Ford BlueCruise V1.2 Review: Hands-Off Highway Driving Gains Some Impressive New Skills – SlashGear

While hands-free Level 2 systems remain controversial, not least because of the potential for drivers to overestimate just how capable (and autonomous) they really are, I’m still a fan overall. BlueCruise feels far more mature and stable than when it did when I first tested the technology. Though my hands and feet may have been poised and ready, the only times I actually needed to get involved were when I intentionally triggered the attention monitoring system by making it appear like I was looking away.

Currently, BlueCruise is available on the Mustang Mach-E, the F-150, the F-150 Lightning, and the Ford Expedition. ActiveGlide is offered on the Lincoln Corsair and Navigator. That’s not the full extent of Ford and Lincoln’s line-ups, true, but it’s a strong cross-section of them. Perhaps more notable, you don’t have to buy the fanciest trim in order to add BlueCruise.

Despite all the hype around autonomous driving, the reality is that we’re still a long way from cars that can operate themselves completely. And, while it’s easy to consider systems like BlueCruise as a step toward such a degree of self-driving, in reality they’re no more that than blind spot warnings are a replacement to looking over your shoulder, or that parking sensors mean you don’t need to watch while you reverse. Trust the tech too enthusiastically, and you’re going to get burned.

Nonetheless, highway driving is a chore, and I undoubtedly feel more comfortable at the end of it with a system like BlueCruise to support me. The challenge — as with most advanced driver assistance — is ensuring attention without nagging so aggressively that it’s not worth having the tech turned on. For my taste, Ford’s approach strikes that balance, and though BlueCruise v1.2 may not have quite the capabilities or the confidence of its most full-featured rivals yet, it’s a good example of how OTA updates can progressively make a good system even better.