[MLJJ]

If it doesn't I'll be without a license soon. Passed a convoy of trucks on the interstate today and saw low 100's (mph) reading on the speedo at the conclusion. Sure didn't feel or sound that fast. Fortunately, that was only about 15 mph faster than most others with me. Unbelievably quick car. I need to calm down a bit!

 

[aeronca65tl]

These cars are easy to go fast in.

I drove mine carefully for the requisite 2000 miles. One day, while driving in the slow lane up the Driscoll Bridge on the NJ Garden State Parkway, I noticed that the odo had reached "2003" miles.....my break-in was complete!

So I pulled out into the fast lane, still climbing a pretty steep hill, and stepped on it. A few seconds later I realized I was very north of 100 mph. Wow!
.

 

[JazzCatGab]

I can relate guys! I got bored behind a truck, although we were cruising along at 70 mph on a well-built road through a series of road cuts, so still keeping below 4,000 RPMs, I kicked it and passed the truck. Pulled back into my lane and looked down and saw 117 mph. It was WAY too easy and, in shock, I told the first reasonable-seeming person I saw (including something about that I had to be going faster than that while passing), which happened to be at the gas pumps before I put her away. The guy was a young man with a certain vibe of ex-military or off-duty policeman, and he enjoyed my enthusiastic story and then said calmly, "You could have gone to jail!" And I'm like, "I know!! But it just kind of happened!" And he looks at the car again, and says, "Yes, I bet it can accelerate pretty quickly, huh?" I agreed, and then had the thought about him maybe being an off-duty policeman. Yikes!

 

[Viffermike]

I consider the cruise control on this car to be a safety feature for this very reason. >

 

[JakiChan]

Oddly enough, since I have my Escort Max 360c I've noted how incredibly accurate the speedo is. Most accurate one I've ever had.

 

[KEN OB]

I consider the cruise control on this car to be a safety feature for this very reason. >

Totally agree - cruise control can be very useful

 

[Peter]

I'm sure I remember 20 or more years ago having BMW's that had speed limiter as an option on the cruise control stork. This was far more useful than cruise when in traffic and constantly having to disengage. Did they discontinue this for safety reasons?

Also had an Audi which gave an annoying bleep but didn't cut power every time you crossed the speed limit that you set yourself.

 

[Calimerus]

If it doesn't I'll be without a license soon. Passed a convoy of trucks on the interstate today and saw low 100's (mph) reading on the speedo at the conclusion. Sure didn't feel or sound that fast. Fortunately, that was only about 15 mph faster than most others with me. Unbelievably quick car. I need to calm down a bit!

It's a Porsche safety feature

The faster you go, the faster you complete the overtake

 

[Barryng]

I consider the cruise control on this car to be a safety feature for this very reason. >

I completely agree!


When I first encountered adaptive cruise control I hated it because it was so smooth in decreasing speed when nearing another vehicle it became annoying to suddenly realize I was moving slower than I wanted (that was a Lexus). My BMW X3 is also very smooth but not stupid smooth like Lexus and the de-acceleration can be sensed so I have grown to really like this feature. With respect to safety, it is also excellent. This past year we have had reason to use I4 between Tampa and Orlando all too many times and this road is brutal with very heavy traffic and the frequent sudden appearance of brake lights accompanied by quickly slowing from 70 mph to near zero. Just an instants inattention or following too closely can easily lead to rear ending the car in front. In these conditions setting the cruise control to some speed higher than the prevailing traffic flow lets the automation maintain a safe distance, slow and speed up with traffic, and even emergency brake when needed. This does not mean it is OK to not pay close attention, but I am human and it helps compensate for a possible lapse of attention, an untimely distraction, or bad judgement on my part. Yes, cruise control is a very effective safety feature. I do have cruise control on my new Boxster but the manual transmission precluded adaptive cruise control.

 

[jimmuller]

Also had an Audi which gave an annoying bleep but didn't cut power every time you crossed the speed limit that you set yourself.

My Cayman has two settable limits which sound an audible alarm when exceeded. I assumed all 718's and probably all current P-cars had them.

As for adaptive cruise control, a resounding NO! I am unequivocally opposed to it, or horizontally opposed to it, if you prefer. Barryng, it may make you safer but you are undoubtedly safer than most drivers anyway. I worry about the other people out there following me. Think of all those other folks who believe their car will brake for them when necessary, so they don't have to pay as much attention. It's probably right up there with all the folks who thought "anti-skid" brakes would keep them from skidding on ice and snow. Honda,Toyota, Nissan, and others too I am sure, are actively marketing systems to soccer-moms on this very "safety" feature. Ignorance of the basics is dangerous but still pervasive.

How often have you seen two or more cars running lock-step in place on the highway? Even with minimal traffic so spreading out would seem to be the best idea? One of the more irritating highway behaviors I have seen developing lately is the tendency of drivers to sit on my tail maintaining an exact distance. If I think they are too close, which happens a lot, I'll try to pull away, but they follow me. So I'll slow down to encourage them to pass, but they don't. Usually I have to accelerate hard, pull away so they lose contact. Then they seem to drop into their own zone, spaced out until they come up behind some other poor soul. This is the "trending" legacy of adaptive cruise control. Just a few steps removed from self-driving cars.

 

[MLJJ]

My Cayman has two settable limits which sound an audible alarm when exceeded. I assumed all 718's and probably all current P-cars had them.

