Ford Enhances BlueCruise to Extend Hands-Free Time
Systems that enable hands-free driving on the highway continue to suffer from a number of flaws and shortcomings, as we wrote about last week following two new studies published by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Ford’s BlueCruise is obviously part of the list.
While Consumer Reports ranked it No.1 in 2023, subsequent tests conducted by the IIHS in March of this year came to a very different result: BlueCruise and 11 other systems do a poor job of preventing misuse and keeping drivers from losing focus on what’s happening on the road.
- Also: Two Fatal Crashes Put Ford’s BlueCruise System Under Investigation
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What’s more, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) opened an investigation in April after two fatal crashes where Mustang Mach-E SUVs collided with stationary vehicles. The NTSB is working with Ford and local police departments to help determine what exactly happened in both cases, but the final report isn’t expected to be released until next year.
BlueCruise 1.4
In the meantime, the Blue Oval is busy working on enhanced iterations of BlueCruise. Versions 1.2 and 1.3 have enabled automatic lane changes and increased the performance of the system on narrow lanes and curves, respectively. Now, here comes BlueCruise 1.4, which Ford claims is designed to help deliver a more natural feeling drive and more time in hands-free mode.
Specifically, the system will automatically and smoothly adjust the vehicle’s speed in curves so drivers can stay engaged in hands-free mode longer and experience a more continuous drive. Furthermore, an all-new motion controller, which controls the vehicle’s steering, will help reduce side-to-side movements for greater in-lane stability.
Ford is also promising longer hands-free engagement than prior versions when driving in inclement weather like rain or direct sun.
BlueCruise 1.4 will be available on select BlueCruise-equipped 2025 Ford and Lincoln vehicles from the factory, including the 2025 F-150 and fully redesigned 2025 Navigator (pictured above), with more vehicles to follow. It will additionally roll out via a software update to select vehicle lines in the future.
As a reminder, BlueCruise-equipped vehicles come with either a complimentary trial period or an included duration, after which customers need to purchase a subscription to keep using the system.