Sandy Munro checks out Ford's BlueCruise

[TRP]

Sandy does not impress me

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[Mirak]

I’m not a big Sandy fan because he never seems to test stuff the way I would, but this is the first “gritty” review of BC I’ve seen that rises above the more sanitized pieces in bigger auto blogs and publications that, if they don’t receive advertising dollars from Ford, at least try not to unduly antagonize Ford so as not to jeopardize access. So I’ll give Sandy’s review some credence.

Sandy makes a good point that BC ought to give a visual cue that it “sees” and is ready for a curve up ahead. Evidently Tesla AP does this, and it’s a great idea.

I’m glad to hear that “predictive speed control” and assisted lane changes are coming “soon” though I wonder if this is baked into the subscription or an added cost?

I’m disappointed that BC cut off for that “sharp curve” that didn’t look all that sharp. Bottom line is that Sandy knows that that particular curve poses no challenge for Tesla AP, and if Ford is going to limit this tech to pre-mapped highways then the tech ought to be able to rely on those maps to negotiate turns.

This is why BC ought to be made available for free, at least for a month or two, to folks in the Early Access Program, to test it out before plunking down $600.

I’d like to see someone test the sensitivity of the eye tracker. If my eyes are open and facing forward, but I’m looking down at the steering wheel where I might be holding a phone, will that trigger the sensor? How often / long can I close my eyes or look away?

 

[Mirak]

not all of the blue cruise is the same in each test so far. Certain ones have made those curves no problem. Again somehow people know this. Blue cruise is a work in progress and not the same software in each one. When blue cruise does come out or to be more point on when the beta testing starts it won't have all the features active. Some people have already tested it for a while.

So are you saying that the EAP will allow people to beta test BC for free? Or what was the point of the EAP inviting people to sign up for BC?

 

[Mirak]

or maybe someone has taken those curves already in blue cruise just fine. Again it's a work in progress and it won't be perfect when it launches in beta. If that is not good enough for you that is fine. But you have not driven it and can go off only what you saw and I understand. Some people again know it can do those curves.

Just like the guy who used summons in his tesla and it crashed. Telsa said oh it's in beta your the dummy who tried it lol. We are not paying to fix it. Beta is beta my freind.

Reading a lot of “beta.” Same question as above.

 

[Mirak]

I wasn't impressed with what was showcased here. But there's a lot of hostility going on in this thread and I'm not a fan of that even more...

The hardware can do SO much better. Ford needs to do a lot better with the software to remain competitive.

Yes. 100% this. I find the tribalistic response by some to any criticism to be quite off putting. The MME hardware is fantastic but the software leaves a lot to be desired and enhancements / bug fixes have been frustratingly slow. That’s a VALID observation. We can love our MMEs while still holding Ford to account. Ford did GREAT on the hardware but it needs to do better on the software.

 

[Mirak]

Quite frankly, I never expected any more out of Blue Cruise than it does now, aside from maybe more time without the constant jiggle of the steering wheel. Non of these technologies are self driving by a long shot. We need to stop acting like a foolproof tech exists for this. It doesn't. Not even close. Boils down to bad marketing of this so called feature. People don't understand the limitations. Especially the sleeping while driving tesla idiots.

$600 for 3yrs seems a little steep if the sole benefit is to not be bugged as frequently by the hand nanny.

 

[jdmrc93]

Yes. 100% this. I find the tribalistic response by some to any criticism to be quite off putting. The MME hardware is fantastic but the software leaves a lot to be desired and enhancements / bug fixes have been frustratingly slow. That’s a VALID observation. We can live our MMEs while still holding Ford to account. Ford did GREAT on the hardware but it needs to do better on the software.

Yes precisely. And they know this too. It's built on Microsoft Sync, and they've committed to Google operating systems going forward, so they know the shortcomings of their current software. I wonder if an OTA will eventually replace the whole software suite in the Mach-E...

 

[Kabish]

It is kind of disappointing given its a paid subscription. However I fully believe that they are taking the approach of safe vs be sorry. I think once they get some real world data that you will see this system improve, well at least I hope so... With all the bad press around Tesla ADS I don't think Ford wants to get in that pool to play in.

My wife's 2020 Hyundai Sonata has pretty much the same type of basic lane keep assist. This is fairly tight curve, I've taken this at almost 70mph in her car when we first got it a year ago. Granted my foot was hovering the brake, my hands were millimeters away from the wheel, and I was freaking out lol But the car managed it without any fuss.

That could be why Ford made the decision to force the driver to put hands on. It was pretty dang stressful when I was testing that on her car. Regardless though, its using the mapped freeway system, the "sharp" curve in the video should not had been an issue.

 

[Rabidsquirrel22]

Yes precisely. And they know this too. It's built on Microsoft Sync, and they've committed to Google operating systems going forward, so they know the shortcomings of their current software. I wonder if an OTA will eventually replace the whole software suite in the Mach-E...

Sync 3 & 4 are built on Blackberry QNX, like many other brands infotainment systems are. Microsoft hasn't been involved with Sync since V2.

 

[PeeKay]

If GM could build a better system, the least @Ford Motor Company could do, is poach their engineers. After all, aren't both systems relatively similar that learnings from one could be used in the other?

 

[Eraser]

My wife's 2020 Hyundai Sonata has pretty much the same type of basic lane keep assist. This is fairly tight curve, I've taken this at almost 70mph in her car when we first got it a year ago. Granted my foot was hovering the brake, my hands were millimeters away from the wheel, and I was freaking out lol But the car managed it without any fuss.

That could be why Ford made the decision to force the driver to put hands on. It was pretty dang stressful when I was testing that on her car. Regardless though, its using the mapped freeway system, the "sharp" curve in the video should not had been an issue.

To your point, I'd (and many others) probably do the same with Blue Cruise as well. I think it is easy to forget Tesla didn't build trust in their system overnight. I think Ford realizes that and is taking incremental steps to get people (and themselves) comfortable with these new features. I suspect after they gather real world data and user feedback things will improve.

I'm not fan of subscriptions services in general, but if the value is there for something I will use on the regular, I can get on board. $600 for 3 years, or just under $17 per month, is cheaper than my Netflix account. Improving my quality of life while driving is well worth the price of admission for me, but to each their own.

 

[Kabish]

is cheaper than my Netflix account.

Who remembers when it was $8 a month!?!?!

 

[EELinneman]

I would rather Ford not putting this BlueCruise out instead of telling everyone how bad it is. This miserable show indeed tells everyone how far behind even comparing to the free Tesla AP. Is this an advertisement? Frankly it destroyed my hope that Ford can catch up. With this thing, I see the bigger gap and I feel Ford will never be able to catch up.

Ths makes me wonder if there is a company out there that does this well that Ford can buy. As the major manufacturers move to BEV and advanced driver aids, this will become a critical factor. It's clear from the Ford app that they cannot do software. So, buy someone who can. That or get killed in the market over the next 3 to 5 years.

 

[ZuleMME]

Who remembers when it was $8 a month!?!?!

Or heaven forbid us disc rental customers that they decided they didn’t give a damn about and sold it away…

 

[Accord07]

Who remembers when it was $8 a month!?!?!

I do, but inflation aside there was no UHD, no HDR, and even the highest streaming quality wasn't that great.

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