BlueCruise is Ford’s new hands-free driving aid – Roadshow [CNET]

Enlarge Image

“,”modalTemplate”:”

{{content}}

“,”setContentOnInit”:false}’>

Putting BlueCruise through the wringer, Ford engineers subjected the technology to more than 500,000 miles of testing to ensure it works safely. “This was a very aggressive test program,” said Michael Kane, engineering supervisor for Ford Co-Pilot 360. Fine tuning everything, last November and December Ford put five F-150 pickups and five Mustang Mach-E SUVs on an epic drive dubbed the Mother of All Road Trips, MOART for short. In total, this cross-continent trip covered more than 110,000 miles of highway in 37 states and five Canadian provinces. During testing, engineers collected mountains of data and subjected the system to all kinds of weather and lighting conditions as well as a vast array of different road surfaces and designs. More refinements are being made to BlueCruise, but MOART was really the final leg of this product’s development.

So far, so good. But what vehicles will BlueCruise be offered on and when does it launch? Well, this hands-free driving aid is available on select versions the 2021 F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E. On the truck, BlueCruise comes standard on the high-level Limited model, but it’s available on Lariat, King Ranch and Platinum trims if you order the Ford Co-Pilot 360 Active 2.0 Prep Package, which stickers for $995. As for the Mach-E, this technology is included on CA Route 1, Premium and First Edition models at no extra charge, but buyers of the Select trim can also get it if they nab the $2,600 prep kit.

But to enjoy BlueCruise, you’ll have to shell out an additional $600 for a three-year service period, something you’ll be able to pay for in the second half of the year. On F-150s that brings the total price to $1,595. If the Mach-E floats your boat, you’ll be paying up to $3,200 for this feature. In the third quarter of 2021, BlueCruise will be enabled via an over-the-air software update, meaning owners of vehicles sold months ago will be able to enjoy this fancy new technology. The automaker is aiming to sell more than 100,000 vehicles with BlueCruise in the first year it’s available, a significant milestone. In comparison, GM has had Super Cruise in its back pocket for years and is only just starting to make it available on a range of models. Of course, Ford’s new hands-free driving aid is slated to be offered on additional vehicles in the coming years. New features will be supported, too, including things like automatic lane changes and something called Predictive Speed Assist, which adjusts vehicle velocity for road curves. At launch, you won’t be able to use BlueCruise while towing, but it sounds like this feature will also be enabled in the future. Stay tuned for more information as Ford rolls out this exciting new driver aid.

You can go hands-free with Ford BlueCruise later this year

See all photos

+4 More