Why is Active Cruise so rare in the UK?

SantaEugence · 05-15-2019, 04:27 AM

Not long had my 330dX and just having a browse for curiosity at a similar spec 335d but haven't found one yet with active cruise, also seemed just as rare on the 330d. I'm searching on auto trader for key words either 'active' or 'active cruise'.
Am I just missing them or are they genuinely not that common? Couldn't live without the ACC!

GEP77 · 05-15-2019, 04:34 AM

Active cruise is quite an expensive option and also one option that seems to be rarely fitted to demonstrators. The combination of these two factors likely reduces the number of cars with it fitted. It also has always been a stand alone option and not part of a pack. This would further erode the number of people buying it.

On this forum it seems to be like a marmite type option. Those who have it fitted either love it or really hate it.

teaston · 05-15-2019, 04:37 AM

Idk why so few people spec it, if I could only keep one option on my car it would be ACC! Without it, all that accelerating, braking, accelerating etc whenever there's a vehicle in front of you is the single most annoying thing about car journeys!

335d Rocco · 05-15-2019, 04:47 AM

I had ACC on my last car, Golf GTD, it’s the one thing I still miss, when I’m looking for my next car it’ll be something which will be on the must have list.

DriveS · 05-15-2019, 04:51 AM

Maybe because UK is relatively a small country ?

DaveA · 05-15-2019, 05:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by teaston

Idk why so few people spec it, if I could only keep one option on my car it would be ACC! Without it, all that accelerating, braking, accelerating etc whenever there's a vehicle in front of you is the single most annoying thing about car journeys!

+1... Count me in the "must have" club for ACC... In the UK's long stretches of 50mph roadworks it is such a help...

SantaEugence · 05-15-2019, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GEP77

Active cruise is quite an expensive option and also one option that seems to be rarely fitted to demonstrators. The combination of these two factors likely reduces the number of cars with it fitted. It also has always been a stand alone option and not part of a pack. This would further erode the number of people buying it.

On this forum it seems to be like a marmite type option. Those who have it fitted either love it or really hate it.

It's not perfect agreed, can't see how you'd ever dislike it though other than to say it isn't as refined as on new vehicles.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DriveS

Maybe because UK is relatively a small country ?

Relatively but even after 5 minutes on a motorway here I stick the ACC on as the 330d can be quite hungry on the fuel.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveA

Quote:

Originally Posted by teaston

Idk why so few people spec it, if I could only keep one option on my car it would be ACC! Without it, all that accelerating, braking, accelerating etc whenever there's a vehicle in front of you is the single most annoying thing about car journeys!

+1... Count me in the "must have" club for ACC... In the UK's long stretches of 50mph roadworks it is such a help...

Exactly this, we love our huge stretches of 50mph and often you're crammed in like sardines over three narrow lanes with some people doing less than 50. I'd lose it without my ACC!

gr4z · 05-15-2019, 06:49 AM

I have ACC and absolutely hate it

I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off.
When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down).
If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes.

God knows what people think when they are behind you!

The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically.

That's just my opinion!

rosstin · 05-15-2019, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr4z

I have ACC and absolutely hate it

I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off.
When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down).
If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes.

God knows what people think when they are behind you!

The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically.

That's just my opinion!

Software update needed perhaps?

It's not a perfect system for sure, but that's nothing like mine; even if someone pulls out on me it gradually builds up the gap rather than heavy braking.

Pobsey · 05-15-2019, 07:40 AM

I find it very useful, so far I wouldn't say I couldn't live without it, but far from hate it. There's a couple of options that are very rare, I also have the leather dash and everyone who sits in the car comments on it, even the supplying dealer said that they'd not had very few with it fitted.

DaveA · 05-15-2019, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr4z

I have ACC and absolutely hate it

I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off.
When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down).
If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes.

God knows what people think when they are behind you!

The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically.

That's just my opinion!

I get where you are coming from with all that, and much mirrors some of my thinking when I started using it...

I guess what happened is that I got used to it and started to anticipate the times it would intervene, so felt it less intrusive...

I started to wind the distance control in/out depending on circumstances... When already in traffic, I found having a greater distance smoothed out the intensity of the slow/accelerate...

Only trouble is how to stop folk jumping into the gaps that the car thinks are appropriate...

