Cruise Control

[daninplymouth]

Planning my first long trip in my hatch, I always use cruise normally but do you find this is as good with the hybrid system? In my limited fairly short journeys it seems to me that cruise keeps the engine running more, if I cancel it the car drops into ev mode more

[Gray86]

If it’s a motorway journey, you won’t get much EV time anyway (not the I’ve noticed cruise control limits it further). 
 

I use both the adaptive cruise and the normal cruise on a long journey. Normal cruise when traffic is light to maintain a set speed, adaptive cruise (sometimes with lane assist) in 50mph sections 

[daninplymouth]

4 minutes ago, Gray86 said:

If it’s a motorway journey, you won’t get much EV time anyway (not the I’ve noticed cruise control limits it further). 
 

I use both the adaptive cruise and the normal cruise on a long journey. Normal cruise when traffic is light to maintain a set speed, adaptive cruise (sometimes with lane assist) in 50mph sections 

Thanks it will be mainly motorway, just thought if it did make much difference I’d go through the effort of maintaining my own speed. Maybe il just set the cruise a bit lower

[Cyker]

I find I get better MPG driving than with cruise control, esp. above following-truck speeds!

The reason is the cruise control holds the car at a constant speed, and although the newer hybrids can drive at 70+ on the electric motor, it increasingly lacks the torque to actually do that as you go faster, esp. if there is any kind of head wind or incline, so in practice it only does it when going down hill (Albeit even a slight downhill is usually enough!)

When an actual human is driving tho' you naturally speed up and slow down all the time, esp when going up and down gradients and as you close on other drivers, and that gives the hybrid system much more 'room' to switch between ICE and EV mode.

However cruise control is much more relaxing, esp. for long journeys, and I prefer to sacrifice some MPG in favour of not feeling like a zombie at the end of a 2-3 hour run!!

 

[Roy124]

Normal CC does as Cyker says. On a motorway the gradients are fewer and with free flow traffic you can maintain a constant speed with little throttle change.

What ACC cannot do is judge what is happening say 400 yards ahead.  

ACC works best when you follow a competent driver.  As he anticipates restrictions ahead his actions will cause your car to follow. 

[Cyker]

That's a good point actually... unless I'm behind a truck or something, the driver in front always seems to be one of those whose brake and accelerator pedals are on-off switches, and the cruise control tries to copy them which is probably why I find it wastes a lot of fuel compared when I'm doing the driving  

 

[Rambler56]

I always use the active cruise on long (and short) runs and the only thing you need to keep in mind is 'if and when' it picks up a vehicle in the distance that's your cue to 'mirror, signal, manoeuvre when safe to do so' to reduce the slow down of your own car.  As Roy124 says above, the ACC can't see 400 yards ahead but surely you're still looking forward, back, sideway, up for stray helicopters, so you are aware of what's happening on the road so you can take any appropriate action.