!NEW! Latest Generation Adaptive Cruise Control for Opel Astra

• More comfort, less stress: Distance to vehicle ahead automatically maintained
• Data fusion: Opel Astra ACC integrates radar and information from front camera
• The future: ACC and driver assistance systems key components of automated driving

Data fusion: Opel Astra Adaptive Cruise Control integrates radar and information from front camera.

Opel is bringing the latest adaptive cruise control (ACC) technology to the compact market segment, introducing the new radar and camera-based ACC on the Astra hatchback and Sports Tourer with six-speed automatic transmission.

Compared with conventional cruise control, ACC brings additional comfort and a reduction in stress for the driver by maintaining a certain distance to the vehicle ahead. ACC automatically adjusts the speed to follow the vehicle in front according to the selected following distance. The system automatically decelerates the car when approaching a slower moving vehicle, if necessary by applying limited braking. If the vehicle ahead accelerates, ACC increases the car’s speed up to the selected set speed. ACC behaves like conventional cruise control if there is no vehicle in the driving lane ahead, but it will additionally apply the brakes to maintain the set speed when driving downhill.

The latest generation ACC from Opel uses not only the radar of conventional systems, but also the Astra’s front camera to locate a vehicle ahead in the Astra’s driving lane. The system operates at speeds between 30 and 180 km/h.

The Astra’s full speed range adaptive cruise control can even brake the car to a full stop behind a preceding vehicle and provide the driver with additional support, for example in traffic jams. When the car has come to a full stop, it can automatically resume following the vehicle ahead within three second[1]. Otherwise, the driver selects resume by pressing the “SET-/RES+” switch or the accelerator pedal when the vehicle in front starts moving again. If the vehicle in front starts moving and the driver does not respond, ACC gives a visual and an audible reminder to relaunch the car. The system then follows the vehicle again (up to the set speed).

“For us at Opel, driving is fun when it is neither boring nor over-demanding,” says William F. Bertagni, Vice President Vehicle Engineering Europe. “The Astra’s latest-generation adaptive cruise control technology perfectly matches our philosophy by taking more of the chore out of long distance driving or stop-and-go traffic, and helping the driver to stay fresh and concentrated.”

Opel Astra - Six-speed automatic transmission.

The driver controls ACC via switches on the steering wheel, selecting a “near”, “mid” or “far” gap for the preferred distance to the preceding vehicle. The “SET-/RES+” switch controls the speed while icons in the instrument cluster inform the driver about set speed, selected gap and if ACC has detected a vehicle ahead.

Cockpit display: icons in the instrument cluster inform Astra-driver about set speed, selected gap and if adaptive cruise control has detected a vehicle ahead.

Adaptive cruise control on the Opel Astra five-door hatchback and Opel Astra Sports Tourer is available as an option with the following engines:

Engine	Gasoline /  Diesel	Fuel consumption l/100 km NEDC combined	CO2 emissions g/km NEDC combined
150 hp 1.4 liter ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo	G	5.6-5.4	128-124
200 hp 1.6 liter ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo	G	6.1-6.0	142-138
136 hp 1.6 liter CDTI	D	4.6-4.4	122-115

ACC and the Astra’s additional driver-assistance systems are key components of future intelligent cars and automated driving. Lane Keep Assist (LKA) applies a gentle nudge of corrective steering if the Astra is about to stray out of its lane, followed by a Lane Departure Warning (LDW) if it should leave its lane. Automated Emergency Braking (AEB), Integrated Brake Assist (IBA), Forward Collision Alert (FCA) and Following Distance Indication (FDI) help to avoid or mitigate frontal collisions. A row of red LED lights flashes on the windscreen in the driver’s field of vision if the Astra is closing too fast on the vehicle in front and a collision is imminent.

Forward Collision Alert: If the gap shrinks below a safe distance, it warns the driver with a loud audible alarm, a visual warning in the instrument cluster and an LED projection on the windscreen.

The Astra’s single (mono) camera, installed at the top of the windscreen, collects the data for these systems.

[1] The “auto resume” function is available on the Astra with the 1.6 CDTI and 1.6 ECOTEC Direct Injection Turbo engines.