As for adaptive cruise control, a resounding NO! I am unequivocally opposed to it, or horizontally opposed to it, if you prefer. Barryng, it may make you safer but you are undoubtedly safer than most drivers anyway. I worry about the other people out there following me. Think of all those other folks who believe their car will brake for them when necessary, so they don't have to pay as much attention. It's probably right up there with all the folks who thought "anti-skid" brakes would keep them from skidding on ice and snow. Honda,Toyota, Nissan, and others too I am sure, are actively marketing systems to soccer-moms on this very "safety" feature. Ignorance of the basics is dangerous but still pervasive.

How often have you seen two or more cars running lock-step in place on the highway? Even with minimal traffic so spreading out would seem to be the best idea? One of the more irritating highway behaviors I have seen developing lately is the tendency of drivers to sit on my tail maintaining an exact distance. If I think they are too close, which happens a lot, I'll try to pull away, but they follow me. So I'll slow down to encourage them to pass, but they don't. Usually I have to accelerate hard, pull away so they lose contact. Then they seem to drop into their own zone, spaced out until they come up behind some other poor soul. This is the "trending" legacy of adaptive cruise control. Just a few steps removed from self-driving cars.

I agree with this. Adaptive cruise is a pita. In traffic, you could be at a stand still because of folks cutting in front of what the car thinks is a safe distance. My daughter's car has it (I don't) and she hates it because of that. I'll go fast when I want and slow when I want. If I get a ticket or worse, then its my fault. I'm not gonna let the car drive for me!

 

[4802]

I'm sure I remember 20 or more years ago having BMW's that had speed limiter as an option on the cruise control stork. This was far more useful than cruise when in traffic and constantly having to disengage. Did they discontinue this for safety reasons?

Also had an Audi which gave an annoying bleep but didn't cut power every time you crossed the speed limit that you set yourself.

My wife's BMW 2 series coupe still has that speed limiter feature, though I personally don't use it & prefer the cruise control (maybe if I tried it more my opinion would change, but I just took a dislike to it). My Boxster S has adaptive cruise control which I find to be truly excellent on a long run, however I am mindful to keep an eye on tailgaters & I'm not so dim witted as to rely on it braking for me. My 718 S also has the two user adjustable audible alarm limits for speed. Because it's so easy to end up going far faster than intended, especially when overtaking, I find this to be quite a useful feature (though I'll not disclose what speeds the audible alarms are set at). Peter :- Your previous 718 will have been fitted with this & I'm pretty sure your current 911 is too.

 

[GregW]

<snip>How often have you seen two or more cars running lock-step in place on the highway? Even with minimal traffic so spreading out would seem to be the best idea? One of the more irritating highway behaviors I have seen developing lately is the tendency of drivers to sit on my tail maintaining an exact distance.

I have a friend who drives like this. I suspect that rather than adaptive cruise it's more a function not wearing her glasses while driving. Her windscreen was so dirty the other day I had to clean it before we went wine tasting.0

 

[4802]

It's not just tailgaters, but also that every time you leave sufficient space to the car in front, another driver will move between you. So you drop back again to re-establish the gap & it happens again & then again & once again etc, etc. Or the drivers that feel the need to overtake you, but then cut in sharply & start driving at a lower speed than you were before they overtook. That's where the adaptive cruise control comes in handy as it will re-establish a safe gap every time & partly helps to relieve the frustration. Just because some poor drivers can't differentiate between cruise control & snooze control that's hardly the fault of the system. Those people generally won't concentrate anyway & with that being the case I'd much rather have them behind me in a car fitted with the system over one that wasn't.

 

[4802]

In traffic, you could be at a stand still because of folks cutting in front of what the car thinks is a safe distance. My daughter's car has it (I don't) and she hates it because of that. I'll go fast when I want and slow when I want. If I get a ticket or worse, then its my fault. I'm not gonna let the car drive for me!

Sorry & no offence intended, but that comment makes very little sense to me. The adaptive cruise control option on a 718 will only come to a standstill itself if the traffic in front is also at a standstill & won't stop at a distance that allows another car to fit in between. It will, unless you intervene earlier, start braking & then pull up smoothly to the rear of the vehicle before stopping. It will not suddenly pull up a large distance away. Therefore cars pulling in front of you in stationary traffic is a none issue. The vehicle once stopped will then not move away again without some interaction from the operator. However it will when that interaction occurs vary the distance to the vehicle in front dependant on speed. It doesn't wait until a large gap opens up before moving off. The distance the system adopts to the car in front when moving is user adjustable, but its minimum distance/closing time is also the minimum safe distance/closing time. If a car then pulls in front of you, it will if left to its own devices re-assume a safe gap. Why would anyone with any common sense wish to follow closer than a safe distance? You can adjust the distance/closing time beyond the minimum safe distance/closing time to allow a larger gap if you so wish, but that's entirely up to the operator. The gap to the vehicle in front will constantly vary dependant on speed as the user variable settings clearly relate to a time gap to closing rather than an actual physical gap. Hence why the system allows you to pull up close to the vehicle in front in slow moving traffic & also move off following closely from stationary. You set the maximum speed, not the car & you can override it at any time. Therefore you can still go fast when you want & slow when you want. Should you decide you want a ticket then you can feel free to crack on, absolutely nothing is stopping you. You can also turn it off entirely (which I do in very heavy traffic) as it's only a more advanced cruise control system & simply an aid to driving, rather than any attempt at having the car doing the driving for you.