How does Blue Cruise driving technology work with no subscription?

[Xman]

I have driven several 2023 F150s with Copilot 2.0 and 2024 F150s that were BlueCruise (BC) equipped with 90-day trail. The instrument cluster with BC Hands-Free activated is shown in #1 below. I’ve been trying to determine what capabilities I will have on my ordered (but has yet to have a VIN) Lariat 502 which will be BC equipped. I do not plan to pay for the BC subscription because of cost and that the roadways are rarely available to use it where I drive. The 2024 F150 owner’s manual states Lane Centering (LC) will still be available when Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged without a subscription. However, it does not provide any specifics. Of the 2024s I have driven, I have taken LC with ACC to a Stop & Go situation without being in a Hands-Free situation (#2 below). Other times LC would not engage or was slow to engage (#3 below). Last week, I drove a Job 1 XLT that was BC equipped (0126 Blend date, VIN 1FTFW3L84RFA04431) that caught me off-guard. It consistently gave a warning and disengaged LC anytime speed dropped below 45 mph. This also happens to be around the speed that Lane Keeping becomes inactive. Is it possible that this January built F150 did not have the latest BC software. I’ve been unable to determine what software is on the truck while sitting in the driver’s seat.

Any insight you can provide would be appreciated. Those that have 2024 BC equipped F150s where the subscription has expired, how does Lane Center function and can you take it down to a Stop & Go situation? I want to ensure I know what I am getting with a truck that is this expensive.

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[Xman]

For those just getting introduced to the 2024 F150 and BlueCruise (BC). Below is the map of the metered roadways where BC can operate Hands-Free, e.g., 130,000 miles in North America. This lags well behind GM’s 750,000 miles for SuperCruise. BC is also expensive, with only a 90-day free trial, after which it costs $75 a month or $800 per year. Super Cruise is $25 per month or $250 per year, and it comes with three free years of activation after purchase. The new 2025 Ram has no subscription fees but hands-free is a priced option.

I drive long distances on state roadways between TX, NM, CO, and WY. Hands-Free BC has little value to me because I would only be on metered/divided roadways for a couple of hours on my long journey. Make sure you check this map as only one dealer I have test driven 2024 F150s at was near a roadway where BC Hands-Free would become active.

Also, do your homework before you conduct a test drive. I have found no Ford Salesman that really knew how BC works. One told me the F150 BC eye tracker was located where the hands-free cell microphone port was. Another kept saying lane keep assist was lane centering. Another received BC training that morning. At least two were honest and said they had never driven BC so I introduced them what it was capable of doing from highway speeds to stop & go in town.

 

[SomebodyInGNV]

I have driven several 2023 F150s with Copilot 2.0 and 2024 F150s that were BlueCruise (BC) equipped with 90-day trail. The instrument cluster with BC Hands-Free activated is shown in #1 below. I’ve been trying to determine what capabilities I will have on my ordered (but has yet to have a VIN) Lariat 502 which will be BC equipped. I do not plan to pay for the BC subscription because of cost and that the roadways are rarely available to use it where I drive. The 2024 F150 owner’s manual states Lane Centering (LC) will still be available when Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) engaged without a subscription. However, it does not provide any specifics. Of the 2024s I have driven, I have taken LC with ACC to a Stop & Go situation without being in a Hands-Free situation (#2 below). Other times LC would not engage or was slow to engage (#3 below). Last week, I drove a Job 1 XLT that was BC equipped (0126 Blend date, VIN 1FTFW3L84RFA04431) that caught me off-guard. It consistently gave a warning and disengaged LC anytime speed dropped below 45 mph. This also happens to be around the speed that Lane Keeping becomes inactive. Is it possible that this January built F150 did not have the latest BC software. I’ve been unable to determine what software is on the truck while sitting in the driver’s seat.

Any insight you can provide would be appreciated. Those that have 2024 BC equipped F150s where the subscription has expired, how does Lane Center function and can you take it down to a Stop & Go situation? I want to ensure I know what I am getting with a truck that is this expensive.

I have no experience with BC but do have experience with ACC w/ Lane Centering. It's not bad but I find it easier to just steer it myself. That's because the truck is constantly twitching the wheel for the sole purpose of checking if you have your hands on the wheel and are paying attention. I find it more work to twitch the wheel enough to suppress the warnings than it is to just steer the truck on the types of roads where it might be useful.

