I was looking around the .co.jp site and found this...is this on the 06 HCH? It's a rough translation from Babelfish

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Vehicle speed and control operation of the advancement which controls between the car appropriately, IHCC. In the cruise control which controls speed limit travelling on the highway and the like, vehicle speed of advancement/IHCC which plus does the control operation between the car (intelligent highway cruise control). It accelerates and decelerates appropriately with the information from the radar where the driver when it TURNS ON, provides the switch inside the front grille, it keeps the cars between the distance which responds to travelling speed within setting vehicle speed. When the front running car is not, usual cruise control similar, the running which maintains the speed which is set is possible. * Control operation between vehicle speed/car [ the basic control pattern of IHCC ](conceptual drawing) - Speed limit control: Starting speed limit travelling by setting to desired vehicle speed. - Control of deceleration: When the front running car of our lane is slower than setting vehicle speed, it controls the throttle and the brake, deceleration. When it cannot decelerate with such as emergency brake and interruption of the front running car, alarm operation of the driver (the brake and the like) you urge in indication. - Tracking control: Adjusting to the vehicle speed change of the front running car, way it is between the car which sets following. (As for upper limit of vehicle speed to setting vehicle speed) - Control of acceleration: When the front running car of our lane the lane it modifies, it accelerates leniently to setting vehicle speed, returns to speed limit travelling. 0 radar inspection ranges: Angular 16 degree 0 operation vehicle speed within vehicle front 100m: 45km/h - Between 100km/h 0 car in 3 stages setting possibility IHCC radar section - IHCC is not the device which cancels the danger of front carelessness. Cars control between the distance, car indirectness closely there is a limit in warning and deceleration ability. You do not overestimate IHCC, pay attention to the front running car and circumstance around always, request careful driving. - There are times when you cannot use depending upon road circumstance and weather circumstance. - Please be sure to read the instruction manual before the use.

 

Wow, that's pretty cool. I guess that type of cruise would be handy for people that use cell phones, eat, apply makeup, shave, read, do all the things that we shouldn't while driving.

It's funny, in the illustration, it almost looks like the car automatically changes lanes for you. I know that's not what it is illustrating, but it looks like it.

 

Some Lexus products have a similar "radar assisted" cruise control as an option. I remember seeing it in the RX 330 manual.

 

Mercedes has this as well.

 

Earlier this year, I drove 300 miles from Demming, NM to Phoenix, AZ following my friend's non-cruise equipped car. My S2000 had cruise control. I don't know if you've ever driven long distances in an S2000 but it's not a very comfortable car for long drives, and there isn't much footroom thanks to the narrow body and large center tunnel that the transmission occupies. Adaptive cruise control would have permitted me to follow my friend without having to either constantly make adjustments with the cruise buttons or keep making minute throttle adjustments while getting major knee and ankle pain holding my foot over the gas in a car that was designed to fit people who are half a foot shorter than me.

 

It drives me nuts to follow someone that doesn't use cruise control. I usually just say "I'll meet you there."

 

My friend's Sienna XLE Limited has this feature...he hates it. Here are two scenarios:
1) Driving in the left lane, semi truck in the right just ahead of the van. The highway curves to the left. The radar picks up the truck as being in front of the car and the car slows down. Same thing happens if the truck is on the left and the highway curves to the right.
2) Somebody passes the van, then moves over "a bit too soon". The van will slow down, even though the car in front is accelerating.

He mentioned that, depending on how close the car or truck is, the van will actually brake fairly hard. There is an adjustment for sensitivity, but he prefers to just keep it off.

 

i never thought about that, i wouldn't like that either.

 

Yeah, I'd have to say this doesn't sound like a real winner. I would much rather have fancu cruise that did more useful things - like a cruise that optimized for FE given perhaps some user-definable thresholds - like for how much under the set speed you're willing to go and such. That would be great if you ask me. Let the computer do the work.

 

I read somewhere that Chrysler is working on an intelligent cruise control that uses GPS and internal topographic maps to improve fuel economy by driving with load (slowing down up hills and letting gravity accelerate you down a hill) but it won't be for cars right away, they are thinking of trucking fleets, probably because it's rather expensive and most people wouldn't appreciate that kind of intelligence, although we would.