Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go

[C Broad Arrow]

I am wondering if there is anyone who has this option on their Energi?

 

Is it a good option?

Can it be instaled as an after-market item?

Does it get used/activated often for you?

[4cylinder]

I have it, and I would never go back to any car that doesn't have such a feature. The fact that it can bring you to a complete stop during heavy traffic is just wonderful.

 

In theory you could retrofit the system, but that requires you to source a new sensor under the grille and possibly a new front fascia to fit it. You would also need to program it in ForScan. If your car doesn't have the lane keep camera behind the rearview mirror, that would also be needed as it is part of the adaptive cruise system. In practice, it's not something I would recommend doing. Given the extreme depreciation on the Energi, I'm sure you can just trade up to a slightly used car that has the option without breaking the bank.

 

I don't use it often as my commutes are entirely on suburban roads, but any time I go on freeways, I make sure to activate it. I'm driving to Chicago this weekend and the adaptive cruise will definitely make that road trip more pleasant!

[Timewellspent]

I had a courtesy car that had this option on it.  I'm not sure what I make of it.  It was nice when I was in traffic and we were all staying in lanes.  What I didn't like is when a car in front would change lanes and the cars ahead of him had created a larger gap, the car would take off to reach the correct spacing and then slow down really fast.  Sometimes it didn't feel like it would stop and I had to apply the brake myself. I'm sure others that are able to use it more often will have better input.

[muzicman61]

I think it is one of the best safety features of the vehicle.  I was driving in heavy fog on the interstate one day and it slowed me down because it was able to sense a car i could not even see.  As 4cylinder stated, i too would never own a vehicle that did not have this feature.

[C Broad Arrow]

 Given the extreme depreciation on the Energi, I'm sure you can just trade up to a slightly used car that has the option without breaking the bank.

 

I don't use it often as my commutes are entirely on suburban roads, but any time I go on freeways, I make sure to activate it. I'm driving to Chicago this weekend and the adaptive cruise will definitely make that road trip more pleasant!

 

Hi 4cylinder   Can you elaborate on what you meant by "extreme depreciation?"

[muzicman61]

Hi 4cylinder   Can you elaborate on what you meant by "extreme depreciation?"

 

I might be able to elaborate at least from my view.  I bought my 2017 FFE Titanium in June of 17.  Sticker was almost $43K.  Just did a KBB lookup on the vehicle this morning and with 23K in miles, the private party value is between $18,500 and $21,000.  Dealer trade in value was $15,500 to $17,500.  That is some pretty serious depreciation.  Still, I love my car! :)

[4cylinder]

Hi 4cylinder   Can you elaborate on what you meant by "extreme depreciation?"

 

The sticker price before any tax credit was a hair under US$40k when the car was brand new.

 

I bought it when it was 13 months old with 7,800 miles on it, for US$23k before trade-in - that's about 40% of value lost. This is because used cars are not eligible for tax credits, and that must be factored into resale value. I believe the tax credits are even more generous in Ontario which should further impact resale values. 

 

Before I got the Energi, I was driving a Fusion Hybrid from Canada that lost C$10k of value with 2000 km on it over 20 months (it was a demo car hence the super low odometer reading).

 

That is some extreme depreciation that you'd never see on similar Toyota or Honda models. Great for used buyers, awful for new buyers!

 

So if you want to get the adaptive cruise, I'd recommend keeping an eye on Autotrader for used Energis that have it. In fact, since you live in the GTA, you're just 3-4 hours away from the Metro Detroit area, where you can find plenty of cheap former Ford executive cars with low mileage (right now a 2017 Energi Platinum stickers for $23k with 11,000 miles in my area). You could try selling your Energi in Canada and going through the process of importing one from the US (I have experience importing cars in both directions and can assist by PM).

Edited March 27, 2018 at 01:44 PM by 4cylinder

[jj2me]

Question related to the "Stop-and-Go" in the title.

 

When I come to a red light, yes, it stops.  But the "go" part is overly delayed, it seems like three or four car lengths of space before it moves forward.  This invites honking by the car behind, so I stopped using it for stop-and-go.  Is there some trick to get it to move out more normally after stopping?

[murphy]

Question related to the "Stop-and-Go" in the title.

 

When I come to a red light, yes, it stops.  But the "go" part is overly delayed, it seems like three or four car lengths of space before it moves forward.  This invites honking by the car behind, so I stopped using it for stop-and-go.  Is there some trick to get it to move out more normally after stopping?

I don;t have it in my 2013 but I do have it in my other car.  Try depressing the accelerator pedal to get it moving a little sooner.

[pupk]

Re stop-and-go, I believe there is a 3-second "timeout".  That is, if traffic doesn't start moving after a complete stop within 3 seconds, you will need to press the Resume button on the steering wheel to re-engage.  If traffic moves within a few seconds, the vehicle will automatically resume.

 

I love the feature as well, but has anyone encountered a situation where the car did not (or I should say, was not going to stop) and therefore you have to quickly manually brake?  That happened to me once during stop-and-go traffic.  Because this feature is so new to me, I keep my foot hovering over the brake when cars are stopped in front of me, so I was able to catch this at the last minute, but it was a hard stop that should not have been.  It keeps my trust level from being 100% because of that.

[muzicman61]

I don't believe any of the safety features are meant to be 100% trusted.  They are to assist the driver but not replace the driver.  

