Dumping BlueCruise

[Ahlarict]

There are two options:

1) It really is the cost to maintain this system. In this case Ford was being disingenuous and unethical by telling early MME purchasers that the subscription is $200/year before quadrupling it well after 10's of thousands of purchases. These maintenance costs are fairly predictable.
2) It's just a money-grab and it actually costs much less to maintain the system. This is more likely IMHO, especially considering I've had exactly one Bluecruise improvement in my almost 3 years of ownership and no change to my local coverage maps.

Either option is a crappy look for Ford.

I feel like Ford's marketers could've settled this in the break room by polling co-workers...
Polling Day 1 - Utter failure:
Q: "For $50/mo, basic cable or Ford Blue Cruise?"
A: "Neither!!!!!"

Polling Day 2 - Defeated again:
Q: "For 12.99/mo, Netflix or Ford Blue Cruise?"
A: "Netflix."

Polling Day 3 - Now we're getting somewhere...
Q: "For 9.99/mo, HBO or Ford Blue Cruise?"
A: "How many miles am I hypothetically driving per month, and when does the next season of House of the Dragon drop?"

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[PMM]

To me, BlueCruise, and frankly all self-driving capabilities across the industry seem like a solution looking for a problem. I actually enjoy driving. I used BlueCruise a couple of times when it was free on my '21 MME, as a novelty, but it isn't something I'd pay for. In my situation 80% of the driving I do is in-city. If Ford offered a pay-per-use, or travel pass I'd consider it for fun on a road trip maybe, but it just isn't something I need or would use normally.

 

[SonicBlue]

On the contrary, I'd love it if someone outlined the safety concerns with a device like this.

I’ve used an ankle weight to trick the hand nanny on smaller non-divided highways (outside of hands free coverage) just to experiment with it.

First, it works if properly positioned. Slightly off center, enough to provide sufficient torque for the sensor without impacting the steering.

Second, the ACC and LC function exactly the same.

Third, in either instance you have to keep your eyes on the road.

The only safety issues I can think of are:
1. I suppose it’s possible that the ankle weight could interfere with actual hands-on turning of the wheel.
2. It encourages people to drive “hands free” on non-divided roads where Ford doesn’t have enough faith that its LC won’t cross the centerline.
3. It would allow people to not watch the road if they were that stupid (this assumes they’re driving a car without the eye nanny equipment, since my understanding is that the eye nanny remains active whether subscribed to BC hands free or not?).

But, basically, if used properly, bypassing the hand sensor shouldn’t be any more dangerous than using BC Hands Free. Just a lot cheaper.

 

[DonM]

I'm not willing to subscribe to *any* car feature for $60/month

 

[Mach Len E]

For the highways I drive, BlueCruise is pointless and actually, for 6 months the lane centring didn't work until I got my electric park brake repaired and a bunch of updates and it magically reappeared.

 

[ced0412]

I'm not paying $50 to use Bluecruise for my 5 miles of interstate commute to office.

The counter weight works great, and my hand is still on the wheel and eye nanny is fully functional. I drive with my left hand on the wheel at 8 rested on my knee. Without a counter weight it is constantly nagging me to put my hand on the wheel.

Also, I'm on 1.3 and the car still hugs the right side of a lane to the point I'm literally fighting with the steering if my hands are at 10 and 2.

 

[silverelan]

Ford, GM, Tesla, etc are all betting that drivers will make recurring payments to use hardware/software for drivers assistance systems.

The danger to this business strategy is if an automaker simply gives it away because the hardware and software (AI) is so cheap.

When your competitor destroys your business model by making your business plan a joke, then you’ve got major problems. This happened to Netscape Navigator and may render things like $8000 for Tesla’s FSD completely laughable.

 

[SonicBlue]

Ford, GM, Tesla, etc are all betting that drivers will make recurring payments to use hardware/software for drivers assistance systems.

The danger to this business strategy is if an automaker simply gives it away because the hardware and software (AI) is so cheap.

When your competitor destroys your business model by making your business plan a joke, then you’ve got major problems. This happened to Netscape Navigator and may render things like $8000 for Tesla’s FSD completely laughable.

