yaro1

So I've been reading a lot about the IS (probably more than I should). I thought of this back when the GS came out and really just decided to ask this now on the IS board.

Assuming the givens of the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control system:
-You set a speed
-It will maintain that speed unless...
-It will detect cars in front of you and reduce throttle and even apply brakes to...
-Slow you down to the speed of the car in front of you until...
-If the car in front speeds up, then it will try to resume your preset speed

So, assuming this all works: Will the system operate such that it will bring the car to a crawl during traffic and even stop if necessary to maintain that preset following distance?

Is there a function that dissengages the system if the car stops?

I would be sincerely interested if this was the case.

Anybody have any experiences or want to do a test?

(Disclaimer: Although this feature might be useful and effective, this should not be use for falling asleep while in traffic on the George Washington Bridge or clipping your toenails in 5 O'Clock traffic. Be safe and alert. Keep your feet on the pedals and your eyes on the road. )

kensteele

Because cars have to change lanes, I'm not sure how effective this is in traffic. Much more useful on the highway.

Kermee

iTrader: (1)

Here's what happened with Mercedes' version of DCC called DISTRONIC when they demo'ed for TV:

Mercedes Crash-Avoidance Fails

If you find a copy of "Fifth Gear" 8x04 (Season 8, Episode 4), Jason towards the end of reviewing the new S500 tried to use DISTRONIC on the freeway. He then forced the S500 into a different lane where he was closing the distance to a slower car in the new lane. If you watch it, you can see the Mercedes looked like it was about to slam into the car in front of him and he actually interrupted the system by hitting the brakes.

I think Jason said it best about DCC type systems (at least with this current generation). "It's not going to change how you drive." He went quite easy on DISTRONIC. He was MUCH harsher on the IR Nightvision on the S-Class but I digress.

I'm waiting for a CL member to actually do a review of DCC/PCS in an IS 250/350. I know of at least one member here who has an IS 350 ordered with that system in it. I think I implied my thoughts on if DCC is the solution to traffic. Probably not with this tech generation.

Cheers,
Kermee

gshb

no, for many reasons

jlin101

no, it won't work in traffic like that. Cruise control, conventional or adaptive, only works at speed over 30 mph. Engineers (both automotive and civil) are currently working on intelligent cars and highways where the driver inputs the destination and the car/highway takes care of the rest. That reality is still years away, given our lawsuiit-happy society.

flipside909

See my signature link. I mention it briefly in our test drive as both vehicles we drove had ARC.

That' is correct as jlin posted,cruise control only works above 30mph. Once you drop your speed below that, the cruise set speed is cancelled.

The system works quite well but it's not designed to be used in traffic situations. Cruise control wasn't meant to be used in that way anyways. Here is what it looks like on the dash below. You set your desired speed like normal and the sensitivity of how close you want to get to the vehicle in front of you. There were times when I would catch up to the IS250 AWD in front of me, and the car would decelerate by using the brakes and retarding engine power simultaniously via VDIM and PCS.

SilverBolt

It won't teach people how to merge.

yaro1

Well *shrugs* it was worth a try.

Too bad. I'm still waiting for the time when I set the destination and get to go to sleep while the car drives.

jlin101

for those that see driving as a chore, there is Lincoln Continental or Buick Lucerne.