I was interested to learn that having added the £230 option of adaptive cruise control to my new Skoda Fabia I have raised its level of driving autonomy from
- 0: no automation, to
- 1: drive assistance
Although there is some way to go to get to level 5: full automation, where the steering wheel is no longer required, level 1 is already making a significant difference to my driving.
My morning commute is 30 minutes into London, of which 20 minutes is on 70 mile per hour A-roads and motorways. For those 20 minutes I no longer need to use the accelerator or brake pedals. I simply set the cruise control to 70mph, and let the car determine my speed, using its radar to detect slower vehicles ahead. To overtake I indicate and steer, and the car accelerates itself as necessary. This makes for a much more relaxing drive than standard cruise control, where a vehicle travelling at slightly below the maximum speed is the most inconvenient. A much slower vehicle can be overtaken without altering my speed, but a slightly slower vehicle requires either an increase in speed to overtake, a very long-lasting overtaking manoeuvre, or manually reducing the cruise control speed. With adaptive cruise control I happily trundle along behind the slower vehicle at that slightly reduced speed, with no manual adjustment necessary.
An unexpected bonus of this adaptive cruise control is that it will keep the car from exceeding your requested speed when going down a steep hill. This is easier than manually applying brakes to keep within the speed limit, which requires continually adjusting your gaze between the speedometer and road.
After only a few weeks with adaptive cruise control I appreciate it so much that it'll be on my list of must have features for all future car purchases.
If you want some idea of what level 3 autonomy will bring, see this Slashgear review of the new Audi A8.