Jump to content

anyone have real world experience with Pre-Collision Assist?


ben senise

Recommended Posts

i've read a bit about this Pre-Collision Assist that's in my brand new 2020 ST. I've watched some videos on youtube. 

i approached a stopped car a bit faster than i normally do and braked a bit later but no warning. i don't want to try faster or later braking.

would it work if i put a big cardboard box on the road and drove toward it?

supposedly it will recognize pedestrians. i assume it's the radar but maybe the camera as well? will it brake for animals? we have so many deer here, it would be awesome if the car would help me avoid hitting one.

 

has anyone here actually experienced the pre-collision assist? if so, how was it? did it save your bacon?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's virtually impossible to intentionally activate the system, it's configured to actually prevent a crash, not just to make you feel good that it's there.  Anything you could try to make it work would be so close to an actual crash that it would be irresponsible.

 

It will not recognize a big cardboard box as a box doesn't have a radar signature that the system will consider worth avoiding.  When they test the system they use special "bubble cars" that have some sort of technology that simulates the radar signature of a real car.  The system is calibrated to weigh the risks of activating vs the risk of not activating.  So it will try to avoid pedestrians and deer, but not small animals that would not pose any risk of injury to the vehicle occupants.

 

Only time I've ever experienced it in the real world was driving a borrowed Mercedes.  I looked away for a second and the car in my lane slowed down to make a turn.  It beeped and started braking just as I looked back and had started to move my foot over to the pedal.  Wasn't particularly abrupt and I probably would have been able to hit the brakes in time on my own, but was good to have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Waldo said:

It's virtually impossible to intentionally activate the system, it's configured to actually prevent a crash, not just to make you feel good that it's there.  Anything you could try to make it work would be so close to an actual crash that it would be irresponsible.

 

It will not recognize a big cardboard box as a box doesn't have a radar signature that the system will consider worth avoiding.  When they test the system they use special "bubble cars" that have some sort of technology that simulates the radar signature of a real car.  The system is calibrated to weigh the risks of activating vs the risk of not activating.  So it will try to avoid pedestrians and deer, but not small animals that would not pose any risk of injury to the vehicle occupants.

 

Only time I've ever experienced it in the real world was driving a borrowed Mercedes.  I looked away for a second and the car in my lane slowed down to make a turn.  It beeped and started braking just as I looked back and had started to move my foot over to the pedal.  Wasn't particularly abrupt and I probably would have been able to hit the brakes in time on my own, but was good to have.

 

good information. thanks. 

 

i was driving a friend's range rover many years ago, i think it was a 2014 model, and it had all kinds of bells and whistles. as i approached a car that was stopped at a stop sign, the range rover warned me. i was driving very slowly and was still very far from the car in front. i found that it was ridiculously over sensitive, hence my curiosity about my new edge's behavior.

 

i'm still curious about real-world experience in the latest edges.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've had it alert me several times for people that whip out in front of me to turn into a side street or a driveway. It'll beep rapidly & the left side cluster will say pre collision warning, but no action has happened. I think that it's hyper sensitive for my tastes, but for the average driver it's probably OK. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Had it on my 2013 Fusion.  It saved me one day in unexpected extended stop and go traffic.  I zoned out while moving slowly forward and had it not alerted me I would have bumped the car in front.

 

It used to activate on my drive into work on a divided 4 lane road.   I was in the left lane preparing to turn left at the 2nd traffic light.  The road went downhill and then back uphill to the right.   If traffic was backed up waiting to turn left at the first light it would activate since it didn't realize the road turned back to the right.  At least I knew it was working.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, omar302 said:

There is a setting in the instrument cluster for sensitivity. At high, you'll probably get a lot of warnings.

 

thanks. i went to that setting when i got the car and i put it on high to test it out. i still haven't gotten any alerts. guess i'll have to be a more aggressive driver. ?

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, ben senise said:

 

thanks. i went to that setting when i got the car and i put it on high to test it out. i still haven't gotten any alerts. guess i'll have to be a more aggressive driver. ?

You should come over here and drive around the North Circular in the rush hour Ben - that'll soon get your pre-collision alerts flashing!

 

Hanger Lane - the UK's scariest junction! https://www.newsflare.com/video/88969/crime-accidents/hanger-lane-gyratory-crash

Edited by niceonept
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My alert has come on a couple of times. It seems to be when a car crosses in front and sometimes at an angle. Never had any braking just the alert. Alarm is plenty loud and a different sound than others. The passenger seat alarm is much louder and way to sensitive.

Edited by dajo2012
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, niceonept said:

You should come over here and drive around the North Circular in the rush hour Ben - that'll soon get your pre-collision alerts flashing!

