Ford’s Self-Driving Blue Cruise Holds It Own in the World of Self-Driving Vehicles

Competition drives better products and legacy automaker Ford is stepping up to the plate when it comes to autonomous driving technology that promises to change the future of driving. In a recent article by Consumer Reports, Ford’s Blue Cruise driver assist software was touted as one of the most comprehensive and competitive on the market. The hands-free technology which has long been associated with EV automaker Tesla is reimagined, redesigned, and simply impressive with Ford’s Blue Cruise adaptation.

What is Ford Blue Cruise and How Does It Work?

Ford’s Blue Cruise technology, formerly named Active Drive Assist allows drivers to operate their Ford vehicles hands-free on compatible roadways. These compatible roadways are dubbed “Hands Free Blue Zones” and span over 130 miles across North American roads. With the use of blue lighting on the digital instrument cluster, drivers are able to easily determine when Blue Cruise is activated.

Despite being able to provide drivers with a hands-free driving experience, this technology (as with competitor tech) is still in its infancy years. Like many other automakers that have rolled out hands-free driving capabilities, it goes without saying that remaining alert while behind the wheel and not fully depending on this self-driving tech is the safest way to operate a vehicle. Blue Cruise is not designed to take over your role as a driver, but rather it was designed to help aid in driver safety and vehicle performance, a mission that Ford has proven to be successful in over the past two years.

While automakers like Tesla have paved the way for self-driving vehicles, Ford has quickly been able to catch up and has earned its stripes as a worthy contender in the fully autonomous automotive space.

Industry Experts Tout Ford’s Blue Cruise Exciting Performance

Consumer Report’s Mike Monticello raves about the automakers “eerie” technology as the steering wheel is able to turn on its own “making micro-adjustments to keep the car in the center of its lane.” Blue Cruise also has the capability of slowing down or speeding up so that it constantly maintains a safe driving distance from the vehicles around it.

Ford’s Blue Cruise technology utilizes a system called Active Driving Assistance that establishes the simultaneous use of Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Centering Assistance. These driver assists work together to identify just how fast the vehicle should go, and when braking or speeding is necessary.

Consumer Reports senior director of auto testing, Jake Fisher also raves about the automaker’s advanced self-driving system. Fisher explains, “Systems like Blue Cruise are an important advancement that can help make driving easier and less stressful.”

Despite allowing drivers to operate compatible Ford vehicles hands-free since 2021, the software still has a long way to go before fully autonomous hands-free driving vehicles are available. Despite this, Ford has proven with their latest tech that they are a worthy contender of being an industry leader for self-driving vehicles.