Need an "ECO Cruise Control" Setting

I don't know if this is a "Feature Request" or just a bit of a rant.

It's always bothered me that cruise controls - which had (at least at one time) been promoted as "gas saving" since they'd keep you at a constant (kinda) speed instead of the wasteful accelerate/decelerate/accelerate unsteady foot many drivers use. Bun in every cruise control I've used, you get to a hill and the pedal goes to the metal and I've even had cars downshift and scream to keep the speed setting. I would generally kick off the cruise and apply the accelerator a little more judiciously.

I'm really impressed by the "Dynamic Radar Cruise Control" - definitely the most sophisticated cruise control I've ever used. Normal cruise controls will happily drive you into the rear end of a slower car ahead of you. This one won't.

That said, how much more difficult would it be to have a mode that "drove" more like a economy-conscious driver. Indeed, a cruise control that follows the very suggestions that a Toyota "Hybrid Driving Tips" video recommends: when driving up a hill, allow a reduction in speed rather than stepping on the accelerator to maintain a constant speed.

Sure - some might say there are safety concerns - like the guy behind you NOT slowing down and rear ending you. Yeah, that's possible - if we are counting on our car to do all of the driving (and thinking) for us. That would certainly be no more unsafe than me slowing from 70 to 65, 63, or even 60 while not using cruise control while ascending a hill. After all, I'm probably gonna "coast" up to 72, 73, or 75 heading down the other side.

Anyway, with a car with as many computers and tech in it - I'm surprised that a cruise control that accelerates more *gently* isn't part of the programming. If you didn't want that behaviour - you could always turn it off - like you can the DRCC.

 

...which is what I fallback to.

On a 400-mile trip that I just took the Prius on for the first time, I used the DRCC on the relatively flat sections of road, and kicked it off for hilly areas.

 

I don't think I'm asking for a CC with a "Hypermile" feature - just one that doesn't floor the accelerator when you hit a hill. A little moderation is all I'm asking for. I mean, If you can program how fast the Heat/AC fan speeds up - then why not the CC?

BTW - this has been a pet peeve of mine with cruise controls long before I bought the Prius. No way a cruise control should put the pedal to the metal and cause a downshift (in vehicles other than a Prius or CVT of course). It's terrible for mileage, puts extra wear and tear on the drivetrain - and - it wakes me up when I'm snoozing. Who needs that!?

 

Sure, I get it.

But one has to admit - that the "bottle's instructions" on a Prius are pretty intricate in the case of the rest of the car's systems - so I don't think we're talking leaps of technological advancement to do what I'm suggesting.

Just look at the "ECO Accelerator Guide" - it never pushes into the "PWR" range - yet the manual says we should stay within that arc for best economy. So the data and guidance already exist: Just have a mode where the Cruise Control stays withing the ECO accelerator Guide. Sure, maybe nobody will use it once they've tried it once - but at least it would be there for folks like me. Hell, I've never even considered using the "Normal" or Power" modes yet - IMHO those are kinda out of place in a Prius.

I promise not to beat this dead horse any longer - but I think if the engineers who conceived and designed the whole Prius family of vehicles had yielded to the "It's too difficult, there's no way of doing that" mentality - we'd all be on Ford F150 chat.

 

You can tell that folks around where I live are rabid NASCAR fans from the way they'll "draft" (tailgate) you a car-length away or less at 65-70mph (even then the posted speed limit is 60). Frankly, I've long since stopped caring if they "get upset" or not as it's about impossible to get these guys to follow at a safe distance unless you're willing to do 85+ in a 60mph zone. (IOW - you shake them off.)

I live in a rural area with hills, winding roads, blind driveways, and frequent road incursions by coyotes, turkey vultures, feral hogs, and even stray cattle on the road. Since a feral hog can total a full-sized truck, and even a turkey vulture can take out a headlight, grille, or radiator/AC condenser - I'm not gonna plow into any of them at cruise speed. If I hit the brakes to avoid any of the aforementioned roar hazards - the clown following 9 feet behind me IS going to rear-end me. So how fast I speed up after I slow for another vehicle or whether I maintain the posted limit (plus 10) up a hill is pretty much an academic concern.

Being an older, wiser driver - I've given up on "brake-checking" the tailgating knuckleheads - but I certainly don't give a second though to how they "feel" about me going "too slow".

 

The only thing "slow" about my driving is I generally don't floor it to get up to the speed limit (or above) in 3 seconds or less. That was true even when I was driving my old 2000 Ford Ranger with 344,000 miles on it. I'm not gonna beat on my cold engine just so the guy behind me doesn't have to worry about other vehicles on the road.

I live on a hilly, winding, narrow country road and happen to have what I would call a "blind driveway". Even if I look both ways twice and assure that no one is in sight, by the time I hit the center line making my left turn onto the road from my driveway - someone is on my tail. Sorry bud, you're GONNA have to take your foot off the gas and deal with having to share the road with others.

The road I live on is officially designated a "Farm to Market" road - so their purpose is to enable farmers and ranchers to bring their stuff to town. It's very common for feed trucks, cattle trailers, combines, and tractors and hay rakes to pull onto the road - and go 7 miles an hour for a mile or six. So having to deal with my not flogging my engine should be the least of their worries.