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Dynamic Radar Cruise Control might be my favorite thing on my Gen 4!

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by glennonrp, Jun 3, 2016.

  1. glennonrp

    glennonrp Active Member

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    I've had my car since the end of February and lots of chances to use the DRCC. The first few times it was honestly scary. I did not know if I could trust it.

    I've been driving for over 30 years. I've always liked using cruise control. But, driving in Southern California most of the time, it's hard to use it very often. Nothing worse than getting it set at 70 mph only to see brake lights ahead after only a mile. Or some dill weed is going too slow in the left lane and you try to get around but everyone else behind you is zooming past and you have to hit the breaks and turn off the cruise control. And over and over. It sucks that unless traffic is light or I'm outside the heavily populated areas, I can't use my cruise control.

    Until now.

    When I was trying to sell my old car I got to talking to a CarMax sales guy about the new Prius. He tried to tell me how the DRCC on it want good, that he had the same thing on his Dodge and he never uses it because one time someone cut him off and the car slammed on its brakes.

    Well, yeah, I can see why you'd have a problem with that. But that's not what my Prius does. When the DRCC is on, and someone gets over too closely, the car either slows gradually, increasing the following distance, or it keeps speed because the radar can tell the car is accelerating away from us.

    That's awesome.

    And, I have finally developed some trust in the DRCC now, such that if I see brake lights ahead, I don't hit the brakes. Now I cover them, and wait, and the car slows down. The best is when there's heavy traffic and the car will do all the slowing and going for you. I dint know about you, but the most exhausting driving I ever do is stop and go traffic. And the DRCC is perfect for that!

    So, I love it. I love how smooth and intelligent it is. It makes me realize how advanced the electronics are in this car. Between that and the parking assist, I honesty think this car could drive itself easily.
     
  2. pakitt

    pakitt Senior Member

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    I am looking forward to DRCC as well - especially in highway driving. In the city I think it will not help at all - traffic is too random and I think it would be dangerous using any type of CC.
     
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  3. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Did not even realize what was happening. Was going real slow behind a truck before I realized what was happening. Very good product.
     
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  4. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    I drove 900 miles roundtrip last Saturday and was able to do so safely because of the DCC. I also love that feature!
     
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  5. Gen 2 Tom

    Gen 2 Tom Active Member

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    Agreed the DRCC is real nice. There's something I read about not using it below 28 or so. But I can get it on when stopped and have used it in bumper to bumper traffic. When the car in front stops DRCC stops me. I assume when stopped it has the brake on. I need to touch the gas just to get it to move again. This stop and hold the car at "0" speed is a mode I want the Prius to do normally. I'm tired of holding a tight brake pedal trying to prevent the motor from running. Since it does it with DRCC it can do it normally. The DRCC slows the car at a greater rate than I normally do, but it is slick how it does nothing when some cuts in in front of you as long as there going your speed or faster. I love it.

    Has any one had the rear end collision kick in? I'm concerned about it working when I'm in bumper to bumper traffic at a few MPH. Will it stop me at a roll before hitting the car in front?
     
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  6. PriUncut

    PriUncut Active Member

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    I just used it today for the first time in bumper to bumper traffic... at just few miles per hour... stop... then started on it's own again. Worked flawlessly in very slow and go traffic. I was utterly impressed!

    Now I did discover (and thought I read it somewhere here) that if the stop was for more than about 3 seconds, I had to re-apply the gas to get it to go again. But that was it. Only on a few occasions when I was completely stopped. Otherwise, I was on "autopilot' baby!

    I now LOVE stop-n-go traffic! Bring it on!!
     
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  7. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    It stops me a couple times every week when I'm pulling into my garage. I have to pull in tight and it stops me before I hit the house if I get too close. It kicked in once in stop and go traffic. I wasn't that close though, but it was extremely helpful.
     
    #7 'LectroFuel, Jun 3, 2016
    Last edited: Jun 3, 2016
  8. PriUncut

    PriUncut Active Member

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    By the way... I tried the DRCC on couple of non-highway streets today. One with a 50 MPH speed limit, and the other at only 40 MPH. Now this was on a Friday afternoon, major two-lane streets (in one direction - with 4 lanes total) and with allot of traffic... it worked flawlessly.

    It's does come barreling up on traffic (before applying the breaks) a bit faster than I would. But no problem, even at the closest range setting. It's a little nerve racking when you first try it. :eek: But oh, so much fun!
     
