Advanced Safety Group - does it really function well?

[RugbyRef]

Ah, ok. I concur, to a degree.

Parallel parking has always been pretty easy for me, but I observe that is probably the second most feared of automobile maneuvers (#1 HAS to be hill start with manual tranny!). Following the principle often referred to as the "80/20 rule" or "Pareto's Law" (after Vilfredo Pareto), it makes perfect sense to me to develop a "self-parallel-park" system, since 80% of people find it a challenge to parallel park (that number is pure speculation on my part but I challenge anyone to come up with a scientifically derived significantly different number).

Challenge accepted!

"Parallelophobia - MILLIONS of motorists are suffering from "parallelophobia" - a fear of parallel parking, according to a new study. Almost a third of drivers, admit the prospect of trying to maneuver their car into a parallel space drives them to distraction, and 34% confessed they think it's the hardest parking technique. Three in ten admit to parking more than a MILE from their destination rather than attempt to parallel park. And one in five said they would rather continue to circle round a car park or street until an easier space becomes available. The study also revealed that 63 per cent of drivers said they struggle to park when they're trying to get used to the size of their new car."

Apparently, this was based on a survey of 2000 motorists.

 

[TestPilot57]

Challenge accepted!

"Parallelophobia - MILLIONS of motorists are suffering from "parallelophobia" - a fear of parallel parking, according to a new study. Almost a third of drivers, admit the prospect of trying to maneuver their car into a parallel space drives them to distraction, and 34% confessed they think it's the hardest parking technique. Three in ten admit to parking more than a MILE from their destination rather than attempt to parallel park. And one in five said they would rather continue to circle round a car park or street until an easier space becomes available. The study also revealed that 63 per cent of drivers said they struggle to park when they're trying to get used to the size of their new car."

Apparently, this was based on a survey of 2000 motorists.

2000 was (almost!) 20 years ago. I think it's only gone downhill since then.

 

[RugbyRef]

2000 was (almost!) 20 years ago. I think it's only gone downhill since then.

2000 was the number of motorists surveyed. The actual survey was done last year...BUT...you're exactly right in any case!

 

[Randy Grant]

I love the safety package group and only considered trucks that had it. I drive a lot and the adaptive cruise is amazing on long drives. The land assist and camera is also great. I was one of those that always said I want to drive the car not have the car drive me. Then I got a Subaru with Eyesight package. Now I consider it mandatory

Actually liked the ACC in boulevard traffic where the speed limit was 40/45. Stop and restart/continue worked well, but on the freeway it really shines as long as traffic isn't super heavy.

 

[TestPilot57]

My big problem with ACC is that you have to pay MORE attention than you otherwise would, or you end up drive 10 under the limit...

 

[Jim M]

My 2 pence...

I've driven a number of cars and trucks with these features. They work 99% of the time, but never assume or take your attention off the road for any reason. Driving is an active process (until Level 5 autonomous trucks are real, and even then...)

That said, these features are awesome. Adaptive cruise is great! Though this feature has failed at least once in the vehicles I've driven. I caught it and took action before any problems came up. Or, at least I think it failed. And, I've heard it can be trouble on very hilly areas where the vehicle detects the road as a object it must avoid at the bottom of a hill. I've not yet tried it in a RAM, hopefully I'll have my Longhorn soon... Also, I've not been in a situation with this tech for a full stop scenario, but think it would work just fine.

Lane departure in the RAM seems to be much better than the other vehicles I've driven with it (Ford, Chevy, Cadillac.) Again, I've had this fail, as the vehicle does need a clear indication of a "lane" to keep it from drifting. So on older roads with faded lines it just doesn't work well enough to be reliable. The dash indicator can help in that situation though. But it is nice, and as much as I drive these days it helps on those late evening home trips from way out where I'm worn out and attention is not perfect. The cool thing is that it really never *fights* you. You do feel a tug, but it's very gentle and easy to overcome. To me it's like what you'd feel if a strong side wind was blowing your truck out of the lane and you have to pull the wheel just a bit to get back into it. Similar feeling force. Once you've easily overcome it, the system will give 100% control to you.

I tried the auto park feature on a RAM 2 weeks ago. Wow! It works much better than you'd think. I tried this feature out on a Ford last year, and that was almost a major fail. Good thing I didn't trust it on that attempt. But the RAM both rear parked and parallel parked with ease and speed. Very impressive.

Also, consider this "tech" has been around for a couple decades or more now. At least in some form or fashion, so it is well developed. Not that it couldn't use more, but it's enough to be of use to most drivers. (especially if it helps keep the "morons" in check)

Hope that helps.

This has been my experience too. I love adaptive cruise and won't be without it. I've had it see hills as obstacles, but not often. A bigger nuisance is when someone is making a right turn in front of you and you start to go around, and it and/or automatic braking will sometimes try to panic stop you. Minor problems for the added convenience and safety.

I usually turn off lane departure. In Michigan, the lanes are often not marked well, or double-marked, or black tar patches running parallel to the road are seen as lane markers.

No experience with auto park but looking forward to it.

Replacement 1500 Limited coming in February (I hope).

 

[JF19Longhorn]

Opinions and comparison to my previous F150 Limited

Auto Cruise: Love it and use it often. It's a much smoother system than my 17 F150 Limited had.

Lane Keeping: Hate it and leave it off all the time. We have alot of tar snakes and construction areas with bad lines around here and it wants to follow them. The only time I turn it on is when my wife or son (17yrs old) are driving. It is very similar to the F150's system, but the F150 would show you which side you were too close to, where as the RAM just lights the icon up yellow, then corrects if nessary. Little things, but helps a new driver of a large vehicle out alot.

AutoPark: I have yet to try this on the RAM. I'm considerably faster at parking than the system would ever be.

360 camera (surround view): works great (especially for the long bed and managing close parking lots) and I particularly like the fact you can bring it up with the touch of a button below certain speeds. I added this button to the bottom of the screen, the F150's was a physical button above the screen. The F150's system was similar in operation, but the camera quality was very poor on the F150. The RAM also adds the arc the front wheels will follow so you don't clip the front end of the truck while swinging around on a turn.