Jerky Cruise Control?

[MerlintheMad]

Having gone on and on about this, my question to you is, how does the Stinger's dynamic cruise control perform compared to EyeSight?

I prefer my eyesight to any cruise control. I don't care if the cruise control is "dynamic" or not!

 

[Grayt 8]

I've got a 2015 Outback w/EyeSight and I was concerned that those brands that are newer to this (EyeSight has been around since 2011 I think?) would have some teething problems. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and I can use adaptive cruise for hundreds of miles on I-5 to Los Angeles without ever a single problem with sudden braking (and if you know this part of I-5, you have to do **a lot** of lane changing unless you're willing to do 80+ mph to keep with the flow in the fast lane).

What I *do not like* about EyeSight is using it on a 35 mph road when the car in front of me signals to turn left and starts slowing down. EyeSight apparently calculates worst-case here because it will apply the brakes pretty hard assuming the preceding car is going to take a long time to complete its right turn. That, and EyeSight *will* let the speed drop by ~2 mph going up a hill before it kicks in again. Back to the positives though: EyeSight is brilliant at holding speed on downhill twisty mountain roads (probably in large part to how EyeSight modulates the CVT to use engine braking instead of the brake pedal). I doubt that a car without a CVT could offer such fine-grained control (don't get me wrong, I dislike the CVT in the Outback - I'm just saying it's a benefit in this circumstance).

Having gone on and on about this, my question to you is, how does the Stinger's dynamic cruise control perform compared to EyeSight?

Thanks

No experience with the Subaru system, but I have another vehicle besides the Stinger with adaptive cruise. The Stinger's system is better because it allows 4 distance settings and it allows the sensitivity to be adjusted to, I think, 3 different sensitivity levels. The Stinger also does a better job of not allowing speed to increase too much while going down steeper hills.

 

[MerlintheMad]

The Stinger also does a better job of not allowing speed to increase too much while going down steeper hills.

Really! Then the others must truly suck. Because at least half the time, as described in the manual, my speed just runs away coming down steep grades in cruise control. I don't have "smart" or adaptive cruise control, however.

 

[Grayt 8]

Really! Then the others must truly suck. Because at least half the time, as described in the manual, my speed just runs away coming down steep grades in cruise control. I don't have "smart" or adaptive cruise control, however.

Yep, just did a quick drive to verify I wasn't misremembering. Cruise set at 61. Moderately steep downhill, car hit 62, then downshifted to 6th to hold the speed rest of the way down the hill. Also, no jerkiness from the cruise during steady cruise conditions.

 

[Mike_TX]

Really! Then the others must truly suck. Because at least half the time, as described in the manual, my speed just runs away coming down steep grades in cruise control. I don't have "smart" or adaptive cruise control, however.

The cruise in my Optima brakes and/or uses engine braking to hold speed on downhills. You can feel it braking!

BTW, Merlin, I'm not trying to be hostile on this cruise control subject. It is a big deal to me, and it has cost me thousands of dollars in an early trade, so I'm kinda sensitive about it. You're right - I can't be sure a future Stinger won't have the problem, but I'm monitoring this and other sites to see if people start indicating that Kia has acknowledged it and fixed it.

 

[Grayt 8]

The cruise in my Optima brakes and/or uses engine braking to hold speed on downhills. You can feel it braking!

BTW, Merlin, I'm not trying to be hostile on this cruise control subject. It is a big deal to me, and it has cost me thousands of dollars in an early trade, so I'm kinda sensitive about it. You're right - I can't be sure a future Stinger won't have the problem, but I'm monitoring this and other sites to see if people start indicating that Kia has acknowledged it and fixed it.

Have you tried going for an extended test drive in a Stinger?

 

[Waynerm002]

I’ve tested the use of the system on other cars but never use them on my trips. Nice to have but I prefer to do the driving. Maybe one day in the future my car will do all the driving.

 

[JeffAsfbay]

Really! Then the others must truly suck. Because at least half the time, as described in the manual, my speed just runs away coming down steep grades in cruise control. I don't have "smart" or adaptive cruise control, however.

