First Ford BlueCruise hands-free driving reviews are here!

[ChasingCoral]

First Drive Reviews:

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-bluecruise-hands-free-driver-tech-review/
https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/tested-ford-bluecruise-hands-free-driving.html
https://www.autoblog.com/2021/08/05/ford-bluecruise-first-drive-review/
https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/ford-bluecruise-first-drive-review/
https://www.motor1.com/reviews/524596/ford-bluecruise-first-drive-review/
https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/4...-hands-free-driving-assistance-for-the-masses

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[ChasingCoral]

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/tested-ford-bluecruise-hands-free-driving.html

We Tested Ford's BlueCruise Hands-Free Driving and Here's What It's Like
by Cameron Rogers•08-05-2021

• Ford's hands-free BlueCruise tech is coming to the 2021 Mustang Mach-E and F-150 later this year.
• We've driven both vehicles with BlueCruise equipped, so we're here to tell you what it's like on the road.

General Motors got the jump on its rivals when it unveiled Super Cruise back in 2018, taking features like adaptive cruise control and lane centering to new heights with a hands-free mode that only works on certain premapped highways. Now Ford is getting into the hands-free game with its BlueCruise technology suite.

Is this a case of better late than never? Join us as we take an in-depth look at how BlueCruise works and — based on our seat time in an F-150 and a Mustang Mach-E — what it's like on real American roads.

How does Ford's BlueCruise work?
BlueCruise operates on the same principle as Super Cruise. Once the vehicle is traveling on one of the 100,000 miles of qualified roadways (Ford dubs these Hands-Free Blue Zones) and certain conditions have been met, a graphic appears in the instrument panel to let you know that BlueCruise is ready for activation. Simply press the cruise control button on the steering wheel and you can take your hands off the wheel to let the vehicle drive itself.

Like Super Cruise, Ford's BlueCruise system is not autonomous. As the driver, you have to be alert and prepared to take the wheel at any time. BlueCruise will not take evasive action if there is a small obstruction in the road — a box on the freeway, for instance — and you must be ready to perform advanced maneuvers if necessary. To that end, BlueCruise includes a head and eye position sensor to make sure you're watching the road ahead. Divert your attention for too long and the system will deactivate. And because BlueCruise relies on clearly visible lane markers, traveling on highway sections that lack them will deactivate the system.

With these limitations in mind, here are the first vehicles to receive BlueCruise — and we've driven both, so keep reading to find out what BlueCruise is like in the real world.

Which Ford vehicles have BlueCruise?

The first vehicles to receive BlueCruise functionality will be two of Ford's newest models — the 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E and 2021 Ford F-150. In both cases, the BlueCruise hardware is tied to the Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 package.

For the Mustang Mach-E, all trims except the base Select model come standard with Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0, while the Select can get it as part of the optional Comfort/Technology package. Buyers speccing out fully loaded F-150s will find that Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 is already included in the top-trim Limited model. The package is also available on the Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trims.

Each 2021 Ford vehicle with the Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 package will be outfitted with the hardware necessary to activate BlueCruise. However, BlueCruise isn't available just yet — it'll come online in the next few months via an over-the-air software update. For Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0-equipped models produced earlier in the 2021 model year, the hardware is included, and to activate BlueCruise, you'll have to pay a subscription fee. That fee is $600, which will cover the first three years of service. Models with the above package that launch after the software comes online will come with both the hardware and the software (though the price of the vehicle may rise with the software's inclusion).

Though we don't love the idea of subscriptions services in vehicles overall, it makes sense for Ford to charge a recurring rate. BlueCruise will constantly be updated with improvements to expand coverage and add features. For example, automated lane changes and slowing down for upcoming road curves are already being planned as post-launch additions.

What is BlueCruise like on the road?

I had the opportunity to drive both an F-150 and Mustang Mach-E with BlueCruise, and there was no functional difference in how the system behaved in each vehicle. The system itself melds several driver aids that are already present on the majority of cars today, but with a head- and eye-tracking component that makes sure you're paying attention. Once this is established — and you're driving on a preapproved road — a ring will appear around a graphic of the vehicle in the digital instrument panel. This lets you know that BlueCruise is ready to activate. Simply press the cruise control button and acceleration, braking and turning is handed over to BlueCruise.

In this way, BlueCruise functions similarly to GM's Super Cruise. The primary difference is that GM vehicles with Super Cruise have an LED light bar integrated into the steering wheel to let you know when Super Cruise can be activated. Ford's system isn't so obvious in letting you know when it's ready. When you press the cruise control button, however, the instrument panel graphics turn blue to inform you that BlueCruise is active and you can take your hands off the wheel.

The other difference between the two competing systems is that GM's Super Cruise has one prescribed distance for the adaptive cruise control (ACC) aspect. Ford has decided to treat BlueCruise like a typical ACC system in which you can choose one of four following distances.

When engaged, BlueCruise does a good job at approximating typical human driving behavior. I never had to adjust the following distance from one of the medium settings, and the system gives you a few beats to put your hands on the wheel when it needs you to resume control.

I didn't experience many technical issues in either vehicle on my limited test drive, but there was one instance in which I was forced to make an emergency maneuver. A Civic driver with little concern for their personal safety accelerated to merge right in front of my F-150, and the truck didn't slow down quickly enough. This wasn't necessarily a fault of BlueCruise itself — I have found that ACC systems in general are slow to react to vehicles merging into or out of my lane — but it goes to show that you still need to have your wits about you at all times.

