Adaptive Cruise

[wibble]

I think I understand the basics but there doesn't seem to be much detail about how this works, or any other option on the Galaxy 3

What's the lowest speed it will work at? MKI doesn't work below about 20. If I get the automatic it would be great if this would crawl in slow traffic keeping it's own distance from the car in front thebn increasing up to the speed limit.

Does it set like the MKI in that you get to a speed and push a button or can you preset a speed that you want to go to?

If it "sees" something in the way does it ease off the accelerator or does it immediately brake?

How flexible is the distance it will keep between you and the car in front?

 

Any other answers to questions I didn't know to ask

[insider]

This should answer some of your questions - http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.ph...st&p=117745.

[wibble]

This should answer some of your questions - http://www.fordgalaxy.org.uk/ford/index.ph...st&p=117745.

 

Thanks again but that only answers one of the questions.

What about the lowest speed it will work at for example? I'm thinking about getting an automatic partly because I do a lot of driving at around 15 to 20 mph in 30 zones, forever changing gear, or a range of 50 to 70 on the motorway each morning. If I set the cruise at 30/70 (do I have to be doing 30 or can I select a value?) would it slow down to 15/50 and pick up when the car in front increases speed? I assume the automatic doesn't drop the cruise out during gear change because there is no clutch action.

[mumof4]

Wibble are you asking how it works on the MKIII??

 

On the MKII i had it was 30MPH that it worked at, others say theirs works at 20MPH.

 

On the MKIII i have absolutely no idea.

[wibble]

Wibble are you asking how it works on the MKIII??

 

On the MKII i had it was 30MPH that it worked at, others say theirs works at 20MPH.

 

On the MKIII i have absolutely no idea.

 

Yes I do want to know about the MKIII. I have a P reg galaxy ghia x and I'm looking to upgrade as it's getting a little old. My cruise works from just over 20 (well it would if it hadn't developed an intermittent fault) but it doesn't do adaptive or apply the brakes so I end up speeding downhill or just over the brow of a hill. Have you noticed how many speed cameras are on downhill stretches or hidden just over the brows of hills?

 

I'm really disappointed in Ford's lack of detail about it's products. I've not been asking any difficult questions.

 

I guess there aren't any MKIII drivers on here that have cruise control. I wonder if they know something I don't?

 

I'm beginning to wonder though whether I would be better keeping my old one as it is fundamentally sound, just things like the cruise & the heater/air conditioning etc. that are playing up. It's basically a german car and I believe the MKIII is all Ford...... Hmmm. I wonder if they'll get round to updating the Sharan?

[peter.soper]

I am just about to order a Galaxy with Adaptive Cruise control. I had one on loan from Ford and it was superb. It is set while driving at a certain speed, but you can turn the set speed up and down (in 5 mph increments I think). I think I set it once or twice at around 20 mph, and then you could knock it up to 30 using the steering wheel controls.

 

I demonstrated it to my son and his mate, by setting it to 30mph, on a fairly busy road. It kept behind the traffic that was doing less than 30, and as we approached a line of statioanry traffic, the collision alarm came on, it started braking, and I lost my bottle and helped it! I am not sure if it will completely brake for you - I assume so, but was not prepared to test it. It will apply the brakes going down hill I believe.

 

My only concern was wether it was lighting the brake lights when it made adjsutments. I guess this is easily tested with a friend following behind, but maybe somebody here can confirm?

 

WRT flexibility, there are two buttons on the left hand side of the steering wheel controls that allow you to adjust the distance between you and the car in front. I think it is a scale of 1-4. I found I was using it on 1 (shortest) most of the time on the motorway - on 2-4, too may people were jumping into the gap between me and the car in front all the time. But then again, I currently drive a BMW, so I am used to sitting in the next car's boot.... :27:

 

Hope this helps...

[wibble]

Thanks Peter,

 

Yes it would have helped if I hadn't already got the car. It would appear there are very few of us with the adaptive version which is a shame because it is brilliant!

 

 

It works at 20MPH and above

 

It brakes to 20MPH then releases the brakes. I doubt it would re-apply them as it drops out of ACC (says so on the screen)

 

It appears to brake downhill but the manual says something about it increasing speed downhill and if it does you should drop a gear. I have an automatic and have not had any problems with it accelerating more than a couple of miles above the set speed before it slows down again.

 

I too wonder if it shows brake lights but as it actually brakes I would be more concerned if it didn't. With the gap distance set high it is much gentler on adjusting your speed as you approach the 50 in the fast lane brigade but I agree with you about people cutting in. A lot depends on the area you are driving in.

[insider]

I would suggest that, from a legal point of view, whether the brakes are applied automatically by the car or manually by the driver that the brake lights would have to be lit.

[Willie Krashitt]

Adaptive cruise - 1/ Works down to 20km/h (about 15mph) and/or 1500rpm, so if you are in a manual, it will trip out and prompt you for a downshift if the traffic in front slows too much.

2/ IT IS NOT a collision avoidance system, and manual says it will not detect stationary traffic. Braking is limited to 30% of maximum, and yes the brake lights do come on.

3/ Whilst it does reset to its original speed when the road is clear, it seems to take quite a while to think about it, so I often find myself giving the accelerator a prod to get it moving a bit quicker.

Speeds can be incremented up and down in 5mph steps, and if you press the reset button while in cruise mode, it will increment up in 1mph steps.

 

Experienced it for the last 7 weeks/8000miles, and quite liked it. Got a Focus ST tonight instead without any cruise control, so will have to relearn what my right foot is for...

[wibble]

Adaptive cruise - 1/ Works down to 20km/h (about 15mph) and/or 1500rpm, so if you are in a manual, it will trip out and prompt you for a downshift if the traffic in front slows too much.

2/ IT IS NOT a collision avoidance system, and manual says it will not detect stationary traffic. Braking is limited to 30% of maximum, and yes the brake lights do come on.

3/ Whilst it does reset to its original speed when the road is clear, it seems to take quite a while to think about it, so I often find myself giving the accelerator a prod to get it moving a bit quicker.

Speeds can be incremented up and down in 5mph steps, and if you press the reset button while in cruise mode, it will increment up in 1mph steps.

 

Experienced it for the last 7 weeks/8000miles, and quite liked it. Got a Focus ST tonight instead without any cruise control, so will have to relearn what my right foot is for...

 

It only works down to 19MPH on my automatic

It does recognise stationary traffic on mine and drops my speed to 20 before dropping out of cruise & releasing the brakes but only if I'm doing less than 30 in the first place. I wouldn't rely on it though!!!! It definitely works better if you have a car slowing down in front of you & drops you from 70 to 20 quite effectively.

But why does it take so long to pick up speed ? Sometimes it picks up really quickly and surprises me.