Hi, i own a 2014 octavia with normal cruise control and nowadays i will buy a new facelifted version. I am thinking of adding the ACC option but i am not sure if it works effectively and comfortably or not.

What i want to learn is;

• When the front vehicle slow down, does it immediately try to keep the distance by braking or does it first use engine braking and temporarily allow the distance to decrease. I mean can it use much of this distance effectively for a comfortable ride with less brakes or does it use brakes too much?  How much of the distance does it use for engine braking and then starts braking?
• When going downhill with no vehicle front, does it keep the set speed by braking (or downshifting) or does it allow the vehicle exceed the set speed.
• In urban driving, is the min distance that can be set reasonable or is it still too long that would irritate the drivers in behind and make them try to overtake.

Can the owners which have ACC give information please?

It's a bit of a sling shot effect, when the car in front brakes it slows down,  if the car in front slows down quicker it applies the brakes. Then when the car speeds up again it the begins to increase speed - think of it like an elastic band attached to the car in front, there is a delay.

 

When going down hill it will use engine braking and the brakes if required to maintain the set speed - its very affective.

 

The min distance is quite close, I have mine set to min + 1 but even my dad thought that was too close. He preferred min + 2

 

ACC is an excellent feature, especially when combined with Autohold (which the octavia doesn't get yet) for urban driving.

I paid for it when I brought my mk3 and used it daily.

Agree with xpower.

i have normal qruise controle on my car nr2 (toyota avensis) and the difference between adaptive and normal CC is like night and day.

normal - you still have to keep eyes on the distance on the car in front, and brake if he does. if you got a manual gearbox it drops out when shifting and that is annoying.

Adaptive - set speed and let it drive. only time it drops out is if i use the brakes.

i will never buy a car without ACC again.

Edited 12 July, 20179 yr by bytterga
bad spelling...

I have ACC and the only issue I have with it, is when you need wheel alignment. I have been told that if the rear wheels need adjusting (say by adding lowering spring) , then the ACC should be recalibrated.

 

Problem is, not many dealers can do it, and those that can will charge £450 to do it.

 

Found and independent in Bristol that can do it for £225.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the ACC in average speed camera areas or slow moving motorway traffic, but feel you should be aware of the above, as the dealers don't tell you about the recalibration cost.

Agree with the comments from xpower.

When the car in-front slows it will first use engine braking to maintain the distance.

 

What I like is if the  car infront is not decelerating rapidly the system will coast and encroach into the normal minimum distance & then slowly move you back to the set distance.

It feel very relaxed & natural and not at all nervous or agressive as with other cars with ACC I have driven which brake hard to maintain the exact set distance.

If a faster moving car moves in-front of you it will also take no immediate action as it recognises it will soon be outside the minimum distance which is nice.

 

The only tiny tiny downside for me occurs when you manually press the brakes whilst ACC has been decelerating (e.g. when leaving the highway or reaching a roundabout on a dual-carriageway).

When you press the pedal, the ABS system is already primed & you get immediately the full braking force.

You are usually expecting the brakes to be soft so can sometimes catch you out but you get used to it.

 

Overall, I love the ACC on the O3, particularly the way it is calibrated is very smooth & natural.

The gap it maintains is short enough & acceleration smooth but steady after a car clears your path.

My next car will definately have this.

ACC works very well with DSG. I agree on the comments above and I'll add the following observations:

 

- depending on VRS/engine mode, it will affect how smoothly or accurately it will track the vehicles in front. A more relaxed mode (eco or comfort) will give more of the "elastic band" effect.

- it detects vehicles to the next left and right lanes as well. This means it won't normally perform undertakes (in UK overtaking in left lane; in EU & Turkey overtaking in right lane) unless you gently tap on the accelerator.

- With DSG it will track a car slowing down to standstill. Not sure if I have the confidence of trying this with cars in front performing an emergency stop!

 

So glad I chose this option!

I ummed and ahhd as it's an expensive option, but plumped for it mostly on the basis of wanting the sensor as a safety aid.
 

9 hours ago, bytterga said:

i have normal qruise controle on my car nr2 (toyota avensis) and the difference between adaptive and normal CC is like night and day.

normal - you still have to keep eyes on the distance on the car in front, and brake if he does. if you got a manual gearbox it drops out when shifting and that is annoying.

This isn't the case with the Mk III Octavia - the standard cruise control continues to operate when you change gear, although I only use it in top gear anyway.

I agree with all the other disadvantages though - I find it to be useful only on quiet dual carriageways and motorways and through roadworks

18 hours ago, Jono said:

I ummed and ahhd as it's an expensive option, but plumped for it mostly on the basis of wanting the sensor as a safety aid.
 

