2015.75 VAUXHALL ASTRA J Owner's Manual

Driving and operating175
press b briefly to deactivate TC, k
illuminates. Deactivation is displayed
as status message in the Driver
Information Centre (DIC).
TC is reactivated by pressing b
again.
TC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Electronic Stability Control Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip. It also
prevents the drive wheels from
spinning. ESC operates in
combination with the Traction Control system (TC) 3 174.
As soon as the vehicle starts to
swerve (understeer/oversteer),
engine output is reduced and the
wheels are braked individually. This
considerably improves the driving
stability of the vehicle on slippery road
surfaces.ESC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When ESC operates b flashes.9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 115.
Deactivation
For a more sporty behaviour ESC and
TC can be deactivated separately:
■ Press b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates.
■ Hold b pressed for min.
5 seconds: TC and ESC are
deactivated, k and n illuminate.
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre (DIC).
If the vehicle comes into threshold
with deactivated ESP, the system will reactivate ESP for the time duration
of the threshold, when the brake
pedal is depressed once.
ESC is reactivated by pressing b
again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.

176Driving and operating
Deactivation, VXR versionFor very high-performance driving
ESC and TC can be deactivated
separately. The following modes are
selectable:
■ Press b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates.
■ Press b twice briefly within
2 seconds: TC is inactive, ESC is
operable without engine power
reduction, k and n illuminate.
■ Hold b pressed for min.
5 seconds: TC and ESC are
completely inactive, k and n
illuminate.
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
DIC.
On VXR version TC and ESC remain
deactivated even if the vehicle comes into threshold with unstable
driveability.
ESC is reactivated by pressing b
again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Interactive driving system
Flex Ride
Flex Ride driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
■ SPORT mode: press SPORT, LED
illuminates.
■ TOUR mode: press TOUR, LED
illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: both SPORT and
TOUR are not pressed, no LED
illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and TOUR
mode by pressing the corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode, Flex Ride
networks the following electronic systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control
■ Accelerator Pedal Control
■ Steering Control
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

Driving and operating177
■ Antilock brake system (ABS) withcornering brake control (CBC)
■ Automatic transmission
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style:
■ Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more stiffly to provide better contact with the road surface.
■ The engine reacts more quickly to the accelerator pedal.
■ Steering support is reduced.
■ Shift points of automatic transmission occur later.
■ With SPORT mode activated, the illumination of main instruments
changes from white to red.
TOUR mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a comfort driving style:
■ Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more softly.
■ Accelerator pedal reacts with standard settings.
■ Steering support is in standard mode.
■ Shift points of automatic transmission occur in a comfort
mode.
■ Illumination of main instruments is white.
NORMAL mode
All settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.Drive mode control
Within each manual selected driving
mode SPORT, TOUR or NORMAL,
the Drive Mode Control (DMC)
detects and analyses continuously
the real driving characteristic,
responses by the driver, and the
active dynamic state of the vehicle. If
necessary, the control unit of DMC
automatically changes the settings
within the selected driving mode or,
when recognising greater variations,
the driving mode is changed for the
length of variation.
If, for example, NORMAL mode is selected and DMC detects a sporty
driving behaviour, DMC changes
several settings of the Normal mode
into sporty settings. The DMC
changes to SPORT mode in case of
very sporty driving behaviour.
If, for example, TOUR mode is
selected and whilst driving on a
winding road a sudden hard brake is
necessary, DMC will detect the
dynamic vehicle condition and

178Driving and operating
changes the settings for suspension
to SPORT mode to increase vehicle
stability.
When the driving characteristic or the
dynamic vehicle state returns to
former state, DMC will change the
settings to the preselected driving
mode.
Personalised settings in the
Sport mode The driver can select the functions of
the SPORT mode when SPORT is
pressed. These settings can be
changed in the Settings menu in the
Info-Display. Vehicle personalisation
3 131.
Flex Ride - VXR Version
The VXR Version of Flex Ride system works in the same way as the
standard Flex Ride system with the
difference that the modes have a
more sporty characteristic.
VXR Flex Ride driving system allows
the driver to select between three
driving modes:
■ VXR mode: press VXR, LED
illuminates.
■ SPORT mode: press SPORT, LED
illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: neither SPORT
nor VXR is pressed, no LED
illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and VXR
mode by pressing the corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode,
VXR Flex Ride networks the following
electronic systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control
■ Accelerator Pedal Control
■ Steering Control
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
■ Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC)
NORMAL mode
In NORMAL mode, when neither
SPORT nor VXR is pressed, all
settings of the systems are adapted to standard values.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style.
VXR mode
The drive dynamic characteristics are adapted to high performance
settings.
In this mode, the illumination of main instruments is switched to red.

