Cruise Control - Feature Explained

What Are The Pros And Cons Of Cruise Control?

The pros, or advantages, of cruise control in a car are:

• It can maintain a preset speed by itself
• Cruise control offers better driving comfort on long journeys
• Ensures you do not break the speed limit on the highways
• Helps deliver better fuel efficiency with minimal driver input

Cruise control has the following shortcomings or problems:

• With the cruise control, it’s easier for the driver to doze off while driving for long hours without enough rest
• It’s not very useful on highways with varying speed limits, bad road conditions, 
• Makes it easier to get distracted behind the wheel

What Is Cruise Control?

It is difficult to keep pressing the accelerator pedal for a long time while driving on an open road. Cruise control is a feature that helps drivers relax a little by taking over the accelerator input as it maintains the preset speed. As an added safety measure, the cruise control disengages if you press the brake pedal. To use the cruise control again, you have to re-engage it manually. Once you have set the speed in the cruise control, you can also increase or decrease that speed using the ‘plus’ and ‘minus’ buttons. For a quick overtaking manoeuvre, you can just press the accelerator pedal 

How Does A Remote Central Locking Work?

All our cars have drive-by-wire accelerators. This means that our inputs on the accelerator pedal only provide an electrical signal, which the on-board computers use as input to adjust the quantity of fuel-air mixture. With the cruise control set to a specific speed, the computers adjust the same to maintain the desired speed.

How Expensive Is It To Repair Or Replace Cruise Control?

The cruise control feature does not typically fail as this is a software-based feature. At best, the only costs associated with maintaining the cruise control feature in your car is if you have somehow managed to break the cruise control stalk or the buttons on the steering wheel that lets you activate this feature. In such instances, you will need to replace the cruise control or buttons, which could cost you upto Rs. 15,000 - 20,000.

What Is The Cost Of Aftermarket Cruise Control?

It’s a little difficult to install the cruise control feature from the aftermarket, especially if none of the variants of the car you own have this feature. We strongly recommend against getting aftermarket cruise control. Since it manages the speed of your vehicle, an aftermarket cruise control can potentially end in severe damage. If your car is under warranty, then an aftermarket cruise control will certainly terminate your car’s manufacturer warranty. Hence, if you require this feature, you should spend a little more and buy the car or variant, which gets this feature from the factory.

How Easy Or Complex Is It To Install Cruise Control?

The cruise control feature comes fitted from the factory. It is impossible to add this feature once you have bought a car that does not have cruise control. However, if you have broken the controls to this feature, replacing the cruise control stalks or the steering wheel switchgear could take between 3-5 hours depending on the proficiency of the mechanic working on your car. We recommend carrying out such repairs at authorised service centres only. 

What Cars Get Cruise Control?

In India, most cars from the B-segment (Venue, i20, Aura, Dzire, Baleno) and above get cruise control at least in their higher variants. If you’re in the market to buy a reasonably loaded car, then you’ll most likely get cruise control from the factory.

Verdict - Should I Get An Aftermarket Cruise Control?

The cruise control feature is nearly impossible to install from the aftermarket if none of the variants of your car have this feature. Even if you find a workshop willing to take up this job, be warned that this be installed from the aftermarket. Hence, we recommend spending a bit more and buying the variant, which offers this feature. Cruise control is especially useful for car owners who frequently drive on the highways. However, if you mostly drive within the city, then you can skip this feature altogether.

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