I've just been reading about this: tinyurl.com/h8tfqka
It frightens me to think joe public's going to let loose on the roads with this available. How many drivers are going to think it lets the car take over completely? It can only provide 40% of maximum braking capacity. Can you imagine the scenario when it detects a car braking hard in front and the Volvo driver having to react fast enough to an audible warning, when they've been sitting there, daydreaming away, while the car accelerates, brakes and steers itself?
I think they've finally taken over the asylum.
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The adaptive cruise portion can only apply 40% of max braking force but the additional collision detection can apply full braking power if needed. I've had the occasional warning from the V60 and positioned my foot over the brake pedal, but you'd be surprised just how aggressive 40% of your car's braking capability is, and I've not needed to intervene yet.
The newer version of Pilot Assist coming in the V90 / S90 and the 2017 XC90 has full brake authority anyway.
Whether or not they can stop it randomly attempting to drive the car off the road is another matter (following a software update it's been well behaved).
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The insurers will be the first to spot the trend!
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>> The insurers will be the first to spot the trend!
>>
I've had City Safety (or equivalent) on two cars now and in the last 3 years it's prevented at least one fairly nasty accident. I suspect it was a "crash-for-cash" attempt where the car ahead pulled out onto an empty roundabout and then braked hard with no brake lights.
My car twigged what was going on before I did and jumped on the brakes, stopping about six inches short of a collision. The car in front had at least four men in it and I didn't hang around to see if they wanted to chat.
IMHO it should be mandated on new cars as it's not an expensive option, and in terms of an insurance discount the Driver Support Pack on the V60 knocks about 15% off the premium.
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>> I've had City Safety (or equivalent) on two cars now and in the last 3
>> years it's prevented at least one fairly nasty accident. I suspect it was a "crash-for-cash"
>> attempt where the car ahead pulled out onto an empty roundabout and then braked hard
>> with no brake lights.
>>
>> My car twigged what was going on before I did and jumped on the brakes,
>> stopping about six inches short of a collision. The car in front had at least
>> four men in it and I didn't hang around to see if they wanted to
>> chat.
Always make sure you hit them hard enough to cause major traumatic injuries. If they want the money they can earn it the hard way.
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Brilliant system, I have to admit last year that when a car turned right in front of me, and I was slow to brake that the car screaming for help and starting to brake of its own accord was a real wake up call. As an active safety system it was remarkable. I'm sure I would have reacted in time, the car's algorithms made it very clear what it felt. One of the very few things I feel the BMW lacks that the Volvo had.
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I find "paying attention" works quite well too...
;-)
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It does and you're absolutely right, I pride myself on driving and riding attentively...this was a lapse
of concentration - no excuse. Lesson very much learnt.
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I'm sort of ( perhaps irrationally ) discomforted by too much driver responsibility / input being automated. Not sure why I think that to be honest but I think I do.
Having said that, I guess stuff like standard abs and so on has probably been a good thing so maybe this is just an extension of that really. I dunno, I feel like it's a bit of a dumbing down I guess.
More than happy to accept that I'm probably just a bit of a technophobe.
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>>IMHO it should be mandated on new cars as it's not an expensive option, and in terms of an insurance discount the Driver Support Pack on the V60 knocks about 15% off the premium.
I think safety features like this are a good idea generally, I just wish there was more standardisation as some cars have city brake assist which works at speeds of up to 30 MPH and others have active braking which works at all speeds.
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I've seen this on the current Volvo advert, thought it quite strange, it makes it look like the driver has just has to touch the wheel to go around corners.
What's with 'Pilot' instead of plain old driver?
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>> What's with 'Pilot' instead of plain old driver?
>>
Marketing and sales bullshine, I am sure Runfer is an expert. :-)
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Isn't Fursty a pilot with a Volvo? Meant for him, surely!!
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Just because he can drive an aircraft does not mean he has to pilot a car. :-)
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Some on here drive big old barges so ought to be called Captains.
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I read somewhere that the city emergency braking on VW Golf has resulted in 45% fewer accidents than in non-equipped vehicles, which sounds pretty good.
However I've seen lots of comments that you have to adjust your driving and even then it can cut in unexpectedly - when passing lines of stopped cars, for example.
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Insurance on my old Volvo was £175.00 - this was a high performance 256 bhp version. It also had an airbag under the bonnet. Volvo said that it reckoned that the savings in an pedestrian accident were likely to be phenomenal in future years
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Volvo pilot assist - Fursty Ferret
