Adaptive Cruise Pack

[olla]

Is it worth it in your opinion? Do you like it? How about the rain sensing wipes?

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[Rob00GT]

I ordered mine with a manual transmission so this seemed like a useless option. I'm also perfectly capable of turning on my own wipers, especially if I'm waiting for it to get just a little bit wetter to expedite the cleaning (and not just smearing) of bug remains.

 

[wilkinda65]

It's not available on my LE but my wife has both on her 2013 Fusion titanium and we had it on our 2012 Explorer Limited as well. Both worked fantastic and never any issues.

 

[Alloye]

I've always found standard cruise control to be practically useless in city traffic, so I thought I'd give the adaptive a try. So far, it works great! You set both desired speed and following distance, then the system controls actual speed as traffic ahead fluctuates.

As for the rain sensing wipers, I didn't think mine were working very well until I figured out that you can adjust the feature's sensitivity with the interval dial. Now they work as expected.

Overall, I'm very happy with the package, but I'm also a gadget whore.

 

[thehunterooo]

I was very interested in this option but it is too bad it can not be added on to a base. I drive at night most of the time so it gets annoying getting stuck behind people who slow and speed up again and again, DUI's are the worst though.

I wonder if adaptive cruise control can be added via aftermarket?

 

[JimmyTwoTimes]

I've always found standard cruise control to be practically useless in city traffic, so I thought I'd give the adaptive a try. So far, it works great! You set both desired speed and following distance, then the system controls actual speed as traffic ahead fluctuates.

How close can you set the distance? That was the reason I didn't get the option -- I'd heard that you had to set it at least 30 feet away from the car in front of you or something ridiculously impractical like that.

 

[Alloye]

How close can you set the distance? That was the reason I didn't get the option -- I'd heard that you had to set it at least 30 feet away from the car in front of you or something ridiculously impractical like that.

There are four settings. I haven't tried them all yet. The default (3 of 4) felt about right for my comfort. I'll play with it some more on the way home tonight.

 

[nate]

I also thought it was completely useless until I tried it on a buddy's Acura (and again on a Ford to make sure the systems were roughly the same).

First of all, my commute is a busy high-speed highway, so it's nice I can actually use CC for more than 2 seconds at a time as the car adjusts following distance itself. It's safer this way - I don't lose concentration and end up tailgating someone, and yet I don't have to constantly fiddle with the speeds or cancel/resume.

What clenched it for me was the collision mitigation. Face it - sometime in the next 5 years you're going to be checking your mirror to change lanes and the person in front of you is going to slam on their brakes. It's worth having a little extra warning and intervention. That's how almost every accident occurs in my town - someone looks down to wipe a stain off their shirt and they slam into the person in front. If it only has a 10% chance of saving you once over the lifetime of the car, it's worth the hassle and expense of dealing with someone you just rear-ended.

I've never hit anyone (knock on wood!) but I got rear-ended on a motorcycle by a car driver who wasn't paying attention. I bet I would have been spared if her vehicle had had collision mitigation, or at least the impact would have been slower. I'm getting collision mitigation on every car I buy from here on out - even manuals (it still brakes for you and beeps at you, but you have to put in the clutch yourself). I gave up road riding after that - maybe when 90% of cars have collision mitigation, I'll get back to it without fearing for my life in front of every texting "cager".

Also FYI - Ford's system is adjustable not just for distance but also for sensitivity. Most people don't play around with that before bleating about how it goes off around every curbside tree, but it's worth mentioning.

 

[Dragster]

I originally had it on my order, but I removed it after I found out that it changes the lower grille in the front. The standard GT lower grille has the "fangs" to match the upper grille insert, but the lower grille included with the adaptive cruise is-I believe-the same lower grille found on cars with the 50th AP. Call me picky, but I didn't like the fact that they didn't match (honeycomb with fangs on the standard GT, and more of a box look without fangs on the 50th lower grille).

My car won't be a daily driver, though, so I really don't think I would've used adaptive cruise or the wipers much. I was more interested in the collision mitigation... But not at the expense of the looks of the car.

 

[Brownw01]

Today on the highway someone in front of me slammed on their brakes and the audible beep went off and the light bar flashed across the windshield as I was looking in rear view mirror.

Worth every penny.

 

[goldengooner]

Today on the highway someone in front of me slammed on their brakes and the audible beep went off and the light bar flashed across the windshield as I was looking in rear view mirror.

Worth every penny.

But you still had to apply the brakes?
How far up the windscreen is the light bar
thanks

 

[goldengooner]

I've always found standard cruise control to be practically useless in city traffic, so I thought I'd give the adaptive a try. So far, it works great! You set both desired speed and following distance, then the system controls actual speed as traffic ahead fluctuates.

As for the rain sensing wipers, I didn't think mine were working very well until I figured out that you can adjust the feature's sensitivity with the interval dial. Now they work as expected.

Overall, I'm very happy with the package, but I'm also a gadget whore.

Can you use the ACC in sport mode? or only in drive mode?
What speed do you have to be doing before it works?
So if i put it on at home then drive off around town getting up to 30mph would it still work?
thanks

 

[nate]

Can you use the ACC in sport mode? or only in drive mode?
What speed do you have to be doing before it works?
So if i put it on at home then drive off around town getting up to 30mph would it still work?
thanks

In answer to these and earlier questions (note: I can only speak from my experience with my GT PP - you should read your owner's manual for definitive answers):

1. Does it actually brake for you? Yes, Active Cruise Control will brake for you if it's on, but the collision warning does not add any additional braking on top of that (source). If you're not on ACC, it does not brake for you - though it sure as hell feels like it! Even when ACC is not engaged, if you're about to run into something, the system "pre-charges" the brakes and increases the sensitivity while warning you with a sound and a light on the dash. May not sound like a big deal, but at 70mph, you travel 100ft for every extra second you spend reacting...

2. How far up the windscreen is the light bar? The light bar is clearly visible just above the steering wheel, height wise.

3. Can you use ACC in sport mode? Yep! It works in all 4 modes. Side note: You can't use Track Apps and cruise control at the same time, it would appear (then again, why would you?).

4.What speed do you have to be doing before it works? I think this depends on if you're in a manual or an automatic. Pretty sure my manual goes down to 30mph, but at some point below that it beeps at me..."downshift, moron"...

Some other brands (Acura, Volvo) have a function to actually self-drive in stop-start traffic but I don't think even automatic Mustangs do that yet (someone with an automatic correct me if I'm wrong).

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