JNW1 · 05-15-2019, 08:31 AM

I had Active Cruise on my old E92 335i (not specced by me as I bought the car nearly-new) and thought it was rubbish. It did things like braking when a car pulled into your lane on a motorway even though as a driver you could see they would pull back in again and all that was required was a temporary lift of the foot; basically the system annoyed the hell out of me so I just stopped using it!

Not sure whether the system has been refined/improved on later models but if I couldn't have made smoother progress without it I'd have been thinking it was time to give up!

teaston · 05-15-2019, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr4z

I have ACC and absolutely hate it

I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off.
When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down).
If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes.

God knows what people think when they are behind you!

The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically.

That's just my opinion!

I never really had a problem with it on the F3x, but the system on Gxx is much improved, it can even detect stationary vehicles waiting at a junction or in traffic etc.

RoShambolt · 05-15-2019, 10:54 AM

I think it's ok, the main thing I dislike is it's rapid acceleration and attempts to undertake when a car leaves the motorway leaving a clear stretch in the inside lane. Some awareness of the lane to the right would be handy.

Overall I like it once you get to understand it's limitations.

Or maybe lots of people have read this thread and thought sod the hassle. Teaston didn't get his fixed at all while owning the car for three years or so. My car is two years old and only just being booked in for the service bulletin.

F31 LCI interior light problem https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1201765

isleaiw1 · 05-15-2019, 11:11 AM

Had it on a Golf, didnt ever really get used to it. Wasn't bothered that subsequent cars didn't have it but equally would be prepared to give it another go....

My biggest bugbear was that if the car in front drifted slower then if you werent concentrating on your speed (and the main reason I like cruise control is so I can concentrate on what I am doing not how fast I might be going...) then you would follow it down to the slower speed...and only realise as everyone started overtaking you!

and of course it left gaps that other drivers thought were big enough to jump into, then jam the brakes on!

Rudz · 05-15-2019, 11:18 AM

I had Active cruise on my E90 and also on my current F30, find it really useful and use it almost always on my 50 mile motorway commute into work

The F30 system is a marked improvement over the e90 system which used to cut off below 30mph, f30 works start stop which is great on the M25

I haven't seen abrupt braking / acceleration that the others have spoken of, it's quite measured in its response to lane cutting etc, i would definitely spec it on my next car (this may well part of the norm and not an option on future gen cars anyways)

gr4z · 05-15-2019, 11:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveA

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr4z

I have ACC and absolutely hate it

I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off.
When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down).
If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes.

God knows what people think when they are behind you!

The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically.

That's just my opinion!

I get where you are coming from with all that, and much mirrors some of my thinking when I started using it...

I guess what happened is that I got used to it and started to anticipate the times it would intervene, so felt it less intrusive...

I started to wind the distance control in/out depending on circumstances... When already in traffic, I found having a greater distance smoothed out the intensity of the slow/accelerate...

Only trouble is how to stop folk jumping into the gaps that the car thinks are appropriate...

I get where you're coming from but to have to constantly fiddle with it to get the best out of it surely defeats the object of having it in the first place! Might as well have normal cruise and save a few hundred quid.

It certainly is a marmite option

Pequin · 05-15-2019, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr4z

I have ACC and absolutely hate it

I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off.
When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down).
If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes.

God knows what people think when they are behind you!

The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically.

That's just my opinion!

I have to agree, expensive option, I had it on an Audi and it was ok. Rarely used and when used I agree that the car behind would have thought that I couldn't drive, brake, speed up, brake, speed up etc.

agentorange · 05-15-2019, 12:56 PM

We had it on a Cadillac SUV here in the states. It was the sort that operated in ACC mode at all times. It couldn't be used as a normal cruise control.

I HATED it with a passion.

The person that signed off on there being no "normal" mode should have things done to them that would make a Game of Thrones junkie pale.

Skyhigh · 05-15-2019, 01:15 PM

Being an "alien" from what is soon to be referred to as EU, I have always wondered why cars on UK roads are so poorly speced. Halogen headlights, basic exterior, basic interior... even or especially for premium vehicles like BMW, Audi, etc.
Who buys an Audi or BMW with halogen headlights!? Or a 2015+ Audi/BMW without ACC?
Inexplicable.

If I don't have the money for even basic "extras", I'd go for a VW or Skoda (which I have done as well and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that).

