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That's despite the Mustang Mach-E shifting very close to the edge of the lane at points, away from the neighboring truck. Just how long you can look away depends on a number of factors, but generally after a few seconds of inattention you'll get an audio warning and a message displayed on-screen. There's an escalating series of beeps and visual alerts, and finally BlueCruise will deactivate completely if it deems the driver isn't playing their part.
Ford BlueCruise v1.2 Review: Hands-Off Highway Driving Gains Some Impressive New Skills
On the plus side, even if you're adjacent to said truck when you hit the turn signal, BlueCruise will generally wait for a gap to clear rather than instantly canceling the move. BlueCruise's driver-facing interface is clean and makes good use of the Mustang Mach-E's relatively small cluster display. Engage the system, and a large steering wheel graphic appears; big text confirming you're in "Hands Free" mode underneath makes understanding whether you should be touching the wheel or not straightforward. Ford's graphics show whether there's a car ahead, though you don't get the birds-eye view of traffic that, say, Tesla's Autopilot UI includes. With version 1.2, which debuts first on the 2023 Mustang Mach-E and will arrive on the Lincoln Corsair shortly, BlueCruise gains two significant talents. The first is Lane Change Assist, which allows BlueCruise to move the car between lanes with a tap of the indicator stalk.
BlueCruise is watching you
Perhaps more notable, you don't have to buy the fanciest trim in order to add BlueCruise. For the most part, you can switch these settings on and off piecemeal. Lane Centering, Predictive Speed Assist, In-Lane Repositioning, and Lane Change Assist can all be enabled or disabled while the vehicle is in motion, through the Driver Assistance section of the settings pages.
Ford BlueCruise Verdict
We've seen hands-free highway assist systems arrive on cars from Nissan, for example. The all-electric Ariya can do the same lane- and speed-holding as BlueCruise, though currently lane maneuvers are completed manually. Tap the turn signal — you don't have to press it all the way, and if you do, it won't auto-cancel once the lane change maneuver is complete — and a "Preparing lane change" message appears.
Ford's Hands-Free BlueCruise ADAS Approved for German Highway Use - autoevolution
Ford's Hands-Free BlueCruise ADAS Approved for German Highway Use.
Posted: Thu, 31 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
In practice, I noticed it most when BlueCruise suddenly overruled the speed I'd set it to. That was particularly the case when it led to the Mustang Mach-E slowing aggressively while I had another vehicle close behind me. It's with those highway behemoths that you notice it in action most. Ford says that more extreme lane bias will prompt an on-screen message, explaining what's happening, but I never saw that appear in my test driving.
If it's raining or snowing heavily, the system will have issues. BlueCruise may also be averse to orange barrels, that is, the system could have trouble in construction zones. And finally, it will disengage if you drive out of a Blue Zone.
Just tap the turn signal stalk and if there's nothing in the way, the vehicle will move over on its own. Second, you can tow with Enhanced Super Cruise, meaning you can trailer your boat to the lake for a long weekend without having to steer, or at least, steer as much. Undoubtedly, Ford engineers are hard at work developing similar features that will be enabled in future updates.
GM's system can also be used in towing situations, and the automaker boasts more than 200,000 miles of compatible roads. Both Ford and GM are working on versions of their tech that can do unsupervised Level 3 highway driving, though for the moment that's still beyond either Super Cruise or BlueCruise. Ford's system feels like a sensible, fairly conservative driver from behind the wheel.
Automated Lane Changing makes life much easier
But first things first, let's cover what BlueCruise is and what it is not. This technology is a hands-free driving aid that only works on approved, divided highways, so-called Blue Zones, which there are about 130,000 miles of in North America. The system can accelerate, steer and stop the vehicle as traffic and road conditions dictate.
This advanced driver aid operates on some 130,000 miles of approved roadway in North America and, for the most part, it works well. Despite all the hype around autonomous driving, the reality is that we're still a long way from cars that can operate themselves completely. Trust the tech too enthusiastically, and you're going to get burned. As before, BlueCruise relies on a camera to make sure you're paying attention to the road. It's mounted just above the steering column, and — while you can't see them — there are infrared lights in there to allow the system to keep working even at night. It'll play nicely if you're wearing eyeglasses or sunglasses, too.
This hands-free driving aid is currently included in the $3,200 Comfort and Technology Package, which also bundles a bunch of other amenities. Higher-performance GT models offer BlueCruise in the $1,900 Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 and 360-Degree Camera options group. If you get a vehicle equipped with BlueCruise, you'll be set for three years.
A second or two later, assuming there's nothing in the adjacent lane, and BlueCruise moves across. Another graphic showing the direction of the maneuver appears while that's happening. In testing, the biggest weakness of BlueCruise is how it handles off-ramps. When a new exit lane opens and you're driving ahead in the adjacent lane, the system will sometimes disengage and revert back to conventional adaptive cruise control. Fortunately, BlueCurise usually reengages a few seconds later once it figures out you're not headed for the ditch, but this is still a bit annoying and it happens more often than I'd like. There are situations, as I learned on a lengthy drive up Michigan's I-75, that will cause BlueCruise to temporarily disengage, that is, to revert to conventional adaptive cruise control where you have to steer.
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