Maxim Sachkov
As assistants, I take the Volvo S60, equipped with a bunch of electronic assistants. First of all, I need adaptive cruise control, able to maintain not only a given speed, but also the distance to the car in front. This smart system should free legs from work for the duration of the journey. True, I will not remove them far from the pedals. Just in case. I will choose the familiar direction - towards the Dmitrovsky training ground, it is about 100 km from Moscow.
The city is not aunt
The eyes are afraid, the hands are doing, but they can’t do without legs. At a minimum, you have to press the brake to engage the gear. And then also to the accelerator, because the cruise control on Volvo is activated at a speed of at least 30 km / h. I hope now you can relax your legs. Go!
You experience mixed feelings when the car itself adjusts the speed. The car accelerates adequately and slows down to a complete stop, moving in a sluggish city stream. True, at the same time it keeps a fairly large distance, because electronic systems do not know how to look ahead at a few cars and calculate the situation in advance.
Locator operation
Naturally, neighbors in the strip begin to get into the resulting gap one by one. The horizon of an active cruise control is narrower than that of a person, and he notices the intervention when the car is almost rebuilt. In a fright, I put my foot over the brake, but then the automation is finally triggered and pretty sharply upset the car. I even threw a wary look in the rearview mirror - would anyone knock to visit me.
We get up in traffic. Five seconds later, the car in front starts moving, we follow it. Conveniently! You can probably even look through a magazine or book. No, it won’t work out. At the next stop, which lasted for several seconds, the automation switched to the so-called standby mode. Now, to start moving again, you need to press the button on the steering wheel or the gas pedal. Reading will have to be postponed.
From the nightmare of cities
Abroad, cruise control is easier for me, but I don’t.
The parameters set by the cruise control (speed, distance, ready state) are displayed on the instrument panel (left)
The parameters set by the cruise control (speed, distance, ready state) are displayed on the instrument panel (left). The parameters set by the cruise control (speed, distance, ready state) are displayed on the instrument panel (left).
Speeds are higher, you have to react faster, and automation throws up new tricks. The car ahead of me, to which my electronic assistant tied, goes into a different row in front of the intersection, and in front of me there is the feed of another car standing at the traffic light. She is approaching, but I don’t see the reactions of the electronic assistant … Well, Volvo's brakes are tenacious, but I have a good reaction. I did not wait until the last and hit the brakes myself.
And he did the right thing! The operating manual, which I later read more carefully, says that active cruise control does not respond to stationary objects. Including - and on standing cars. But who reads the textbook before the lesson! True, the system is also good - it could send a message that you should not expect help from it. That's how complacency was replaced by hysteria, accompanied by strong expressions.
Another cruise control makes it very tidy when overtaking. In this case, his work reminded me of a situation when one truck was slowly ahead of another. The car, without rushing anywhere, crawls out into the adjacent lane and, even being in free space, slowly picks up speed. You feel, to put it mildly, uncomfortable, especially when going to the oncoming lane. A couple of times out of harm's way, with his own hand (or - how much?), He hurried Volvo with a gas pedal. By the way, even after such an intervention, cruise control returns to the set parameters.
You can control the dynamics of a car with active cruise control using the control buttons on the steering wheel
You can control the dynamics of a car with active cruise control using the control buttons on the steering wheel. You can control the dynamics of a car with active cruise control using the control buttons on the steering wheel.
However, an electronic assistant sometimes proves to be a good teacher. He will help little experienced drivers, but for beginners he will tell you what distance is better to keep in order to safely get out of dangerous situations. By the way, this lesson is also worth a visit to the ignoramuses, who consider pushing the stern of a slower car as innocent fun.
Cruise off
It's time to take a breath and take stock. You can regard the active cruise control as a useful option and as an expensive toy, however, it is worth recognizing that he conscientiously copes with the tasks. But - only on good roads of the European level with drivers of a predictable nature. That is, where it is possible to clearly monitor the situation. Everything changes when our unlucky reality intervenes in this idyllic picture.
To paraphrase Tyutchev, I’ll say: one cannot understand Russia with the electronic mind. It is not for nothing that the Volvo operating manual has repeatedly warned that active cruise control is only an auxiliary tool, and the responsibility rests with the driver.
The "eyes" of active cruise control are radar. Modern systems can see farther than 200 m, but in Russian conditions they often become blind from dirt and snow, which the driver receives a message on the dashboard (for more details - ЗР, 2010, No. 5)
The "eyes" of active cruise control are radar. Modern systems can see farther than 200 m, but in Russian conditions they often become blind from dirt and snow, which the driver receives a message on the dashboard (for more details - ЗР, 2010, No. 5). The "eyes" of active cruise control are radar. Modern systems can see farther than 200 m, but in Russian conditions they often become blind from dirt and snow, which the driver receives a message on the dashboard (for more details - ЗР, 2010, No. 5).
