Volvo reckons its new XC40 compact sports utility vehicle is the smallest car on the market to be fitted with a semi-autonomous self-driving feature.
That means that while the car can for periods of time drive itself, the driver is ultimately in control and responsible.
Volvo’s self-driving aid system is called ‘Pilot Assist’ and I tried it out on the roads in and around Barcelona where the international launch of the svelte, smart and good-looking new XC40 took place this week.
And it’s a remarkable if slightly eerie experience. Click a button on the steering wheel and the ’Pilot Assist feature takes over the car’s steering, braking and acceleration at speeds of up to 80mph – or 10mph higher than the UK maximum motorway speed limit. But it can do so at much slower speeds and in gridlocked traffic.
When the system is active a grey steering wheel symbol on the dashboard turns bright green.
Power choice: There’s a range of 2-litre engines — three petrol and two diesel — from 150 bhp to 250 bhp
It really is a strange to be ‘driven’ by your car and physically feel the steering being done for you. In free flowing traffic on the motorway, it read the white lines and nudged the steering wheel to keep the car centrally in the lane.
When the car in front loomed too close, it applied the brakes. If the gap increased, the accelerator increased the speed. You can set your own comfort distance by time and distance. It even steered me nimbly around long-legged bends.
It also came into its own in a slow moving traffic jam however, when sheer boredom can cause attention can wander. When traffic moved on the car moved on and then braked when it stopped, keeping all the time within the lanes.
Explaining how the system works Volvo said: ’Using radar and a camera, it controls the steering (up to 80mph) to keep the car within lane markings, and works with the adaptive cruise control to keep at the desired cruising speed or at a set distance from any vehicle in front.
‘It accelerates and brakes with the flow of traffic, right down to a standstill.’
The Swedish car firm calls it a ‘semi-autonomous’ system and a ‘step towards fully autonomous driving.’ That is because under current UK law the driver must still remain in charge of the vehicle.
Volvo’s ‘get out clause’ is a warning to motorists that ‘the driver has to keep their hands lightly on the steering wheel.’
Should those hands stray from the steering wheel for an extended period, the Volvo system gives warnings to the driver to get his or her hands back on the steering wheel before switching itself off.
Volvo also gives health warnings’ about its use. It insists the technology is currently there to ‘support’ not replace drivers and keep them alert on long journeys. But they are walking a very fine line as lawyers and politicians review the law to deal with ’fully autonomous’ vehicles which Volvo and other manufacturers are actively developing. But for now the buck stops with the driver.
Volvo in its own literature says: ‘Pilot Assist is a comfort function that can provide you with steering assistance and help you to maintain the distance to the vehicle in front of you.’ And it notes: ‘It is important for you always to pay attention to your driving and keep your hands on the steering wheel. You are always ultimately responsible for driving in a safe manner, even when using Pilot Assist.’
‘It is also important for you always to carry on being active and alert when driving as Pilot Assist is unable to read all situations and the function may toggle between off and on without prior warning. ‘If the system discovers that you are not keeping your hands on the steering wheel, a warning will sound and a text message will be shown on the driver display. Pilot Assist will be switched off if you fail to comply with the request.’
This Pilot Assist system is available on every car as part of an advanced safety package costing £1,400. This includes adaptive cruise control, blind-spot alert, a system for spotting cars coming from the side and braking, and also to help avoid being hit the rear.
Volvo is meanwhile carrying out Government-backed fully autonomous road trails and this week announced it is supplying with taxi firm Uber with 24,000 self-driving XC90 SUVs from 2019.
Volvo chief executive Hakan Samuelsson said: ’The automotive industry is being disrupted by technology, and Volvo Cars chooses to be part of that disruption.’