Adaptive Cruise Control /City Emergency Braking - useful?

[Jerbill]

Hi everyone. All info on the 6C is great and will be valuable when I pick up my TSI 90 SE in Carmen Red specced with Adaptive Cruise / City Emergency Braking. I would love to hear from those who have this if they are finding it as useful as VW claim. It was an expensive option but I thought if it stopped me from shunting the car in front just once it would repay its cost many times over. Feedback would be much appreciated. Thanks!

[TheFrog]

I can't comment on the Polo's system, but I had adaptive cruise control on a Jaguar XKR a few years ago and didn't like it at all. Like many of these modern 'safety devices', it never quite worked as well as a human being and lulled you into a false sense of security. I nearly had an accident on the motorway with it once.

I have the emergency braking on my VW Up, but - fortunately, I suppose - I have never seen it in action.

[rsmagee]

I have got to say I really wish I had specced it after seeing it in a golf 7. It all depends if you use cruise control a lot. Its not really to stop you crashing on the motorway at 70, but rather save you having to break and disable the cruise every time you get stuck behind someone. Wish I could get it retrofitted now!

[Jerbill]

Must say I got it primarily for the city braking element. There's so much stop/start traffic nowadays I felt it would be very useful. I try to be as careful as I can in slow traffic but I'm as liable as everyone else to lose concentration for some reason or other. It happens! Has anyone any experience of the system in action?

[Mart!n-GTI-DK]

I tried the ACC in a Mk7 Golf GTE the other day. It works great.

And so does the CEB which I have tried in a test at VW in a VW up!.

[markc123]

The ACC is the Golf 7 was very good.

It will hold you at a set distance from the car in front, and neatly accelerates up to your set speed as soon as the road is clear. You get a visual warning when it detects something nearly in range, allowing you time to move out a lane and overtake without the car slowing down.

The only thing to be aware of is when other drivers insert themselves between you and the car you are following - the system will decelerate in order to re establish a safe distance. Entirely sensible, but happens a lot on busy British motorways with the current level of driving standards.

[Jerbill]

All good to know. Feedback much appreciated.

[TheFrog]

The only thing to be aware of is when other drivers insert themselves between you and the car you are following - the system will decelerate in order to re establish a safe distance. Entirely sensible, but happens a lot on busy British motorways with the current level of driving standards.

This is what happened to me, but sort of in reverse: I pulled out (safely) into a line of cars in the fast lane, the ACC thought I was too close to the car in front and applied the brakes. The car behind nearly drove into the back of me.

Yes, I know, I should have turned the ACC off before I pulled out, but I forgot it was on

This was a 2005 Jaguar, though, so I dare say modern systems are better.