It depends on how old your vehicle is with non-adaptive cruise. Our 2001 Suburban will also run away down hills because the cruise control is just a mechanical system that holds the throttle at a set position - I don't know for sure, but I doubt there is any software involved, so there's no way to close the throttle a bit going down hill, or to adjust the transmission. On the Subaru with the CVT, I can watch the engine RPM go up when I'm going down a steeper grade, thereby using the engine as a brake (just as if I had downshifted, except with the CVT there is finer-grain control possible). And of course it can also apply the brakes if it wants, which is what it will normally do if someone suddenly cuts in front of me on the freeway.

And I forgot to mention this in my previous post - the Subaru has no jerkiness whatsoever. If they could just allow for a bit more adjustment (like, how many +/- mph will you accept off the set speed, or maybe how much throttle do you want it to use if the car drops below set speed to get it back up to set speed). Someone suggested that besides the 4 different following distances, the Stinger may offer a sensitivity adjustment - can anyone confirm this? And if true, what is being adjusted? Thanks everyone.

 

[JeffAsfbay]

I prefer my eyesight to any cruise control. I don't care if the cruise control is "dynamic" or not!

So, you have a later model Suby, and the '18 Stinger? What parts of the Suby EyeSight do you like better and in what situations?

I am keenly interested in this because, as much as I love to drive a nice quick car, I have nerve pain in my right foot, which is exacerbated the most by having to constantly switch back and forth from gas to brake pedal (such as in rush-hour traffic). But the pain also occurs if I have to hold down the gas pedal in the same position a long time, or if I am having to change gas pedal position a lot. (Both cases assume trips of 30 minutes or greater, not just a trip to the grocery store.)

So anyone who has a Subaru w/EyeSight and ALSO a Stinger, I'd be very grateful for any real-world differences anyone could describe.

For instance, does *everyone* (who uses cruise control on the highway, i.e., >= 55 mph) have the problem where, going around a curve, the Stinger will acquire (or otherwise see) a car one lane over, which then results in the system applying the brakes unnecessarily? I've never once had this happen to me (so far) in my Outback w/EyeSight.

Thank you sincerely to any who can help me here,
Jeff

 

[MikeysGT]

You're right - I can't be sure a future Stinger won't have the problem, but I'm monitoring this and other sites to see if people start indicating that Kia has acknowledged it and fixed it.

Same. You would think at this point they would know about it and be working on something.. Coming from Honda, that is one thing I can say they were specifically good at. Owners would complain of a problem, like the CVT surging, and next thing you know there's a TSB out to fix it. Here's to hoping Kia holds a similar standard and listens to their customers.

 

[MerlintheMad]

So, you have a later model Suby, and the '18 Stinger? What parts of the Suby EyeSight do you like better and in what situations?

Sorry, I was punning "eye sight", making a joke, not being helpful. My Stinger has standard cruise control only, none of that extra special add on stuff. It sounds like you need it. I hope it all works well for you.

 

[MerlintheMad]

The cruise in my Optima brakes and/or uses engine braking to hold speed on downhills. You can feel it braking!

BTW, Merlin, I'm not trying to be hostile on this cruise control subject. It is a big deal to me, and it has cost me thousands of dollars in an early trade, so I'm kinda sensitive about it. You're right - I can't be sure a future Stinger won't have the problem, but I'm monitoring this and other sites to see if people start indicating that Kia has acknowledged it and fixed it.

I didn't sense any hostility from you. To my observation, the Stinger as a population of vehicles in service does not have a problem with the cruise control, standard or "smart". Some individual cars do.

 

[JeffAsfbay]

Sorry, I was punning "eye sight", making a joke, not being helpful. My Stinger has standard cruise control only, none of that extra special add on stuff. It sounds like you need it. I hope it all works well for you.

No worries

 

[Mike_TX]

Have you tried going for an extended test drive in a Stinger?

No sir, I have not. When the issue surfaced several years ago in my Infiniti, it wasn't until I got out on the highway on a cross-country and got into some rolling terrain. On every downhill grade, it bumped me repeatedly until the road flattened out. So it might take a road trip to make sure a car doesn't have it, and I haven't asked a dealer to extend me that kind of test drive.