[4cylinder]

I don't believe any of the safety features are meant to be 100% trusted.  They are to assist the driver but not replace the driver.  

 

Correct, electronics can fail and nothing beats good old fashioned common sense :)

 

I have BLIS but shoulder check before a lane change even if the light is off. BLIS just means I shoulder check slightly less often since if the light is on I don't even try.

 

I have parking sensors and a backup camera but look behind me when I reverse, only relying on the camera to fine tune the very last bit (e.g. getting as close to the wall as possible without a thud).

 

Regarding the stop-and-go, I found it works best when the guy in front of you gradually slows to a stop. If you're driving with no one in front and suddenly a lot of stopped traffic appears, I find that the car reacts too late for my comfort, even at maximum following distance. I prefer to use my feet and brake even sooner in that case.

[pupk]

Oh, don't get me wrong - I honestly think we're 20 years away from being able to eat a burger and read forums like this while behind the wheel, so I would never consider taking my eyes off the road or my foot very far away from the brake while using Ford's current system.  But I was a little disappointed to see it not perform at all in that one situation where it was a straight stretch of freeway, bright daylight, all traffic in their lanes, continuous stop-and-go, etc.

 

That said, I prefer the smooth, consistent motion that I'm able to give my passengers and fellow drivers around me over the more herky-jerkiness that the ACC sometimes delivers - a lot of that because the driver in front is driving that way or because someone cuts in front of me.  I also wonder how much the brake lights are going on and off when the car slows.  I've heard that in ACC mode, slowing activates the brake lights.  If that's the case, I would think that could be somewhat of an annoyance for drivers behind me.  I personally try to only brake when necessary or to inform the drivers behind me that they'd better do the same, not just when gradually slowing.

[4cylinder]

Yep not trying to imply anything, just a general rant about how our safety electronics aren't all that great ;)

 

Mercedes-Benz and other luxury makes do make excellent adaptive cruise systems that likely address your concerns, but the base price without that feature is already double that of a loaded Energi... so yeah. I'm sure that within the next 5 years we'll see the superior tech trickle down into non-luxury makes.

[muzicman61]

.... so yeah. I'm sure that within the next 5 years we'll see the superior tech trickle down into non-luxury makes.

 

I upgraded from a '08 Focus.  So I consider my '17 FFE Titanium a luxury car. :)

Edited March 29, 2018 at 05:48 PM by muzicman61

[jj2me]

 I also wonder how much the brake lights are going on and off when the car slows.  I've heard that in ACC mode, slowing activates the brake lights.

 

I thought I'd have occasions to test this with a friend driving behind me, but haven't yet.

 

Anyone know the behavior of brake lights in ACC?  Always when the car slows?  Or some threshold where they come on only when slowing engages the disc brakes?

 

Also, anyone know if the brake lights come on when engaging Low gear?

[My14Energi]

Do ya'll not have the red collision alert that flashes up on the windshield? Thats how my ACC lets me know it needs interaction to stop. Otherwise it will jam the brakes pretty hard depending on traffic.

[fconway]

Question related to the "Stop-and-Go" in the title.

 

When I come to a red light, yes, it stops.  But the "go" part is overly delayed, it seems like three or four car lengths of space before it moves forward.  This invites honking by the car behind, so I stopped using it for stop-and-go.  Is there some trick to get it to move out more normally after stopping?

hit the gas, or hit the 'resume' button on the wheel and the car will resume right away. i find the system doesn't work great in stop and go, it goes too hard, and stops to hard. if you set it to the 'softer' settings it leaves too big a gap, and you become a racing pylon with everyone zipping around you. On the Freeway it is fantastic.

[jj2me]

Thanks. Sharing your experiences saves me from more experimenting.

[ClaveMan]

I bought the 2017 Ford Fusion specifically for the many safety and driver assist features.  The Adaptive Cruise and Stop-and Go is unnerving the first few times you use it.  A few thoughts about Fusions with this feature..

 

• NO other 2017 Ford model had Stop-and Go.
• You need only to watch for people changing lanes for the most part.
• In case something crazy happens in front of you, of course you need to be ready to apply the brakes.  I have had to do this 5 times in 18 months -- always a driver futzing with their phone.  You get the Hud display every time as a backup.
• With this feature a Ford Fusion cannot run into anything it can sense (like a wall or "maybe" a pedestrian) under 25MPH.  There are YouTube videos demonstrating this at the Ford proving ground.
• In stop-and-go mode after a "timeout" period (30 seconds?) of being stopped, you will see the letters "RES" appear above the Cruise distance indicator on your dash.  This indicates the cruise must be tickled to start back up.  Don't use your foot.  Press the "Up 1MPH" button on the left hand side cruise buttons to re-engage stop-and-go
• I would never give up this feature.  After 12 months of relaxing during grueling rush hour traffic it has actually improved my health (less stress overall).
• I asked a guy on this forum (or a sister one) if it really worked.  He demonstrated it with a hand held video in a Bay Area rush hour.  He got rear-ended by a drunk shortly after the video was shot.  As I recall his car had to stay in the Ford repair shop for at least an extra week because a "distance" sensor in the back quarter panel was not in stock.  Lawyers at Ford said it was not acceptable to let someone drive a vehicle off their lot without ALL sensors working.  This opens the dealership to liability.  (crazy but makes sense)

Edited April 29, 2018 at 04:01 PM by ClaveMan