Is adaptive cruise control worth it?

It’s hard to deny the progress that the car industry has made in the Philippines and in the world as a whole. There are new models coming in left and right and from far and wide touting the “latest” in smart technologies that aid drivers and elevate the experience in the car. However, there is one such feature that has been in vogue lately, especially with manufacturers that want to make a dent in the market. 

That “me too” feature is adaptive cruise control, and having it is great, but it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. Not having the feature might put a chink in the armor of quite a few cars, but in the absence of it a deal-breaker, or a viable value-add? 

In a nutshell, it’s a radar-based system that is smarter than the basic cruise control system. The radar will sense if there is a car in front of you, and slow down your vehicle based on its speed relative to your car. Essentially, it adds a layer of safety to an otherwise one-dimensional system. Think of it as a safety net just in case or a comfort adds for those long drives out on the highway. 

We wouldn’t recommend that you use adaptive cruise control in the city, but there have been innovations made such as the case with the adaptive cruise found in Toyota’s Safety Sense, Honda SENSING, Nissan Intelligent Mobility suite, Subaru’s EyeSight, and others that go under the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS) packages found in a lot of cars these days. These strides have allowed adaptive cruise control to be more than just a tool on the highway, and it’s safe to say that the feature is as smart as ever. 

You’ve noticed it too, right? Adaptive cruise control is one of the features in vogue nowadays, and it’s turned into a sort of “badge of honor” for top-of-the-line cars, well most top-spec cars anyway. One of the first vehicles to introduce an adaptive cruise control system was the Ford Ranger then it was passed onto the Everest, and then the rest of the industry followed. 

The other brands that followed include but are not limited to, Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Subaru, Isuzu, Mazda, and others. What’s interesting is that even the Chinese brands are also throwing their hat into the adaptive cruise control ring with brands like GAC, Changan, Geely, and even newer entries like GWM. Now, pretty much everyone has it, so is it even worth considering if another brand will do the same thing but for much less? 

It has to be said, but quality should always trump quantity. Simply adding an adaptive cruise system on a car without tuning it for the platform and the driving conditions that it will face is going to be more of a hindrance than a benefit. That being said, the quality of the system must be noted when looking for the feature. 

Considering that the model you picked with the feature is a great driving car that has an adaptive cruise is only half the story. Again, the system has to be refined, and not all systems are created equal. There are some that are already in top form, while there are others that still need a bit of refinement. Is adaptive cruise control worth having if it’s not refined? Definitely not. 

For us, adaptive cruise control alone shouldn’t be a deal maker or deal breaker. For a good chunk of your time driving, you probably won’t use the feature anyway. However, it is the rest of the things that are bundled in that make having adaptive cruise control worth it. 

Nowadays, it’s common to see adaptive cruise control bundled in with other features that also utilize the same system which makes it a magical experience. The radar upfront allows the car to detect if there is an obstacle in front of you. Lane-keeping or lane-tracing assist often works in tandem with the cruise system, and that’s also a value add. Because the radar can detect obstacles, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking are a thing with cars that come with adaptive cruise control, and we believe that these other safety features are way more important and worthwhile than a cruise control system alone. 

While we cannot say that adaptive cruise control was the most revolutionary feature to come to the mainstream in recent years, we can safely say that it paved the way for cars to be smarter and safer. 

However, on its own, it has to depend on the type of driving you will do. If you find yourself on the highway for long stretches, and for extended periods of time where you have to keep constant pressure on the accelerator and monitor your brake pedal, then perhaps the feature is more worth it on its own. However, you might find that drives around the city don’t really make the feature a must-have. That’s about it, really, however, do consider the other features that come with the adaptive cruise control system.