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  9. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    It gets the adrenaline pumping!:)
     
  10. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    Love the system and use it all the time. I find it a bit annoying in heavy interstate speed traffic, I'll be cruising at 75, traffic in front of me is doing 70, traffic in the passing lane is going by me constantly at 80+. The car slows up before I'd like it to. I also am convinced it is going to get me rear ended sooner or later. I leave it at the max range and I think people see all the space in front of me and get annoyed. I constantly have the car behind me fly around me just to get in the space the cruise is leaving. I've found it also really hates it when the car in front of you is slowing for a right hand turn, it stabs the brakes pretty hard when it's not necessary as the car will be out of the way soon enough. That always seems to surprise the people tailgating me.

    As for the collision system, it probably thinks that it saved me on day two or three. Cruising at 65 with the DRCC off, came over a slight raise and traffic went into panic stop. I jumped on the brake but the car wanted more did the beep thing and I'm pretty sure fed in more brake.
     
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  11. krmcg

    krmcg Lowered Blizzard Pearl Beauty

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    You can easily override the braking by pressing on the accelerator when it makes sense to do so.
     
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  12. Gen 2 Tom

    Gen 2 Tom Active Member

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    I only tried the lane control once, and it warned me about going out of the lane, but I didn't feel it try to steer the car back into the proper lane. I thought the steering option may have been off. But after finding where it was a few days later, it looked like it was on.
    I did read something about the driver needing to be steering the car for it to tug the wheel the other way. It didn't make a lot of sense, since that's when you want the car to stay in the lane. So has anyone found how to get this steering feature to work?
     
  13. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    Find a straight bit of interstate with not much traffic, aim the car to slowly cross the line then let go of the wheel. It'll gently steer it back the other way and bounce you off the other line. Somewhere along the line it'll beep at you about keeping your hands on the steering wheel. I did this with the DRCC active as well. Not sure what happens if you continue to ignore the warnings, a Tesla will bring the car to a stop in the lane and turn on the emergency flashers.
     
  14. wrprice

    wrprice Active Member

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    I took a test drive a couple of weeks ago and tried it. First, you have to be going at least a minimum speed, 45 mph? Second, be sure the system is recognizing the edge of the lane; it might see one, both, or none. I tested on the far right lane of the I-10 feeder road in rainy weather and it recognized the lane markers to my left but not the curb to the right.

    If the system detects sufficient input force on the steering wheel, it assumes you're doing it on purpose and doesn't correct. I got it to work by moving far right in my lane, setting a slow drift to the left (like a bad alignment), and letting go of the wheel (hands close by but not touching) when there was no adjacent traffic. The car got closer to the lane divider than my normal comfort level but did not cross. It was almost like the wheels were rubbing against a virtual curb that wasn't there. It didn't re-center me, it was just to avoid crossing the line markers. I'm not sure how long it would've continued; I only let it correct for several seconds before taking back positive control over a vehicle I didn't own.
     
  15. PriUncut

    PriUncut Active Member

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    You'll get pulled over for drunk driving!

    :eek:
     
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  16. ETP

    ETP 2021 Prime(Limit),24 Venza Limit,B52-D,G,F,H

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    Have done the full test on a back road. It will over correct and eventually put you at a no recovery B52 swing behind a Tanker. Have not tried the full test in all 3 sensitivity modes. That could make a difference.

    It is not designed to keep you in the center without someone's eventual intervention. No quite ready for self driving yet but if you are semi conscious you should be able to pull off the road. Very nice early tech feature.
     
  17. MrMischief

    MrMischief Active Member

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    About 32 mph, according to the car. I felt that the car let you drift too far over as I think the default setting is when the tire touches the line. I moved it in one notch. I get the occasional beep but now I feel more confident to let it drive itself while I make myself a sandwich. /sarcasm
     
  18. snipercoder

    snipercoder Member

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    I use DRCC all the time when driving back and forth to LA from LV and love it. I also use the steering assist where it'll nudge you back to your lane. I waited until there is no traffic around me and pretend I fell asleep by drifting into another lane, it will prompt "Take a Break!" and steer you back to your lane. The steering assist is very unobtrusive, feels like a gust of wind more than anything. However, it waits until you're really over the white lines before interfering, far from autonomous driving of course.
     
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  19. 'LectroFuel

    'LectroFuel Senior Member

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    If you pay really close attention, it steers. I think the steering should be more active like a Honda or Acura (or Tesla). I think they used a more mild steering assist because many people buy Prii and most won't care about the car or know that the car actually steers itself. I could see it freaking out some older people.
     
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  20. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    The Gen 3 had LKA or Lane Keep Assist. This was an active system that kept you centred in the lane. I think there was feedback (not on the Prius itself but LKA-style functions in general on all cars equipped with it) that it was annoying because it felt like a 3rd hand was constantly tugging at the wheel. LKA also meant that on sweeping curves on the highway, the Prius would actually drive itself around the corner with minimal input. It was definitely more relaxing for those who had highway commutes but you had to deal with the constant adjustments.

    LDA w/ SA is less intrusive.
     
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