Driving and operating179
Personalised settings in the VXR
mode
The driver can select the functions of
the VXR mode when VXR is pressed.
These settings can be changed in the Settings menu in the Info-Display.
Vehicle personalisation 3 131.Driver assistance
systems9 Warning
Driver assistance systems are
developed to support the driver
and not to replace the driver's
attention.
The driver accepts full
responsibility when driving the
vehicle.
When using driver assistance
systems, always take care
regarding the current traffic
situation.
Cruise control
The Cruise control can store and
maintain speeds of approx. 20 to
120 mph. Deviations from the stored
speeds may occur when driving uphill or downhill.
For safety reasons, the cruise controlcannot be activated until the foot
brake has been operated once.
Activating in first gear is not possible.
Do not use the cruise control if it is not advisable to maintain a constant
speed.
With automatic transmission, only
activate cruise control in automatic
mode.
Control indicator m 3 118.
Switching on Press m; control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.

180Driving and operating
ActivationAccelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-; the
current speed is stored and
maintained. Control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates green.
Accelerator pedal can be released.
Vehicle speed can be increased by depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the previously stored speed
is resumed.
Cruise control remains activated
while gearshifting.
Increase speed With cruise control active, hold thumb
wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn
to RES/+ repeatedly: speed
increases continuously or in small
increments.
Alternatively, accelerate to the
desired speed and store by turning to SET/- .
Reduce speed
With cruise control active, hold thumb
wheel turned to SET/- or briefly turn to
SET/- repeatedly: speed decreases
continuously or in small increments.
Deactivation
Press y; control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Cruise control is deactivated. Last
stored speed remains in memory for
later speed resume.
Automatic deactivation:
■ Vehicle speed is below approx. 20 mph.
■ Vehicle speed is above approx. 125 mph.
■ The brake pedal is depressed.
■ The clutch pedal is depressed for a
few seconds.
■ Selector lever is in N.
■ Engine speed is in a very low range.
■ The Traction Control system (TC) or Electronic Stability Control
(ESC) is operating.
Resume stored speed
Turn thumb wheel to RES/+ at a
speed above 20 mph. The stored
speed will be obtained.
Switching off Press m; control indicator m in
instrument cluster extinguishes. The
stored speed is deleted.
Pressing L for activating speed
limiter or switching off the ignition also
switches off cruise control and
deletes the stored speed.

Driving and operating181Speed limiterThe speed limiter prevents the
vehicle exceeding a preset maximum
speed.
The maximum speed can be set at a
speed above 15 mph.
The driver can only accelerate up to
the preset speed. Deviations from the
limited speed may occur when driving downhill.
The preset speed limit is displayed in
the top line of the Driver Information
Centre (DIC) when the system is
active.Activation
Press L. If cruise control or adaptive
cruise control has been activated
before, it is switched off when speed
limiter is activated and control
indicator m extinguishes.
Set speed limit
With speed limiter active, hold thumb
wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn
to RES/+ repeatedly until the desired
maximum speed is displayed in the
DIC.
Alternatively accelerate to the desired speed and briefly turn thumb wheel to SET/- : the current speed is stored as
maximum speed. Speed limit is
displayed in the DIC.

182Driving and operating
Change speed limit
With speed limiter active, turn thumb
wheel to RES/+ to increase or SET/-
to decrease the desired maximum
speed.
Exceeding the speed limit
In the event of an emergency, it is possible to exceed the speed limit by
depressing the accelerator pedal
firmly beyond the point of resistance.
The limited speed will flash in the DIC and (depending on vehicle)
additionally a chime sounds during
this period.
Release the accelerator pedal and the speed limiter function is
reactivated once a speed lower than
the limit speed is obtained.
Deactivation Press y: speed limiter is deactivated
and the vehicle can be driven without
speed limit.
The limited speed is stored and a
corresponding message appears in
the DIC.
Resume limit speed Turn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained.
Switching off Press L, the speed limit indication in
the DIC extinguishes. The stored
speed is deleted.
By pressing m to activate cruise
control or adaptive cruise control or
by switching off the ignition, speed
limiter is also deactivated and the
stored speed is deleted.Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control is an
enhancement to traditional cruise control with the additional feature of
maintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead.
Adaptive cruise control automatically
decelerates the vehicle when
approaching a slower moving vehicle.
It then adjusts the vehicle speed to
follow the vehicle ahead at the
selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases to follow the vehicle in front, but willnot exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
The adaptive cruise control can store and maintain speeds over approx.
31 mph and brakes automatically to
follow a slower vehicle driving ahead to a minimum speed of 18 mph.