Driving
66
Things to know about active cruise control
As with conventional cruise control sys-
tems, active cruise control in no way
diminishes or substitutes for the driver's own
personal responsibility, alertness and aware-
ness in adjusting speed, braking or otherwise
controlling the vehicle. The driver should
decide when to use the system on the basis of
road, traffic, visibility, and weather conditions.
Active cruise control is intended for use on
highway-type roadways where traffic is moving
relatively smoothly. Do not use this system in
city driving; heavy traffic such as during rush
hour; on curvy, winding roads, slippery roads or
roads with sharp curves such as highway off-
ramps; during inclement weather such as snow,
strong rain or fog; or when entering inter-
changes, service/parking areas or toll booths.
It is also important to regulate your vehicle's
speed and distance setting within applicable
legal limits. Always be ready to take action or
apply the brakes if necessary, especially when
the system is actively following a vehicle in front
of you.<
Always remember that the range and abil-
ity of the system does have physical limi-
tations. It will not apply the brakes or decelerate
your vehicle when there is a slow-moving vehi-
cle, stopped vehicle or stationary object ahead
of you, as for example, at a traffic light or when
approaching a parked vehicle. Also, the system
does not react to oncoming traffic, pedestrians
or other types of potential traffic such as a rider
on horseback. It is also possible that the system
may not detect smaller moving objects such as
motorcycles or bicycles. Be especially alert
when encountering any of these situations as
the system will neither automatically brake, nor
provide a warning to you. Also, be aware that every decrease in the distance setting allows
your vehicle to come closer to a vehicle in front
of you and requires a heightened amount of
alertness.<
If your vehicle is actively following a vehicle in
front of you and the vehicle ahead speeds up or
the lane ahead becomes clear, then your vehi-
cle will accelerate to the speed you have
selected. Be aware that changing to a clear,
unobstructed lane will also result in your vehicle
accelerating.
Be certain to deactivate the system when
you pull into an exit lane for a highway off-
ramp.<
Also, vehicles traveling in a staggered manner
on a highway may cause a delay in the system's
reaction to a vehicle in front of you or may cause
the system to react to a vehicle actually in the
lane next to you. Always be ready to take action
or apply the brakes if necessary.
Active cruise control can only decelerate the
vehicle to approx. 20 mph/30 km/h. If the sys-
tem reduces vehicle speed below 20 mph/
30 km/h or if DSC/ABS is engaged while driving,
the system will automatically deactivate.
Remember, the system cannot stop your
vehicle. In addition, the system is deacti-
vated whenever the driver applies the vehicle
brakes, shifts the transmission to neutral/N, or
deactivates DSC. After any deactivation, the
system will no longer automatically activate the
vehicle brakes, which means the driver must
intervene and resume manual braking. You
should then reactivate the system only when
you are fully aware of the prior speed and dis-
tance settings.<
Controls
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At a glance
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Entertainment
Mobility
Active cruise control may brake when you
reduce the stored desired speed; however, the
driver must constantly monitor traffic and inter-
vene if necessary.
When you switch off the engine or ignition,
active cruise control is fully switched off, too,
and any settings you have selected are can-
celed.
Behavior in curves
Because of the limited range of the system, it is
possible that in curves or on the peaks and val-
leys of hilly roads, a vehicle ahead may be rec-
ognized late, or not at all. Therefore, it is up to
the driver to select a speed that is prudent in
view of the curves and terrain of the roadway.
In approaching a curve, it is possible that active
cruise control would react briefly to a vehicle in
the adjacent lane. In addition, the system can
sense if your vehicle is in a curve and may not
accelerate. If your vehicle decelerates in either
case, you can choose to overcome the deceler-
ation by briefly pressing the accelerator pedal.
Driver interventions
Anytime the driver presses down on the
accelerator pedal, any automatic braking
action by the system is interrupted until the
pedal is fully released. After doing this, release
the accelerator and the system again controls
your cruising speed and distance setting. While
driving with activated system, resting your foot
on the accelerator pedal will cause the system
not to brake even if necessary. Be certain that
floormats or other objects on the vehicle floor
do not interfere with movement of the accelera-
tor pedal.<
While active cruise control is capable of
braking your vehicle automatically when
you approach a slower vehicle ahead, it is
important to be aware that the ability of the sys-
tem to apply the brakes is also limited, if you are
driving down a steep grade or when you reduce
your desired speed sharply. The system cannot
stop your vehicle. It uses only a portion of brak-
ing system capacity and does not utilize the full
capacity of the vehicle braking system. There-
fore, the system cannot decrease your speed
for large differences in speed between your
vehicle and the vehicle ahead. Examples: during
emergency braking, when you approach a vehi-
cle traveling at a much lower speed than your
own speed such as when approaching a toll
booth or when a much slower vehicle cuts in
front of you at close range.<
Whenever active cruise control
recognizes a situation that requires
driver braking because the system
capacity has been reached or has
been exceeded, the system alerts
the driver by flashing this symbol in the instru-
ment cluster and sounding a signal.
