Cruise in stop-and-go traffic.

[Daveo89]

I have been playing with the cruise in stop-and-go traffic. It works but makes me nervous as it speeds up and slows down fast. I have not had a situation where I have to hit the brakes yet. Trusting it is the hard part even with copilot 360.

I don't have my Mav yet but have same system in my wife's 20' Explorer. I find having it in Eco Mode softens the acceleration, however depending on the driver in front it can build a gap that you then have to accelerate to shrink then slows as it captures them. I usually handle the initial acceleration to 20-30mph then select Resume for a better transition. The braking I'm still uncomfortable with unless the traffic is smoothly flowing with gradual speed changes, it just stops to hard and too close for my tastes - especially if the person in front isn't easing on the brakes it's just easier to take over and manage the spacing.

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[Dad]

Considering they call it "Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop & Go" this is opinion not design intent... actually one of the main advantages of this over some of the other automakers is the ability to do stop and go.

Looking at this package description more closely, it seems the term "Stop & Go" is more of a marketing term rather than a description of when to use ACC. I see this as an explanation that ACC will automatically decelerate and accelerate depending on the flow of traffic. This does not mean that it was designed to be used in traffic that is inching along at a stop & go pace. Perhaps we disagree on the meaning and intent of the term 'stop & go'.

 

[Dad]

I don't have my Mav yet but have same system in my wife's 20' Explorer. I find having it in Eco Mode softens the acceleration, however depending on the driver in front it can build a gap that you then have to accelerate to shrink then slows as it captures them. I usually handle the initial acceleration to 20-30mph then select Resume for a better transition. The braking I'm still uncomfortable with unless the traffic is smoothly flowing with gradual speed changes, it just stops to hard and too close for my tastes - especially if the person in front isn't easing on the brakes it's just easier to take over and manage the spacing.

My thoughts exactly! I think there is some confusion in the term 'stop & go'. Yes, the truck will slow down when it senses a slower vehicle, and "go" when it's safe to do so, but using this feature when traffic is particularly heavy with lots of lane changing is annoying. As you stated, the braking and acceleration is too hard and really seems to defeat one of the goals of creating a smoother and safer driving experience. There's a reason it's called "Cruise" Control. Stop & go traffic is not my ideal of cruising.

 

[Aaron]

I will try Eco and see if it smooths out. My biggest concern is rapid acceleration and hard braking. The Mustang has (early copilot 360 1st gen) ACC and will not turn on the cruise at that speed where the Maverick will. Not sure if it would slow down to manage the traffic. I don't trust it to find out. If the Maverick would stay in electric which it does under 10% power I would be good with it.

 

[Dad]

I will try Eco and see if it smooths out. My biggest concern is rapid acceleration and hard braking. The Mustang has (early copilot 360 1st gen) ACC and will not turn on the cruise at that speed where the Maverick will. Not sure if it would slow down to manage the traffic. I don't trust it to find out. If the Maverick would stay in electric which it does under 10% power I would be good with it.

Thanks for adding your thoughts on this. I agree with the trust issue. I get a bit of roller coaster feeling in my stomach pit when I see a slower car quickly changing into my lane before the Maverick senses it and then it does a hard braking. Who needs that?

 

[Dad]

are you sure a setting is not set just right? I don't even have mine yet so I'm definitely no authority nor intend to second guess your experience. It seems pretty smooth based on this guy demonstrating it in this video

Looks like it works smoothly in this particular traffic pattern. However, believe me, it's not so smooth when there is a large discrepancy in speeds. For example, cruise is set at 60mph and you run into a traffic jam or slow down where people are jockeying for position and weaving in and out of your lane. Deceleration and acceleration can be abrupt and a bit scary. When this happens, I turn it off.

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