Lane Centering to come to the 2020 Ascent?
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https://www.ascentforums.com/#/topics/5895
Check out the above thread. There may be other threads.
As of right now on April 30, we are still speculating.
Check out the above thread. There may be other threads.
As of right now on April 30, we are still speculating.
Thanks. I did see that thread. I was hoping for some more concrete rumors. I am probably going to get a 2020. One would think since the 2020 Outback will have it and it’s a part of lka 2.0 and updated eyesight, Subaru’s flagship should get it. However, we know that’s not always the case.
I’ve never owned a Subaru before, but I like so much about the Ascent and the company and this forum. It has been a mixture of Honda and Toyota for myself and my entire family in the past. So I don’t really know what to expect or how to find out.
But we are so very close to the 2020 models it just seems foolish to buy a 2019 at this point without at least knowing what the differences are, even if they will be minor. I might choose the 2019 anyway. I was really hoping we’d have found out by now.
But we are so very close to the 2020 models it just seems foolish to buy a 2019 at this point without at least knowing what the differences are, even if they will be minor. I might choose the 2019 anyway. I was really hoping we’d have found out by now.
Vehicle manufacturers are not prone to prematurely revealing even minor changes between model years. I suspect that answers to questions about MY20 Ascent feature content will arrive at about the same time that dealers can begin ordering MY20 Ascents...which is likely in a month or so.
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Yeah, they don't want to slow the sales of the 2019 models!
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I’ll post on this thread since it is targeted to Lane Centering.
This seems to be a significant upgrade to what is presently Lane Keep Assist that basically reacts to your projected departure from the lane (as opposed to Lane Departure Warning)...
Do we think this requires extra equipment that won’t be found until a mid cycle refresh or is this more of a computer driven thing that EyeSight can pretty much do assuming it has the proper coding?
I can’t really find anything right now on Lane Centering from subie but it does sound like it will be called Touring Assist according to Wikipedia (but no sourcing on the info)...
This seems to be a significant upgrade to what is presently Lane Keep Assist that basically reacts to your projected departure from the lane (as opposed to Lane Departure Warning)...
Do we think this requires extra equipment that won’t be found until a mid cycle refresh or is this more of a computer driven thing that EyeSight can pretty much do assuming it has the proper coding?
I can’t really find anything right now on Lane Centering from subie but it does sound like it will be called Touring Assist according to Wikipedia (but no sourcing on the info)...
Just my two cents on lane centering (proactive) vs. the current lane keeping assist (reactive)... I have lane centering on my Odyssey, and lane keeping on my Ascent. Personally, I prefer the lane keeping.
While lane centering is almost like magic, and it certainly makes things easier when you're on the highway for long periods of time without much traffic, I find it somewhat dangerous when driving on the interstate while trying to pass cars and especially semi-trucks. I like to hug the outer white line when passing, to keep a safe distance from semi-trucks (which often drift side to side) but my Odyssey with lane centering will fight me when I do this, if I have forgotten to turn it off before passing (which I often forget). It can get a bit scary sometimes when I'm not expecting it, especially on curves with lots of traffic...
Main point being that lane centering is not necessarily "better" than lane keeping, it depends on your preferences and driving style. At the moment, I like lane keeping if I had to pick one. Actually, I wish I could have both, with the option to choose one or the other depending on traffic conditions.
While lane centering is almost like magic, and it certainly makes things easier when you're on the highway for long periods of time without much traffic, I find it somewhat dangerous when driving on the interstate while trying to pass cars and especially semi-trucks. I like to hug the outer white line when passing, to keep a safe distance from semi-trucks (which often drift side to side) but my Odyssey with lane centering will fight me when I do this, if I have forgotten to turn it off before passing (which I often forget). It can get a bit scary sometimes when I'm not expecting it, especially on curves with lots of traffic...
Main point being that lane centering is not necessarily "better" than lane keeping, it depends on your preferences and driving style. At the moment, I like lane keeping if I had to pick one. Actually, I wish I could have both, with the option to choose one or the other depending on traffic conditions.
I also have active lane centering on another new vehicle that I just bought. But I don't like it. Subaru LKA only nudges your steering when you are near the edge of a lane. With lane centering it is constantly nudging you, and for me, it was actually more tiring. So I turned it off, and just go with the standard LKA.