Wait Netscape cost money? I honestly forgot that.

I think there will be healthy demand for autonomous driving, at a reasonable price point, for many years to come. It just ain’t gonna be $500 a year for what Ford is currently offering.

I do agree that many FSD subscribers are gonna feel a little miffed in a few years for paying 12.5k or whatever today’s going rate is. Especially when they consider their return if they had simply invested that money. Competitors have a long way to go to catch up to FSD, but they will, and probably at a much lower price.

 

[bdeweese]

I'm not paying $50 to use Bluecruise for my 5 miles of interstate commute to office.

The counter weight works great, and my hand is still on the wheel and eye nanny is fully functional. I drive with my left hand on the wheel at 8 rested on my knee. Without a counter weight it is constantly nagging me to put my hand on the wheel.

Also, I'm on 1.3 and the car still hugs the right side of a lane to the point I'm literally fighting with the steering if my hands are at 10 and 2.

Interesting. I’m on BC 1.3 and mine stays centered nicely. Moves over to left when passing large trucks, etc., and then recenters fine. I really like BC - used it almost exclusively on a recent +/- 400 mile trip. I agree the price should be relaxed. My wife and I don’t commute, so I’ll probably only subscribe for the months that we have trips planned. At a slightly lower price point I’d likely subscribe year round .

 

[Sikkun]

Real question is do the people who had 3 years packaged on a 23 for a higher price than what is now lifetime end up getting upgraded to lifetime? @Ford Motor Company

 

[godnet23]

The dumbest fucking response I’ve ever seen in my life. You can be suicidal if you want, but don’t gamble with other people’s lives. I will ignore YOU, not the post because nothing you say will be of any value to me. Good bye.

Genuine question—why does this make you so angry? I get that safety is a concern, but at the end of the day, isn’t BlueCruise just allowing you to keep your hands off the wheel, which is essentially what the weight trick does? I’m not taking a side, just curious why people react so strongly to this. What’s the real difference in your view?

 

[Space_Pony]

Genuine question—why does this make you so angry? I get that safety is a concern, but at the end of the day, isn’t BlueCruise just allowing you to keep your hands off the wheel, which is essentially what the weight trick does? I’m not taking a side, just curious why people react so strongly to this. What’s the real difference in your view?

The big difference I see is cost. Many of us don't believe the value of BC matches what Ford wants.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Genuine question—why does this make you so angry? I get that safety is a concern, but at the end of the day, isn’t BlueCruise just allowing you to keep your hands off the wheel, which is essentially what the weight trick does? I’m not taking a side, just curious why people react so strongly to this. What’s the real difference in your view?

You can’t be serious! If you are serious, this forum is not for you. Reddit is more like it, friend.

 

[godnet23]

You can’t be serious! If you are serious, this forum is not for you. Reddit is more like it, friend.

Wow, so instead of explaining, you just decide that I shouldn’t be here? I’m just asking because I really want to understand. If there’s a real difference between BlueCruise and using a weight, I’d love to hear it.
A lot of people in this thread think BC isn’t worth it, and from what I see, the main advantage is just not having to touch the wheel, which is what the weight trick does too. If I’m wrong, why not just explain it? If you’re so sure and know the real reasons, wouldn’t it be more useful to share them instead of just saying ‘go to Reddit’?

I’m here to learn, not to argue. If there’s something important I’m missing, I’d actually like to know.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

Wow, so instead of explaining, you just decide that I shouldn’t be here? I’m just asking because I really want to understand. If there’s a real difference between BlueCruise and using a weight, I’d love to hear it.
A lot of people in this thread think BC isn’t worth it, and from what I see, the main advantage is just not having to touch the wheel, which is what the weight trick does too. If I’m wrong, why not just explain it? If you’re so sure and know the real reasons, wouldn’t it be more useful to share them instead of just saying ‘go to Reddit’?

I’m here to learn, not to argue. If there’s something important I’m missing, I’d actually like to know.

You can put a pillow on your lap, and wedge it under the steering wheel. Or bring your cat and have it give it an occasional kick. Your mom can control it with her cane right from the back seat. All are great substitutes and save a ton of money.

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