2017 Ford Fusion gets stop-and-go adaptive cruise control
The 2017 Ford Fusion will feature a semi-autonomous cruise control system that automatically accelerates and brakes—even coming to a complete stop without driver input.
"When testing this system, we traveled to cities like Chicago and Los Angeles, heading straight for the worst possible congestion," Scott Lindstrom, Ford's driver-assist technologies manager, said in a statement.
"It was important for us to test this system under conditions the average driver encounters every workday."
The stop-and-go ability of the Fusion builds on adaptive cruise control technology, using an advanced radar- and camera-based system that reads the road every 50 milliseconds, tracking traffic and adjusting the car's speed according to traffic flow.
Dedicated buttons on the steering wheel allow drivers to set cruise control speed and following distance from the vehicle ahead.
According to Ford, the car can automatically brake itself to a stop in slower traffic, and then resume driving at the preset speed and following distance.
If the car has to stop for more than three seconds, the automaker said, the driver can tap the resume button or accelerator pedal and the car will return to its preset speed.
For unpredictable moments, pre-collision and pedestrian detection systems provide visual and audible warnings to the driver, pre-charge the brakes and, if necessary, can automatically apply the brakes.
The new Fusion is the first Ford vehicle in North America to offer adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go technology.
Ford said the system will be added to three new products within the next two years.
The 2017 Ford Fusion is set to go on sale this spring.