 

The Front Assist sensor should be standard on all new to market cars sold in Europe (for anything that has to have EU type approval).

 

As per per other comments, you only get full functionality if the ACC option is combined with auto DSG box. 

Edited 13 July, 20179 yr by Black_Sheep

@bytterga So you like ACC because it allows you to not bother looking at the car in front?

 

Worrying.

 

1 hour ago, Wino said:

@bytterga So you like ACC because it allows you to not bother looking at the car in front?

 

Worrying.

 

ACC relieves driver strain on such a boring task: keeping correct distance. Nothing wrong with what he has said, I too will never buy a car without it.

 

 

In answer to OP's questions:

• Answered, elastic band effect, the slow speed up in eco mode can **** off some drivers in the overtaking lane
• No, it will not allow vehicle to exceed set speed, unlike the Prius system. Not as economical, but good for speed cameras
• I find minimal distance to be perfect. In London, works well to stop other drivers from cutting you up.

One thing to note is that the Octavia ACC accelerates during a corner when the radar looses the car in front. I've driven a Infiniti with ACC on a rental car in Switzerland last year, the ACC follows a car into a bend, looses radar lock but doesn't accelerate because it knows the reason loosing radar lock is due to the bend. It works great following a car in twisty mountain roads. Skoda version you have to be careful when doing a bend that causes radar lock to break.

it is written in the manual;

 

As soon as the vehicle ahead starts moving again after a holding period, your
vehicle will also move and the speed will continue to be regulated. Control is
automatically disconnected in case of longer holding periods.

 

Do you how long is this max holding period before disconnection?

1 hour ago, wyx087 said:

 

One thing to note is that the Octavia ACC accelerates during a corner when the radar looses the car in front.....

Skoda version you have to be careful when doing a bend that causes radar lock to break.

 

Yes this is true, I've had this a few times also.

It has to be quite a tight corner though for it to drop out of the radar view & in normal corners it works fine as it using the steering angle to determine which car you are following.

Other ACC systems I have driven with also prevent the car from accelerating when the steering input is high.

Would be nice to have this also on the VAG system.

 

Also, agree regarding ACC making the driving much more relaxing, especially long trips or when the speed is constantly changing due to congestion.

3 hours ago, Wino said:

@bytterga So you like ACC because it allows you to not bother looking at the car in front?

 

Worrying.

 

yeah. i usually sit in the back reading the newspaper and eating soup while the ACC do the driving.

guess you know what what i ment but just had to give a reply.

As you were chaps. Just reacted to what was written. What's meant is not available to me as I'm no mind reader. 

 

53 minutes ago, eksa said:

it is written in the manual;

 

As soon as the vehicle ahead starts moving again after a holding period, your
vehicle will also move and the speed will continue to be regulated. Control is
automatically disconnected in case of longer holding periods.

 

Do you how long is this max holding period before disconnection?

 

Hold for about 1-2 seconds, then it beeps and car move forward slowly. I just automatically press the brake when the car comes to a stand still.

 

My wife complained to me with the ACC auto-stop, it's smoother to do it manually unfortunately.

Edited 13 July, 20179 yr by wyx087

29 minutes ago, wyx087 said:

 

Hold for about 1-2 seconds, then it beeps and car move forward slowly. I just automatically press the brake when the car comes to a stand still.

My wife complained to me with the ACC auto-stop, it's smoother to do it manually unfortunately.

Sorry, i didnt understand, do you mean after 1-2 seconds it disconnects and starts moving even if there's a car in front?

17 minutes ago, eksa said:

Sorry, i didnt understand, do you mean after 1-2 seconds it disconnects and starts moving even if there's a car in front?

 

Thats correct - it does tell you put your foot on the brake pedal though.......

8 minutes ago, eksa said:

Sorry, i didnt understand, do you mean after 1-2 seconds it disconnects and starts moving even if there's a car in front?

That is correct. You have to press and hold the brake pedal if stationary for more than 1-2 seconds. The brake release movement is not very smooth can definitely be felt (then again, DSG is never as smooth as torque converter at this speed). It won't come as a surprise to you even if you are not paying 100% attention.

 

In long stop and occasional nudging forward type traffic jam, it's not very useful.

In mostly moving, occasional short stop traffic jam, you can just leave it to do its thing. It's excellent.

 

I suppose it's the hit you take on convenience for being cheap and not paying for Audi's traffic jam assist. What a wonderful world of capitalism we live in.