Will I go back on cruise control? I’ll answer: I’m ready to make the path two to three times longer, but only by pedaling myself is calmer and safer.
Are active
Active (or adaptive) cruise control is a new stage in the development of simple cruise control, which appeared back in the 1950s. Modern assistants support not only a given speed, but also the distance between cars, controlling dynamics and brakes. Among European models, one of the first active cruise control tried on Mercedes-Benz (Distronic system) in the late 1990s. Following began to pull up and the rest of the company, mainly with expensive models. Volvo, VW, Audi call this assistant Adaptive Cruise Control, Infiniti - Distance Control Assist, BMW - Active Cruise Control.
Active cruise control with a collision warning and pedestrian detection can be ordered for any Volvo S60. True, it is worth seeing at the price how the legs themselves jump on the pedals: 132, 400 rubles
Active cruise control with a collision warning and pedestrian detection can be ordered for any Volvo S60. True, it is worth seeing at the price how the legs themselves jump on the pedals: 132, 400 rubles. Active cruise control with a collision warning and pedestrian detection can be ordered for any Volvo S60. True, it is worth seeing at the price how the legs themselves jump on the pedals: 132, 400 rubles.
Active Cruise Control: Legs
Maxim Sachkov tried to travel in Russian conditions without touching the pedals. Photo by Alexander Kulnev.
As assistants, I take the Volvo S60, equipped with a bunch of electronic assistants. First of all, I need adaptive cruise control, able to maintain not only a given speed, but also the distance to the car in front. This smart system should free legs from work for the duration of the journey. True, I will not remove them far from the pedals. Just in case. I will choose the familiar direction - towards the Dmitrovsky training ground, it is about 100 km from Moscow.
CITY NOT Aunt
The eyes are afraid, the hands are doing, but they can’t do without legs. At a minimum, you have to press the brake to engage the gear. And then also to the accelerator, because the cruise control on the Volvo is activated at a speed of at least 30 km / h. I hope now you can relax your legs. Go!
You experience mixed feelings when the car itself adjusts the speed. The car accelerates adequately and slows down to a complete stop, moving in a sluggish city stream. True, at the same time it keeps a fairly large distance, because electronic systems do not know how to look ahead at a few cars and calculate the situation in advance. Naturally, neighbors in the strip begin to get into the resulting gap one by one. The horizon of an active cruise control is narrower than that of a person, and he notices the intervention when the car is almost rebuilt. In a fright, I put my foot over the brake, but then the automation is finally triggered and pretty sharply upset the car. I even threw a wary look in the rearview mirror - would anyone knock to visit me.
We get up in traffic. Five seconds later, the car in front starts moving, we follow it. Conveniently! You can probably even look through a magazine or book. No, it won’t work out. At the next stop, which lasted for several seconds, the automation switched to the so-called standby mode. Now, to start moving again, you need to press the button on the steering wheel or the gas pedal. Reading will have to be postponed.
FROM A NIGHTMARE OF CITIES
Abroad, cruise control is easier for me, but I don’t. Speeds are higher, you have to react faster, and automation throws up new tricks. The car ahead of me, to which my electronic assistant tied, goes into a different row in front of the intersection, and in front of me there is the feed of another car standing at the traffic light. She is approaching, but I don’t see the reactions of the electronic assistant … Well, Volvo’s brakes are tenacious, and I have a good reaction. I did not wait until the last and hit the brakes myself. And he did the right thing! The operating manual, which I later read more carefully, says that active cruise control does not respond to stationary objects. Including standing cars. But who reads the textbook before the lesson! True, the system is also good - it could send a message that you should not expect help from it. That's how complacency was replaced by hysteria, accompanied by strong expressions.
Another cruise control makes it very tidy when overtaking. In this case, his work reminded me of a situation when one truck was slowly ahead of another. The car, without rushing anywhere, crawls out onto the adjacent lane and, even when it is in free space, is not at all hastily gaining speed. You feel, to put it mildly, uncomfortable, especially when going to the oncoming lane. A couple of times out of harm's way, with his own hand (or - how much?), He hurried the Volvo with a gas pedal. By the way, even after such an intervention, cruise control returns to the set parameters.
However, an electronic assistant sometimes proves to be a good teacher. He will help little experienced drivers, but for beginners he will tell you what distance is better to keep in order to safely get out of dangerous situations. By the way, this lesson is also worth a visit to the ignoramuses, who consider pushing the stern of a slower car as innocent fun.
CRUISE OFF