DaveA · 05-15-2019, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr4z

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveA

Quote:

Originally Posted by gr4z

I have ACC and absolutely hate it

I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off.
When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down).
If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes.

God knows what people think when they are behind you!

The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically.

That's just my opinion!

I get where you are coming from with all that, and much mirrors some of my thinking when I started using it...

I guess what happened is that I got used to it and started to anticipate the times it would intervene, so felt it less intrusive...

I started to wind the distance control in/out depending on circumstances... When already in traffic, I found having a greater distance smoothed out the intensity of the slow/accelerate...

Only trouble is how to stop folk jumping into the gaps that the car thinks are appropriate...

I get where you're coming from but to have to constantly fiddle with it to get the best out of it surely defeats the object of having it in the first place! Might as well have normal cruise and save a few hundred quid.

It certainly is a marmite option

Don't you get arrested for fiddling with marmite in public... sticky fingers..??

teaston · 05-15-2019, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyhigh

Being an "alien" from what is soon to be referred to as EU, I have always wondered why cars on UK roads are so poorly speced. Halogen headlights, basic exterior, basic interior... even or especially for premium vehicles like BMW, Audi, etc.
Who buys an Audi or BMW with halogen headlights!? Or a 2015+ Audi/BMW without ACC?
Inexplicable.

If I don't have the money for even basic "extras", I'd go for a VW or Skoda (which I have done as well and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that).

I'd say the opposite! Almost every UK 3 Series is an M Sport, when I go to Europe or USA i see mainly SE models!?

:

05-15-2019, 04:27 AM	#1
SantaEugence Major 475 Rep 1,325 Posts Drives: F30 330d xDrive Auto Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Why is Active Cruise so rare in the UK? Not long had my 330dX and just having a browse for curiosity at a similar spec 335d but haven't found one yet with active cruise, also seemed just as rare on the 330d. I'm searching on auto trader for key words either 'active' or 'active cruise'. Am I just missing them or are they genuinely not that common? Couldn't live without the ACC!
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05-15-2019, 04:34 AM	#2
GEP77 Major 409 Rep 1,162 Posts Drives: Tesla Model 3 Long Range. Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: South East London iTrader: (1)	Active cruise is quite an expensive option and also one option that seems to be rarely fitted to demonstrators. The combination of these two factors likely reduces the number of cars with it fitted. It also has always been a stand alone option and not part of a pack. This would further erode the number of people buying it. On this forum it seems to be like a marmite type option. Those who have it fitted either love it or really hate it.
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05-15-2019, 04:37 AM	#3
teaston Banned 10995 Rep 32,881 Posts Drives: X3 M40d Join Date: May 2012 Location: The High Seas iTrader: (1)	Idk why so few people spec it, if I could only keep one option on my car it would be ACC! Without it, all that accelerating, braking, accelerating etc whenever there's a vehicle in front of you is the single most annoying thing about car journeys!
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05-15-2019, 04:47 AM	#4
335d Rocco Major 114 Rep 1,058 Posts Drives: G01 BMW X3 30d M Sport Plus Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Hampshire iTrader: (1) Garage List 2019 BMW X3 30d M S ... [0.00] 2008 BMW 330i M Spo ... [0.00]	I had ACC on my last car, Golf GTD, it’s the one thing I still miss, when I’m looking for my next car it’ll be something which will be on the must have list.
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05-15-2019, 04:51 AM	#5
DriveS Lieutenant 220 Rep 541 Posts Drives: F30 335d Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Newcastle iTrader: (0)	Maybe because UK is relatively a small country ?
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05-15-2019, 06:49 AM	#8
gr4z Colonel 1135 Rep 2,808 Posts Drives: i4 e40 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Stamford iTrader: (0)	I have ACC and absolutely hate it I find it infuriating when in slow traffic, constantly heavy braking and speeding up. I feel like I am in a binary car, either on or off. When on long stretches at 70 it starts to slow down far too early when there is a car ahead (even when you turn the sensitivity right down). If a car pulls out in front of you it slams on the brakes. God knows what people think when they are behind you! The ONLY time I like it is in stop start traffic. However, for the cost a total waste of money for me and would never spec it again until it improves drastically. That's just my opinion! __________________ Current: G26 i4 M Sport Pro, Tech Pk, Sunroof Previous: 2016 440i MPPSK, 2014 330d Saloon F30, 2013 Audi S4 Avant, 2011 Mercedes C350
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05-15-2019, 07:40 AM	#10
Pobsey Lieutenant 185 Rep 475 Posts Drives: 2019 F31 330d / 2010 e87 118d Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	I find it very useful, so far I wouldn't say I couldn't live without it, but far from hate it. There's a couple of options that are very rare, I also have the leather dash and everyone who sits in the car comments on it, even the supplying dealer said that they'd not had very few with it fitted.
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05-15-2019, 08:31 AM	#12
JNW1 Major General 3122 Rep 5,681 Posts Drives: F56 Mini Cooper S Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: North Yorkshire iTrader: (0)	I had Active Cruise on my old E92 335i (not specced by me as I bought the car nearly-new) and thought it was rubbish. It did things like braking when a car pulled into your lane on a motorway even though as a driver you could see they would pull back in again and all that was required was a temporary lift of the foot; basically the system annoyed the hell out of me so I just stopped using it! Not sure whether the system has been refined/improved on later models but if I couldn't have made smoother progress without it I'd have been thinking it was time to give up!
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05-15-2019, 10:54 AM	#14
RoShambolt Captain 351 Rep 725 Posts Drives: Looking Join Date: Nov 2016 Location: Beds iTrader: (0)	I think it's ok, the main thing I dislike is it's rapid acceleration and attempts to undertake when a car leaves the motorway leaving a clear stretch in the inside lane. Some awareness of the lane to the right would be handy. Overall I like it once you get to understand it's limitations. Or maybe lots of people have read this thread and thought sod the hassle. Teaston didn't get his fixed at all while owning the car for three years or so. My car is two years old and only just being booked in for the service bulletin. F31 LCI interior light problem https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1201765
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05-15-2019, 11:11 AM	#15
isleaiw1 Lieutenant General 8764 Rep 12,243 Posts Drives: iPace / Mini Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: UK iTrader: (0)	Had it on a Golf, didnt ever really get used to it. Wasn't bothered that subsequent cars didn't have it but equally would be prepared to give it another go.... My biggest bugbear was that if the car in front drifted slower then if you werent concentrating on your speed (and the main reason I like cruise control is so I can concentrate on what I am doing not how fast I might be going...) then you would follow it down to the slower speed...and only realise as everyone started overtaking you! and of course it left gaps that other drivers thought were big enough to jump into, then jam the brakes on!
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05-15-2019, 11:18 AM	#16
Rudz Lieutenant Colonel 249 Rep 1,721 Posts Drives: F30 335D xDrive Shadow Edition Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: UK iTrader: (3)	I had Active cruise on my E90 and also on my current F30, find it really useful and use it almost always on my 50 mile motorway commute into work The F30 system is a marked improvement over the e90 system which used to cut off below 30mph, f30 works start stop which is great on the M25 I haven't seen abrupt braking / acceleration that the others have spoken of, it's quite measured in its response to lane cutting etc, i would definitely spec it on my next car (this may well part of the norm and not an option on future gen cars anyways)
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05-15-2019, 12:56 PM	#19
agentorange Major 1508 Rep 1,386 Posts Drives: 328d Join Date: Nov 2018 Location: Desert SW iTrader: (0)	We had it on a Cadillac SUV here in the states. It was the sort that operated in ACC mode at all times. It couldn't be used as a normal cruise control. I HATED it with a passion. The person that signed off on there being no "normal" mode should have things done to them that would make a Game of Thrones junkie pale.
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05-15-2019, 01:15 PM	#20
Skyhigh Brigadier General 1887 Rep 3,873 Posts Drives: BMW F36 Join Date: Apr 2018 Location: Europe iTrader: (0)	Being an "alien" from what is soon to be referred to as EU, I have always wondered why cars on UK roads are so poorly speced. Halogen headlights, basic exterior, basic interior... even or especially for premium vehicles like BMW, Audi, etc. Who buys an Audi or BMW with halogen headlights!? Or a 2015+ Audi/BMW without ACC? Inexplicable. If I don't have the money for even basic "extras", I'd go for a VW or Skoda (which I have done as well and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that). __________________ "Large increases in cost with questionable increases in performance can be tolerated only in cars and women."
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