Crosswind Assist

[Algor]

Crosswind Assist kicked in a few times today in my 6.1 Coast. It was faultless, slight inputs a fraction of a second before I would do so myself. Very impressed and a great driver assist. Clocked the 1st 600 miles in the van today and also noticed that the stop/start feature will stop and then start when the vehicle in front moves a couple of metres forward. I have had some great cars over the last 10 years or so but non of them have grabbed me like this and they definitely didn't have a kitchen! It's a totally unique vehicle.

 

[Loz]

Mrs Loz just opens the window on ours...

 

[westfalia]

It is quite cool that the engine starts when the vehicle in front
moves. I like it.

 

[Algor]

Mrs Loz just opens the window on ours...

Your van is too quick for the wind to catch!

 

[briwy]

My God, no wonder they are so expensive now. Completely unnecesary tech just waiting to go wrong.

 

[dripster]

It is quite cool that the engine starts when the vehicle in front
moves. I like it.

I think this uses the front collision/ACC sensor. Pretty simple stuff, our Tiguan used to do it. It is neat but quite annoying when the guy in front moves about 2 feet and your engine starts.

Lane assist is good to the extent that the Tiggy used to remind me to hold the wheel because it was virtually steering itself.

Don't have either of those on our Beach now but surviving so far!

 

[Algor]

My God, no wonder they are so expensive now. Completely unnecesary tech just waiting to go wrong.

It's the way all vehicles are going, I don't think we will be driving them ourselves in 10 years time. Get your self one of these, nothing to go wrong.

 

[rod_vw]

No hi-tech here...

Just a floor mounted dip switch and a dash mounted semaphore (trafficator) switch.

Don't mention side winds, white lines or other ribs / groves in the tarmac!

 

[Borris]

My God, no wonder they are so expensive now. Completely unnecesary tech just waiting to go wrong.

I believe that this sort of techy add on is of limited use to the driver of the current generation of Cali's. If they are honest, when was the last time any car driver thought " crickey I could really do with having some form of Crosswind Assistance?".

The current generation of vehicles are clearly being used as test beds to pave the way for future fully autonomous vehicles. Hence electronic steering, lane change assist, crosswind assist etc etc. Whilst cross wind assist may well be required to keep a fully autonomous vehicle from being blown off track, just how useful is it on a current Cali?

As you have said it is just another added complication with limited current benefit.

 

[Jester]

It is quite cool that the engine starts when the vehicle in front
moves. I like it.

Lucky the car in front is not a Fiat!!

 

[Vagophile]

No hi-tech here...

Is the odometer reading correct?

 

[Rololux]

I believe that this sort of techy add on is of limited use to the driver of the current generation of Cali's. If they are honest, when was the last time any car driver thought " crickey I could really do with having some form of Crosswind Assistance?".

I went to Iceland a few years back. Picked up a brand new rental Toyota Land Cruiser - only had delivery mileage on the clock. I started driving from Keflavik towards Reykjavik, starting what was to become the circle tour. Soon realized that I had the steering wheel at about 30 degrees from dead centre. I said to my wife (who is Icelandic) that I thought the tracking was badly out. Oh don’t worry, she said, - it’s just the wind! I thought to myself, “Crickey I could really do with having some form of Crosswind Assistance”.

How right she was - I soon got used to it, especially when crossing the Black Sands, for anybody who’s been there. Cross wind assist would have been a good addition!

I have it on my Cali, so we’ll see how it behaves when I take it there - which is definitely on the cards as soon as things open up.

 

[Algor]

I believe that this sort of techy add on is of limited use to the driver of the current generation of Cali's. If they are honest, when was the last time any car driver thought " crickey I could really do with having some form of Crosswind Assistance?".

The current generation of vehicles are clearly being used as test beds to pave the way for future fully autonomous vehicles. Hence electronic steering, lane change assist, crosswind assist etc etc. Whilst cross wind assist may well be required to keep a fully autonomous vehicle from being blown off track, just how useful is it on a current Cali?

As you have said it is just another added complication with limited current benefit.

Having never owned a van of any kind before this one then I don't know if it is beneficial or not to be honest as I have no comparison. I never thought I could do with crosswind assist in my cars because they were, well cars and not vans. I don't really need an automatic gearbox or automatic headlights & windscreen wipers either but they all add to a more comfortable drive. If everyone was of the opinion that anything new is just a complication and more to go wrong then we would never progress in anything, ever.

 

[B J G]

With Tech like Crosswind assist I wonder about the safety aspect in that when I drive in strong crosswind conditions I'm more aware of danger areas such as gateways, gaps in trees etc and adjust my speed to suit the conditions/risk. Having all the gadgets leaves the potential for the belief that these will be able to respond automatically to any conditions regardless of road speed..

Salutary lesson learned just after starting working life when a colleague came back to work after a 3 month hospital session following a motorcycle accident where he come over a bridge and was hit by a crosswind, as he came out of the stone bridge wall area, which sent off the road down an embankment.

 

[westfalia]

Lucky the car in front is not a Fiat!!

Some of them are fast..

 

[briwy]

Yep certainly are. My daughter is on her second Abarth. Lovely little motor. First one sold after 100k without a single problem. This one now on 67k and still np problems. Gets through tyres though

 

[Jester]

Some of them are fast..
View attachment 74163

If they start. However I do love them.

 

[rod_vw]

Is the odometer reading correct?

Who knows, it's the original clock as the date on the back is correct but I've no idea how many times it has been round!

 

[Vagophile]

Gets through tyres though

Maybe has something to do with using the performance?