Ford Co-Pilot 360 - Adaptive Driver Assist

Safety and comfort are two of the most important aspects most drivers look for in a new car. Modern technology has done wonders in these areas, as vehicles today are fitted with many active safety systems designed to help the driver notice and avoid potential dangers but are also comfortable for both driver and passengers. Ford's intelligent adaptive cruise control manages to improve both.

What Is Ford's Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control?

Ford Adaptive Cruise Control is a driver aid that helps the driver easily maintain a safe and constant distance to the car in front, adapting your Ford's speed accordingly. Unlike classic cruise control systems, which only kept the vehicle at a constant speed until the driver retook control, an intelligent adaptive cruise control system also adapts the speed based on what happens with the vehicle in front. If it slows down, the Ford will slow down with it, even to a complete halt, and then pick up speed if the vehicle in front accelerates. 

Besides allowing you to set a certain speed, the system can also help you set the exact distance between your Ford and the car in front. You can increase or decrease that distance by simply pointing an arrow up and down to one of four predetermined distances. The adaptive cruise control system also analyses the traffic and adapts your Ford's speed and distance if it senses a traffic jam, resuming the initial speed once you're clear.

How Does Ford's Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control Work?

Ford vehicles that feature the Ford Co-Pilot 360 driver assist bundle to come with an intelligent adaptive cruise control system. It uses a set of cameras fitted to the vehicle's bumper, which continuously scan the area in front of the vehicle and record information like the speed of the car in front, the distance to it, and any road signs that indicate a specific speed limit. Special software then analyses the information and adapts your Ford's speed based on the information it receives.

The intelligent adaptive cruise control system's main components are: 

Speed Sign Recognition System

Ford Speed Sign Recognition reads all speed signs throughout your journey and instructs the intelligent adaptive cruise control system to reduce the vehicle's speed when necessary. The traffic icon indicating the current speed limit also appears on the dashboard, keeping the driver informed about that particular road's speed limit. You can activate the system to maintain a speed above or below the street signs or simply turn it off and set your own speed limit. 

Stop-and-Go

When you activate the stop-and-go feature, the vehicle automatically accelerates and brakes based on the movements of the car in front, while maintaining a safe distance from it. This allows you to set a comfortable speed at which to travel and it's also able to come to a complete stop along with the traffic, resuming the journey at the preselected speed when the traffic clears. 

Lane Centering

Lane-centering assistance is an upgrade to lane departure warning systems with lane-keeping assistance. Unlike other similar technologies, such as lane-keeping assistance and lane-departure warning, which only came into action when the vehicle drifted out of its lane, Ford's lane-centering technology proactively takes corrective measures to constantly keep the vehicle in the center of its lane by using its automatic steering functionality. 

How To Use Ford's Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control

Using the intelligent adaptive cruise control feature can help you precisely control your Ford without having to constantly accelerate and brake to maintain a safe speed and distance to the car in front. Consider following these steps when using it:

1. Press the ON button, which is located on your Ford's steering wheel.
2. Press the SET button and then start accelerating up to your desired speed. Once you get there, you can stop pressing it and take your foot off the gas pedal.
3. Select the gap function on your steering wheel to set a distance to the vehicle in front of you. After pressing it, you'll see a visual representation of the space you have between your Ford and the car in front and four available options to choose from.
4. Make sure that your adaptive cruise control is activated by observing the green icon on your dashboard.
5. From now on, your Ford will adapt its speed based on the movements of the car in front of it. The adaptive cruise control system automatically deactivates if the respective car comes to a complete halt and doesn't move for three seconds. You can turn it back on by pressing the RES button on your steering wheel.

Your lane centering function is not automatically activated when turning the adaptive cruise control system on, as you may enjoy a more hands-on approach to driving. To turn it on, select the lane-centering function on your steering wheel, and you'll see two green vertical lines on your dashboard to confirm that it's on. You still have to keep your hands on your steering wheel, though. If you don't, the vehicle will first issue a warning, and if it still doesn't sense your hands on the wheel it will deactivate the system and gradually reduce your Ford's speed.

You can also use the cruise control system in a traditional way, without having it adapt your Ford's speed to the car in front. To do so, you can go to the settings menu on your dashboard screen, access the driver-assist category, and select Cruise Control. Then choose Normal with the help of the arrow buttons and confirm your choice by hitting OK. Your Ford is now in normal cruise control mode, meaning it won't follow the vehicle in front of it and will instantly disable when you hit the brakes.

Having a vehicle that actively helps you while you're driving is a safer way to travel and much more comfortable, especially on long drives. If you want to examine and test these exciting features, contact us at Planet Ford Dallas and take one of the latest Ford vehicles for a test drive!