Edmunds says
Like GM's Super Cruise, Ford's BlueCruise provides a hands-free driving experience on certain limited-access highways. It certainly takes some stress out of driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic, and should be similarly pleasant on long-distance road trips. But these are not autonomous systems, and drivers need to be ready to take the wheel at any time to react to changing road conditions.

 

[ChasingCoral]

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/ford-bluecruise-hands-free-driver-tech-review/

Ford's BlueCruise driving aid is easy-peasy hands-free tech

Ford's hands-off Level 2 driver aid is a smooth, straightforward way to reduce tedium on long drives.

Andrew Krok
http://www.twitter.com/andrewkrok
Aug. 5, 2021 3:00 a.m. PT

Enlarge Image It's pretty darn simple, but then again, it's not exactly the most complex idea on the planet. Ford

Like General Motors' similarly named (and similarly capable) Super Cruise, Ford's new BlueCruise technology is meant to reduce the tedium of driving on long stretches of limited-access highway. It is, like other Level 2 driver-assistance systems, a combination of adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and -- if the driver enables it in the settings menu -- speed-limit recognition. It will hold the vehicle in its lane and keep pace with traffic over some 100,000 miles of premapped highway segments across the US. And after a bit of seat time, I'm pretty impressed.

To get a brief taste of BlueCruise, I hopped behind the wheel of a 2021 Ford F-150 at Ford's headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan. The F-150 is one of two vehicles that will carry BlueCruise when the system launches, the second being the Mustang Mach-Eelectric crossover. While the feature won't be in cars for a couple more months, eager buyers can option a vehicle today with all the necessary hardware, and BlueCruise will activate in owners' cars via over-the-air software updates. Ford expects some 80% of Mach-E buyers to opt for BlueCruise, and while the expected take rate in F-150 is just 15%, you have to consider the sheer volume of trucks that Ford ships out every year. Fifteen percent of a bajillion is still a pretty big number.

Enlarge Image BlueCruise is limited to the highways seen on this map for the time being, but Ford hopes to expand these areas as time goes on. Ford

BlueCruise is activated by pressing the usual cruise control button on the steering wheel. The left side of the F-150's gauge display shows a steering wheel with hands clearly wrapped around either side, signaling the system is not yet ready to let me relinquish control. However, when the time comes, the tachometer and hands fade away while "hands-free" displays prominently. GM's Super Cruise uses lights in the steering wheel to denote system status, and while it's better for keeping my eyes closer to the horizon, I could see it being a potential issue for folks dealing with red-green colorblindness. No such problem with BlueCruise.

On the road, BlueCruise is great. It does precisely what it's supposed to -- nothing more, nothing less. Keeping my eyes on the traffic ahead, BlueCruise keeps the car well positioned in its lane, although like Super Cruise, it sometimes favors the right side a little more than I'd like in a vehicle this girthy. Small-scale adjustments are smooth and changing lanes, while not yet part of BlueCruise's portfolio, isn't exactly difficult -- just hit the turn signal and use your hands, then wait for the screen to display "hands-free" once again. It's worth noting that my limited time with BlueCruise only covers well-made, clearly delineated highways, so I'll need some more time in jankier conditions to see how it handles those. But as far as first impressions go, this is a good one.

Enlarge Image The left side of the F-150's gauge cluster makes it obvious when it's OK for your hands to leave the wheel. Ford

In the event the car gets to a part of the road that isn't approved for BlueCruise, or if the vehicle needs the driver to retake control for whatever reason, an audible chime accompanies a written request on the gauge display. The camera responsible for monitoring the driver's eyes is tucked away above the infotainment screen, so you don't have to worry about repositioning the steering wheel where it accidentally blocks the cameras, as is the case with the Mercedes-Benz EQS's driver aids. It will function if the driver is wearing either sunglasses or a mask, but it won't operate if both are worn simultaneously, as the camera doesn't have much face left to track at that point.

BlueCruise won't stop with Mustang Mach-E and F-150, either. While Ford hasn't delved into specifics just yet, it said it plans to expand the Level 2 aid to more vehicles in the future. Your road trips will soon be that much easier.

 

[DANNER]

Has ford made any high res searchable maps of the approved roads available?

 

[ChasingCoral]

Has ford made any high res searchable maps of the approved roads available?

Not yet. Just the one above.

 

[DaHealey]

I was excited to sign up for Bluecruise, also having a Tesla with FSD; but seeing that map is concerning. As a resident of WA state, it basically looks like I’d be paying 200/year to get Bluecruise on I5 and a bit of a road out to the penisula. I was hoping a lot more of the local highways would be covered.

Looking forward to more high res maps to really see what I’d be paying for.

 

[EVT Tech]

So my F150 has the lane centering, 360 cameras, adaptive cruise control and front and rear brake assist but the sticker does not specifically list Co Pilot 360. as an option. is there additional hardware that supports the blue cruise ?

 

[kwon]

So my F150 has the lane centering, 360 cameras, adaptive cruise control and front and rear brake assist but the sticker does not specifically list Co Pilot 360. as an option. is there additional hardware that supports the blue cruise ?

You should have cameras above your screen and near your driver-side handle. That's the hardware that comes with the active 2.0 package (I believe).

 

[Pierre.Granger]

Any word on when they will roll it out?

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