Cruise control is one of the most commonly used features when driving long distances or even short distances. We know we can say for everyone reading this that we have all been on that long journey where we haven’t had cruise control and had to have our foot in one position for 3 hours straight. The slow ache pulsating around your leg and the bliss of that long-needed stretch at the service station that feels like no other.
If you haven't experienced the pain - you're lucky, and won't ever experience it as long as you're using cruise control - something that's available on entry-level cars such as the Hyundai i10 as standard
There are two types of cruise control, and we’ll tell you the difference between the two:
Cruise control is a system that allows you to maintain a set speed without using the accelerator. Once you’ve selected your desired speed, you can remove your foot from the accelerator and the vehicle will maintain “cruise” at that speed.
Most cruise control systems require a minimum speed of 25mph for them to work and are typically controlled by a button mounted on the steering wheel. It can also be located on a dedicated cruise control stalk or on the indicator stalk.
Cruise control was usually found in luxury cars when the technology was first invented but now it is common on most new cars.
Regardless of where the cruise control is located or the different symbols used, it operates in the same way;
Set
Setting the cruise control system will maintain the speed that you select, with some systems needing to be turned on before they're set.
Accel or +
This is used to increase your speed whilst using cruise control by 1mph. Some allow a longer/harder press to increase your speed by 5mph (check your user manual). Once you reach your required speed and stop using the “accel” button, the cruise control will maintain the new speed.
Decel or –
This operates in the same way as “accel or +” but in the opposite. Using this will decrease the speed of the vehicle previous to what was set. This could also be labelled as “coast” on some vehicles.
Res
The “res” button is short for restore or resume which will turn back on cruise control with the previous set speed. However, this may not work if you have not used cruise control on a previous journey so you will have to set it for the first time.
Cancel
This will stop the cruise control system, allowing you to regain control of the cars speed manually.
*To find out exactly how to use cruise control on your specific car, see your owner’s manual
Adaptive cruise control uses the same features as cruise control but with an added feature of being able to track the car in front, speeding up and slowing down if the car in front does this.
Don’t worry, adaptive cruise control won’t exceed the speed that you’ve set, so if you’re going 70mph and the car in front speeds up to 90mph, you’ll stay at 70mph.
However, if the cars in front goes from 70pmh to 65mph, the adaptive cruise control will slow down your vehicle to 65mph and maintain a safe distance behind.
Often using an additional toggle switch on the cruise control stalk, you can set the distance in which you car follows the car in front of you.
Adaptive cruise control is great and works with the emergency braking systems, but you must maintain ultimate control over the vehicle and take evasive action if necessary.
Stop and go is a part of an advanced cruise control system. As we said before, most cruise control systems only active at 25mph minimum but ‘stop and go’ allows the cruise control system to work at lower speeds. This means when you’re waiting in a traffic jam, the car will stop and move off again without you needing to touch the pedals.
The speed is set by the speed or speed limits in the area. This is determined by on-board road sign reading systems or GPS satellites. The ‘stop and go’ system can be turned off. View your user manual to find out how on your specific car.
Contact us online today or visit us in branch and speak to a member of the team who will be happy to help.
