1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

v5 w/ ATP: Dynamic Radar Cruise Control

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by ZPriusv5, Aug 13, 2012.

  1. ZPriusv5

    ZPriusv5 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    74
    15
    8
    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    Got my new V.5 with ATP on Friday afternoon and had my first commute to work today. I set my CC at 70mph (about the top speed when traffic gets moving, though normally traffic averages 58-62) and put the distance to the middle distance. IT WAS AWESOME. I was so excited about it I just had to use my first post to rave about the drive.

    Adapting to incoming traffic: I tested things out by staying in the right hand lane and some cars merged between me and the car ahead of me. The DRCC kicked out and let the prius do a little motor drag to slow us down. Once the traffic got back up to speed after the merge it accelerated back up to pace.

    Approaching slower drivers from behind: when approaching a slower moving car the DRCC just eased off the accelerator and we slid in nicely behind the driver. I switched lanes to a faster moving lane and it accelerated pretty quickly (it wasn't like stomping on the accelerator, but it certainly wasn't gradual - it accelerated enough that I didn't become an a-hole to faster moving traffic).

    Getting cut off: this is a fact of life in Cincinnati and sure enough I got cut off by a slow moving minivan that just merged across 2 lanes of traffic. Of course I was watching this whole thing happen, but the car made sure to alert me with a series of beeps that I was approaching the minivan too quickly. I didn't know if it would apply the brakes, so I applied them myself. I resumed CC once I could move a lane to the left and got back up to pace. In my old car I would have shown the minivan driver a little sign language, but I decided to keep the karma balance in my Prius and just calmly passed the stressed minivan driver.

    What an awesome feature. I'm now sitting in my office and can't wait for the commute home!
     
    #1 ZPriusv5, Aug 13, 2012
  2. Chazz8

    Chazz8 Gadget Lover

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    744
    234
    61
    Location:
    Central New York
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    I enjoy the dynamic radar cruise control (DRCC) in my prius v too. Thank you for your detailed writeup. I have had other cars cut in front of me across multiple lanes to get to an offramp and activate the DRCC Approach Warning that told me that "sufficient automatic deceleration via the cruise control is not possible..." (from page 240 or User Manual) and that I may have to apply the brake myself. I didn't have to apply any brakes because they kept cutting lanes to get to the offramp.

    I learned not to fully rely on the Pre-Collision System (PCS) to avoid an accident. On page 256 "If the system determines that a collision is unavoidable, the brakes are automatically applied to reduce the collision speed." I think the best advice for emergency collision avoidance is Stomp (on the brake), Stay (on the brake if you have anti lock brakes like on all Prii), and Steer to avoid the collision. The Prius helps out by boosting the brakes and retract the front seat belts, when it thinks a collision is eminent.

    Also, make sure you test your SOS button to find out if the volume of the Emergency Assistant connection is too low as has been reported. Mine was way low and I still need to notify Toyota and dealer.
     
    #2 Chazz8, Aug 13, 2012
  3. ZPriusv5

    ZPriusv5 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2012
    74
    15
    8
    Location:
    Cincinnati, Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    On my commute home, I also used the DRCC and got cut off a few more times so I got some more practical experience: (1) it seemed to throw the car into the brake mode as I noticed I went to a full 3 bars of regeneration and (2) at one point someone cut in, but the pace wasn't all that different so I didn't immediately take control of the situation, I let the Prius brake and it did OK. Nevertheless I won't take my eye off the road and will still keep my feet close to the gas/brake while using it.

    Thanks for the tip on SOS, I'll look for those threads (I imagine there must be something I should say to indicate I was just testing and don't have the cops out looking for me in a ditch somewhere).
     
    #3 ZPriusv5, Aug 13, 2012
  4. Chazz8

    Chazz8 Gadget Lover

    Joined:
    Sep 19, 2008
    744
    234
    61
    Location:
    Central New York
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius v wagon
    Model:
    Five
    #4 Chazz8, Aug 13, 2012
  5. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2006
    7,028
    1,116
    0
    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    SC will say they detected a signal from your car & ask if you are OK. It seems like a very long time before you get connected to the police. If you aren't stopped you'll drive miles.

    You my find that the RCC can freak out the slow target who changes lanes to get away from you.

    It won't detect a deer. Two near misses prove it.

    Never become a spectator. 60mph is 88ft/sec. It doesn't take long for a bad situation to turn worse.
     
    #5 JimN, Aug 14, 2012
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)