling your speed...that kind of makes it less cool of a feature and I could save money by not having it.

If it did work as long as the the Cruise Control was turned on but not actively controlling your speed (ie...you haven't set your speed yet) then one could just turn it on right when you get going. Anyway...just a question I have. I'd love to get it but again...if it only works when I am in motion and having the speed set...I never have issues anyway and it seems like a waste of money.

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[MustangSteve]

I have a question on how the Adaptive Cruise Control works.

First, will it work with a manual transmission?

Second, does the feature that detects collisions only work when the Cruise Control is set and actively controlling your speed?

I know it works if you are set at a certain speed and driving along and someone stops in front of you. If it detects a collision it will warn you and apply the breaks.

My question is...will this work if you are just driving and Cruise Control isn't on? Or...if it is on but you have touched the breaks so it isn't actively controlling your speed...will it still work?

I rarely drive with Cruise Control on. I do like the idea of a warning system to prevent collisions but if you have to be actually driving with the computer controlling your speed...that kind of makes it less cool of a feature and I could save money by not having it.

If it did work as long as the the Cruise Control was turned on but not actively controlling your speed (ie...you haven't set your speed yet) then one could just turn it on right when you get going. Anyway...just a question I have. I'd love to get it but again...if it only works when I am in motion and having the speed set...I never have issues anyway and it seems like a waste of money.

Yes, ACC works with a manual and the radar sensor can provide collision warnings even when the cruise control is off.

 

[Kevindust]

I've been surprised by the number of people in the "order/price" threads that are buying adaptive cruise control. I've never used ACC so I could be way off base on it's benefits but it's a $1600 option (in Canada) that I don't think I would pay $160 to have. I feel that the rain sensing wipers would be useful but they should be standard on the Premium trims. Hopefully other members can post about their experiences with ACC and I can learn more about it.

 

[mustanghobo]

I'm not sure how well the acc works but my sister in laws explorer has something similar that alerts the driver when theres a sudden car stopped ahead.

I had my doubts but last week on the way home traffic stopped suddenly due to construction.

Needless to say, if the alert hadn't gone off we probably would've plowed into the cars stopped in front of us.

It made me believe in the system

 

[xlover]

I've been surprised by the number of people in the "order/price" threads that are buying adaptive cruise control. I've never used ACC so I could be way off base on it's benefits but it's a $1600 option (in Canada) that I don't think I would pay $160 to have. I feel that the rain sensing wipers would be useful but they should be standard on the Premium trims. Hopefully other members can post about their experiences with ACC and I can learn more about it.

It's convenient in that when traveling on the highway it will maintain a preset distance from the vehicle in front of you even if they slow down or speed up.

 

[DHG1078]

I've been surprised by the number of people in the "order/price" threads that are buying adaptive cruise control. I've never used ACC so I could be way off base on it's benefits but it's a $1600 option (in Canada) that I don't think I would pay $160 to have. I feel that the rain sensing wipers would be useful but they should be standard on the Premium trims. Hopefully other members can post about their experiences with ACC and I can learn more about it.

As fas as cruise control goes, ACC is just a convenience feature so you don't have to worry about slowing down slightly when coming up behind other cars. It can theoretically provide better fuel economy, but you would be hard pressed to see any difference in real life. The collision prevention stuff is pretty cool and might be worth it to some people. Especially with all the distractions in cars today, or if you commute a lot and get groggy it could save you from a collision. whether or not its worth money to you is a different story.

 

[MUSThavaSTANG]

I feel that the rain sensing wipers would be useful but they should be standard on the Premium trims.

Not singling you out, but rain sensing wipers??? How lazy have we become as drivers?

 

[DHG1078]

Not singling you out, but rain sensing wipers??? How lazy have we become as drivers?

I share a similar view. If I am not observant enough to change my speed/ adjust windshield wipers, I prob. shouldn't be driving. The collision warning/prevention stuff is pretty cool though. Some things happen out of our control and I wouldn't mind having that without the other gimmicks.

 

[likeaboss]

I had this feature on my 2010 Taurus SHO. It was cool but not worth the extra money. Save that money for mods.

 

[scottpe]

Not singling you out, but rain sensing wipers??? How lazy have we become as drivers?

If it adjusts the speed of the wipers depending on the amount of water hitting the windshield (and does so accurately), I think it's a pretty nice feature. For me, constantly adjusting the interval of the wipers is a bit of an annoyance and one more distraction I'd be glad to eliminate in such weather conditions. I'd rather keep my hands on the wheel than be fiddling with wiper switches.

I know other cars have this, but I have no idea how well it works.

EDIT: all this being said, I still don't know that these two features are worth $1600 to me. Tough one...

 

[scottpe]

Sometimes it's hard to put a price on safety. If a particular feature saves your bacon one time during your ownership of the vehicle, it's paid for itself, usually many times over. One major collision can change your entire life forever. If an accident happens to you that could have been avoided with this technology, that $1600 will not seem like much money anymore...

But it really just comes down to personal priorities and willingness to play the odds. To some, $1600 is a small price to pay for that extra bit of peace of mind. Others may be willing to take that risk that the percentages will favor them. There is no wrong answer.

 

[Todd15Fastback]

Not singling you out, but rain sensing wipers??? How lazy have we become as drivers?

That is what makes the USA great! I/we can pick whatever options we want on our cars.

Does NAV make us lazy instead of reading a map while driving or pulling over to figure our route?

It is called technology and will always be evolving. Nice to have these options to pick from.

 

[RisingForce]

I've had Adaptive Cruise on my last 4 vehicles and while it's a neat feature I am not getting it on my 15 Mustang. The reason simply being if there's a slow driver in front of me , I'm gonna pass them !
I must admit tho that Adaptive Cruise have somewhat helped me with my road rage. But I won't miss it at all on my Mustang.

 

[Grimace427]

My experience with adaptive cruise is limited to Mercedes and using it felt very strange, especially in traffic. Called Distronic Plus, the system could actually apply full braking power and bring the car to a complete stop. If I were doing a lot of long-distance highway driving it would be a valuable option as it frees up some of your concentration from only the cars ahead of you to everything else that is around you, and reduces driver fatigue.


Automatic wipers irritate the hell out of me. Sometimes it's one tiny drop of water and they go nuts. Other times the windshield can be covered in water drops and they just sit there.

 

[Rickycardo]

I have rain sensing wipers on my Taurus and they work ok. Sometimes it seems they work on their own without any rain and sometimes they due just sit there. But for the most part they do work as advertised. I don't care if I have them or not but I plan on getting a loaded premium convertible GT so I'll probably have them.
What I find more useful that Ford doesn't seem to offer is a mist setting where you can touch the stalk and get a single stroke of the wipers. I also like having separate stalks for wipers and turn signals but it's too late to die on that hill.

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