 

[Kamauxx]

No sir, I have not. When the issue surfaced several years ago in my Infiniti, it wasn't until I got out on the highway on a cross-country and got into some rolling terrain. On every downhill grade, it bumped me repeatedly until the road flattened out. So it might take a road trip to make sure a car doesn't have it, and I haven't asked a dealer to extend me that kind of test drive.

On the Stinger it's more noticeable on inclines. You don't have to be up to highway speeds. If you can just find a hilly area to drive one with CC activated for a few miles you'll notice it no matter how slow you're going.

 

[Mike_TX]

On the Stinger it's more noticeable on inclines. You don't have to be up to highway speeds. If you can just find a hilly area to drive one with CC activated for a few miles you'll notice it no matter how slow you're going.

When the time comes, I will certainly do a complete road test!

 

[bugaboo90]

I had 2 versions of eyesight.. the original in my 2012 legacy and v2 in my 2016 legacy and now I have stinger. Overall I prefer eyesight. I think it is more accurate, but I have gotten used to the Stinger.

The pros of stinger is that it works in most weather whereas in heavy rain eyesight turned off (however, in snow, stinger turns off because snow accumulates on the radar sensor while eyesight stayed on.) Plus the lane keeper on stinger is better. It gently guides the car back without over-correcting while the last Legacy I wasn't as polished. However, this feature only work above 40 mph in stinger while it works above (I think) 5 mph in a Legacy.

Net, I think Subaru has an edge over Stinger in this dept.

So, you have a later model Suby, and the '18 Stinger? What parts of the Suby EyeSight do you like better and in what situations?

I am keenly interested in this because, as much as I love to drive a nice quick car, I have nerve pain in my right foot, which is exacerbated the most by having to constantly switch back and forth from gas to brake pedal (such as in rush-hour traffic). But the pain also occurs if I have to hold down the gas pedal in the same position a long time, or if I am having to change gas pedal position a lot. (Both cases assume trips of 30 minutes or greater, not just a trip to the grocery store.)

So anyone who has a Subaru w/EyeSight and ALSO a Stinger, I'd be very grateful for any real-world differences anyone could describe.

For instance, does *everyone* (who uses cruise control on the highway, i.e., >= 55 mph) have the problem where, going around a curve, the Stinger will acquire (or otherwise see) a car one lane over, which then results in the system applying the brakes unnecessarily? I've never once had this happen to me (so far) in my Outback w/EyeSight.

Thank you sincerely to any who can help me here,
Jeff

 

[JeffAsfbay]

I had 2 versions of eyesight.. the original in my 2012 legacy and v2 in my 2016 legacy and now I have stinger. Overall I prefer eyesight. I think it is more accurate, but I have gotten used to the Stinger.

The pros of stinger is that it works in most weather whereas in heavy rain eyesight turned off (however, in snow, stinger turns off because snow accumulates on the radar sensor while eyesight stayed on.) Plus the lane keeper on stinger is better. It gently guides the car back without over-correcting while the last Legacy I wasn't as polished. However, this feature only work above 40 mph in stinger while it works above (I think) 5 mph in a Legacy.

Net, I think Subaru has an edge over Stinger in this dept.

Thank you very much for this comparison. I can confirm that EyeSight has turned off for me when driving in heavy rain. Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, I don't see much snow (although it snows regularly around Skyline Blvd and the higher peaks). It strikes me that a system with stereo cameras *and* radar might just do the trick, though that's extra cost and a ton of R&D to integrate them together to achieve EyeSight's current good-weather performance.

 

[Doel]

I also have what I would call slight surging with CC on going uphill. I've taken several 2+ hour drives and I'll be honest, while it is noticeable it's so slight it doesn't really bother me. Definitely no where near making me nauseous, and I'm prone to motion sickness. It feels like the car is slightly rolling into and off the throttle to maintain speed.

 

[MikeysGT]

Service scheduled for next Tuesday so I can take a drive with a service tech while he records a datalog. They are also going to have KIA log in remotely to watch/view the data. I fully expect all parties involved to tell me there's nothing wrong with my CC..