Dynamic Radar Cruise Control - are there any tweaks?

[MarcusB]

I had a Vauxhall before this car and made extensive use of the cruise control.

For example: You have 40 mph clocked, arrive at a town and set it to 30 mph, let the car roll out so you are at around 30 when you arrive in town.

In the Toyota, the Cruise Control does active break to get to the desired speed and the +/- only adjust in 5 mph steps. If I change from 40 mph to 30 mph, the car abruptly breaks down to 30. Even going from 40 to 35 the car hits the breaks.

Is there a way of letting the Corolla roll out and charge the Battery if the speed is lowered on the control? I checked the manual, but couldn't find anything.

[Obsidian Estate]

I've never used the radar cruise in my car. Just the standard cruise control. Often use it around town as I'm lazy.

At speed limit changes I just turn it off, let the car slow then put it back on adjusted to the new limit.

[MarcusB]

I guess it is how it is, the Toyota breaks down, the Vauxhall rolls out.

Turning it off at speed changes is something I will try, but it's a lot more work and buttons to press.

[Cyker]

If you only drop it by 5mph it should slow without braking, then you just do it again. If you jump straight from 40 to 30 it will engine-brake quite strongly.

I usually just hit Cancel, let it coast down, then brush the accelerator and hit Set in such situations for the smoothest.

I think that is one thing the could do with some tweaking, as the speed change is far too sharp with the Toyota radar cruise - It accelerates and brakes too late and too sharply. This is also why the mpg with it tends to be worse than what you can get driving manually...

 

[Stopeter44]

1 hour ago, MarcusB said:

In the Toyota, the Cruise Control does active break to get to the desired speed and the +/- only adjust in 5 mph steps.

Is that just the Corolla ? In the Yaris, a long press on down or up gives +/- 5 kph, or mph, or multiples thereof, but if you dab the buttons then it adjusts by +/- 1 kph, or mph. Generally, under those circumstances, there is no braking, just a natural slow down. Or you do it the way @Cyker does it.

[Cyker]

Yeah, the original new Corollas and RAV4s are limited to 5 mph increments for some reason unless they use the 'dumb' CC - A few people have complained about it; I think the new new ones will have a system more like the Yaris, but we'll have to wait and see!

 

[Roy124]

I agree with Marcus's point.   My solution is to press the cancel button.   The CC will disengage and the car slow down.   At the right speed press SET.   If you press RES it will immediately accelerate. 

Using the cancel option gives the smoothest change. 

[MarcusB]

😄 I discovered the seat heating was on high*, turned off.

Then I drove without DRCC through town on my way home and did the cancel -> set. Now I got 65.4 MPG on the last trip.

 

*I only got the car on Monday...

[Cyker]

Bwaaa jealous.. wish my Yaris had heated seats! (It's sooooo coooold in winter!! I have a choice between freezing or loosing ~20mpg   )

 

[Roy124]

36 minutes ago, Cyker said:

Bwaaa jealous.. wish my Yaris had heated seats! (It's sooooo coooold in winter!! I have a choice between freezing or loosing ~20mpg   )

 

Yeah,  really annoying.   My SAAB in the 1970s onwards had heated seat.   No switches; they came on automatically.   Just about every car since.   Corolla you actually have to switch them.  😏

Looking forward to the Yaris with heated wheel too.  😁

[Kental]

On our Yaris if you put the car in Eco mode the ACC is more gentle in its acceleration. The Corolla 1.8 doesn’t have the urgency of the Yaris. I even use Sport mode sometimes.

[Roy124]

Funnily enough there was an article about ACC in today's Telegraph. Essentially, on the flat ACC will maintain a steady throttle setting than you will.  As soon as you add hills the ACC tends to lag compared with an intelligent driver. You can read the road whereas the car can't (yet). 

Toyota advise dropping the CC by 5 mph on the up. You can anticipate and drop out of CC.  Over the top the CC will accelerate and not anticipate the descent, you can wait until the car is on the down slope. 

[Cyker]

I find that's why I can get better mpg with the hybrid system - By keeping the throttle steady, the engine never has a chance to switch back to EV, but the natural speed changes from me following the ebb and flow of traffic allows the car to use EV mode much more.

If I add some pulse and glide on top of that the CC has no chance!  

[Yugguy1970]

If I'm using the acc in the rav and going uphill it will often overrun the speed when we get to the top and then beep at me. 

Which makes me laugh as it's basically the car telling itself off.

[PRus]

Our corolla has no issues switching to ev mode on flats and slight downhill sections with acc on. It works out for itself the circumstances. 

Loving the ACC on the motorway. I usually set it to 1 line to keep the distance and it works alright. 

[Roy124]

1 hour ago, PRus said:

Loving the ACC on the motorway. I usually set it to 1 line to keep the distance and it works alright. 

I prefer 3 bars and am happy to follow trucks doing 59.5 mph unfortunately trucks doing 59.9 see the gap and think they should be there. 

Although there is an obvious disagreement on what constitutes 60 mph. Setting 60 on mine gives a true speed of 55 and some trucks are doing just 55 true so no problem.  Others are clearly much nearer 60 true.  They just see the gap and think they should be there. 

They overtake and find they are now back at exactly the same speed 😄

 

[PRus]

3 bars is is too far... People end up cutting you up. 1 bar is perfect for that not happening.

 

[Kental]

For me 1 bar on motorway and 2 bars on single carriageways