 

Hanger Lane - the UK's scariest junction! https://www.newsflare.com/video/88969/crime-accidents/hanger-lane-gyratory-crash

 

thanks but no thanks! seems like the guy in the car behind the one recording didn't have pre-collision assist ?

 

3 hours ago, dajo2012 said:

My alert has come on a couple of times. It seems to be when a car crosses in front and sometimes at an angle. Never had any braking just the alert. Alarm is plenty loud and a different sound than others. The passenger seat alarm is much louder and way to sensitive.

 

what is the passenger seat alarm?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hah! you guys are bad.

i don't have that problem. my wife never complains. i've taken her on a track in a porsche and she wouldn't get out. i even lost control and spun out at 120kph, (70 mph?) and when i asked her if she was okay, she replied "THAT WAS GREAT!!!"

guess i got lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

42 minutes ago, ben senise said:

hah! you guys are bad.

i don't have that problem. my wife never complains. i've taken her on a track in a porsche and she wouldn't get out. i even lost control and spun out at 120kph, (70 mph?) and when i asked her if she was okay, she replied "THAT WAS GREAT!!!"

guess i got lucky.


My wife refuses to even watch videos of me driving on a track with an instructor.  I tried to tell her me driving a Ferrari on a track with an instructor and a few other cars is infinitely safer than her driving 80 on the interstate but she can’t comprehend that.  She literally thinks cars just fly off the track for no reason.

  • Like 1
  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I think at the Ford ST Experience event one gets to test this out. "Guided scenic mountain drive from Hyatt Centric to Soldier Hollow Nordic Center which will allow you to experience the handling, paddle shifts, and RPM hold capability.  At Soldier Hollow participants will perform exercises in a skid car to learn how to control oversteer and understeer, experience the accident avoidance capabilities of Ford Co-Pilot360™ and push the vehicle to its dynamic limits (Autocross)."

Edited by Snoking
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Snoking said:

I think at the Ford ST Experience event one gets to test this out. "Guided scenic mountain drive from Hyatt Centric to Soldier Hollow Nordic Center which will allow you to experience the handling, paddle shifts, and RPM hold capability.  At Soldier Hollow participants will perform exercises in a skid car to learn how to control oversteer and understeer, experience the accident avoidance capabilities of Ford Co-Pilot360™ and push the vehicle to its dynamic limits (Autocross)."

 

coincidentally i just watched a couple of videos that people have made while doing the event and yes! they do an exercise where they drive towards a fake car and the automatic braking engages. very interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Snoking said:

I think at the Ford ST Experience event one gets to test this out. "Guided scenic mountain drive from Hyatt Centric to Soldier Hollow Nordic Center which will allow you to experience the handling, paddle shifts, and RPM hold capability.  At Soldier Hollow participants will perform exercises in a skid car to learn how to control oversteer and understeer, experience the accident avoidance capabilities of Ford Co-Pilot360™ and push the vehicle to its dynamic limits (Autocross)."

The Ford experience scenic mountain drive I went on in Ashville was a slow follow the leader drive.  No chance to try anything since the speed limit was 45 mph and public road. The rest of the driving was a good experience. Maybe the other locations offer a better drive.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I just got to test the anti-lock brakes on our ST. I was on Baseline heading West from Ironwood. At Meridian a car made a left turn in front of me just as I was about to entry the intersection. Looked the mirror to see if I missed a stop sign, nope! Went from 45 to almost a stop in a very short distance, with a slight chirp out of the tires. This was a full on size 13 shoe hitting the brake pedal as hard as I could. If I would have been driving a beater I would have hit the car. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I've had the Pre-collision Assist feature on my 2020 Fusion activate at least three times. It was either when a car pulled out in front of me from a parking lot on to the street I was travelling on, or when a car changed lanes into my lane unexpectedly. I hit the brakes immediately each time, so the brake assist didn't have a chance to kick in. The flashing lights and the alert sound startled me the first time it went off, but I'm used to it now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 3/4/2021 at 11:31 AM, ben senise said:

 

thanks. i went to that setting when i got the car and i put it on high to test it out. i still haven't gotten any alerts. guess i'll have to be a more aggressive driver. ?

Drink three Martin's and drive home using the freeway. You'll get an alert. Guaranteed. 

 

emoji-expression.gif

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine goes off regularly on the small narrow roads and lanes we have over here. About once a week; lots of red flashing lights on the dash and alarms.

It's usually triggered by a parked car, parked on a bend or someone cutting in too close. I've not had it so that the automatic brake assist has been applied yet though

Edited by niceonept
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...