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Obviously there may be much more under the hood than I'm aware of, but I think if the Ascent can do LKA now, Lane Centering seems like it would be at best a minor software upgrade. Eyesight is already tracking the lane markings and can nudge the steering when you start to veer out of the lane. If anything, Lane Centering just seems like Lane Keeping with smaller nudges. My guess is that Eyesight is also already tracking both left and right lane markings simultaneously, too, so the center of the lane probably isn't a terribly CPU-intensive problem.
Of course the devil is probably in the details, like handling situations where one side of the lane markings disappears or other loss of reference.
I also can't help but think this is something that Sales and Marketing really wants, Engineering is pretty confident can be implement but Legal is super worried about. There may also be worries that if the centering system auto-disables super easy, people will get frustrated and say it doesn't work. But if it doesn't auto-disable when it should, people have accidents.
It sounds funny, but I almost wonder if we're getting to a point where you can't have these features unless you pass some kind of "flight test" where they make sure you really know how they work.
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I bought a 2019 ascent 3 weeks ago and honestly I’m having some serious FOMO. My daily commute is at least an hour each way and I feel I could really use the lane centering feature.
I will say, it seems to me like they wouldn’t want to release this feature on the 2020 model or everybody would immediately stop buying 2019s. Especially with the 2019s being so new, Anybody on the market looking at the ascent right now is looking to buy at MSRP or really close to it, so why bother with the first iteration then?
Maybe it’s just what I’m hoping for lol.
I will say, it seems to me like they wouldn’t want to release this feature on the 2020 model or everybody would immediately stop buying 2019s. Especially with the 2019s being so new, Anybody on the market looking at the ascent right now is looking to buy at MSRP or really close to it, so why bother with the first iteration then?
Maybe it’s just what I’m hoping for lol.
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I guess I'm in the minority, again. I have zero interest in "lane centering". I rarely use the LKA that my Ascent has, and when I do I consider it more than enough of a nanny for me. I feel like I don't have much of an issue keeping my car in my lane as it is, don't need more help. Combined with what seems like constant areas of highway construction around these parts, where these nanny features need to be disabled anyway, and I'd be loathe to have to pay for the tech. My vote would be (as if I had one), keep it as a gentle, subtle aid, not a near-self-driving "feature".
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I do agree with you in regards to LKA being "enough", but when I do long highway runs from a summer house to work (50ish miles of pure highway driving at 65mph), it would be nice to have the computer taking the main control at 5 AM.
Before I had my car with EyeSight I never thought I would say that, by the way.
Before I had my car with EyeSight I never thought I would say that, by the way.
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I don't see much benefit from lane centering vs LKA until the computer allows us to let go of the steering wheel for longer periods of time. However, I've never driver a vehicle with lane centering so I'm just speculating.
My Ascent already yells at me on a regular basis even when my hands are on the wheel. What we really need is curvier roads! :dunno:
My Ascent already yells at me on a regular basis even when my hands are on the wheel. What we really need is curvier roads! :dunno:
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It's funny, but I seldom use LKA because it makes the steering feel vague, like I'm fighting the car somewhat. I've mostly turned it on for the small handful of longer drives I've done so far out of curiosity, it doesn't make any sense in my usual urban/suburban commuting.
My guess is other than Subaru up-charging for lane centering specifically, I don't feel like it should cost much more. Once you have LKA, you already seem to have all the hardware and most of the software necessary for lane centering -- lane tracking, computer-driven steering actuators. Lane centering seems like just a slight variation on LKA behavior.
I would actually like lane centering because it removes much more driving burden -- all you have to do is pay enough attention to take over as necessary. LKA is more of an actual "emergency" type feature IMHO.
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You might need a Tesla for that. I've heard they can even dodge rabbits
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Yeah, but they catch fire for no apparent reason. (Just saw that on the news again, another burned down that wasn't in an accident.)
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But you'll need a chiropractor, too. My buddy owns a model S and we took it to Chicago a couple of weeks ago, and the interior is not comfortable at all. Low head room, hard seats. The good news that you'll stop every 150 miles to recharge, so there's plenty of opportunity to get out of the car.
I didn't drive it, but his model can only do EyeSight-like cruise control, although it does do lane centering, but not some of the more advanced self-drive modes Tesla's seem capable of.
With a much better interior it would be a decent urban driving car -- enough range that you'd never worry about charging, and it accelerates like a roller coaster.
Would not trade my Ascent for it, though.
Makes me wonder how many internal combustion cars catch fire every year compared to a Tesla.
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