Some owners report wrapping a 2# wrist weight around the steering wheel, or jamming a water bottle between the spokes. That off-center weight is enough to make the truck think you're in control. As I prefer keeping my hands on the wheel, I'd still feel the constant jiggle. It's smoother without it.

 

[LFRoss]

I have no experience with BC but do have experience with ACC w/ Lane Centering. It's not bad but I find it easier to just steer it myself. That's because the truck is constantly twitching the wheel for the sole purpose of checking if you have your hands on the wheel and are paying attention. I find it more work to twitch the wheel enough to suppress the warnings than it is to just steer the truck on the types of roads where it might be useful.

Some owners report wrapping a 2# wrist weight around the steering wheel, or jamming a water bottle between the spokes. That off-center weight is enough to make the truck think you're in control. As I prefer keeping my hands on the wheel, I'd still feel the constant jiggle. It's smoother without it.

No BC here as I have a 21 and don’t feel the need for it. But I also turn lane centering off on the few occasions I use my cruise control. With LC on I’m constantly getting the warning to put my hands on the wheel when my hand is on the wheel. That’s the one feature I’m constantly turning off

 

[Snakebitten]

If the truck has Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering, then you would be experiencing the same Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering that Bluecruise rides on top of. You just will not have hands-free officially, nor the eye-nanny monitoring your eyes.

The 2 features you will not experience is the truck changing lanes or biasing away from a large vehicle in the adjacent lane.

A 2024 would be shipped with the equivalent software of either Bluecruise 1.3 or 1.4. So a much more mature version of Adaptive Cruise/Lane Centering than us 2021-2023 guys first experienced.

 

[Xman]

If the truck has Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering, then you would be experiencing the same Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering that Bluecruise rides on top of.

Snakebitten, this is what I am expecting. So why then did the Job 1 F150 I mentioned above behave differently than the others, e.g., kicking off Lane Centering below 45 mph? Did this truck have the latest software or did it need an update?

 

[discothan]

Snakebitten, this is what I am expecting. So why then did the Job 1 F150 I mentioned above behave differently than the others, e.g., kicking off Lane Centering below 45 mph? Did this truck have the latest software or did it need an update?

My LKA kicks off if it can't detect the lines on the road; but once it re-establishes the detection of the lines the LKA turns back on. This is notated on the "digital speedometer" with grey-blue-red-green circle around the truck icon.

ACC works for me separate of the LKA in stop-n-go traffic. I do not have BC equipment/functionality on my 2021 F150 302A.

 

[RyanStroeder]

If the truck has Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering, then you would be experiencing the same Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering that Bluecruise rides on top of. You just will not have hands-free officially, nor the eye-nanny monitoring your eyes.

The 2 features you will not experience is the truck changing lanes or biasing away from a large vehicle in the adjacent lane.

A 2024 would be shipped with the equivalent software of either Bluecruise 1.3 or 1.4. So a much more mature version of Adaptive Cruise/Lane Centering than us 2021-2023 guys first experienced.

is the truck supposed to change lanes with 1.3?

 

[Snakebitten]

is the truck supposed to change lanes with 1.3?

1.2 introduced lane change to Bluecruise. The feature has to be enabled in Sync4 (Drivers Assist menu)

 

[superfordman]

All 24s ship with BC 1.4. I've been running 1.4 in my 23 since it dropped for it last fall and has worked awesome for me. Hard to say why it kicked out for you under 45, the system is good but not perfect. You have to know when to trust it and when to take over.

If you won't be on any BC mapped interstates, then ACC+LC is the way to go. I use it everywhere I go daily and can't live without it now. Just about to clock 30K on my 23 I got back in September and I love it.

I drove a 24 for a short drive last week and everything seemed to work just the same as mine except for the wonderful nanny cams which I would disable right away, and the new IPC software layout is complete garbage but I'll save that for a different thread.

 

[Snakebitten]

Snakebitten, this is what I am expecting. So why then did the Job 1 F150 I mentioned above behave differently than the others, e.g., kicking off Lane Centering below 45 mph? Did this truck have the latest software or did it need an update?

My LKA kicks off if it can't detect the lines on the road; but once it re-establishes the detection of the lines the LKA turns back on. This is notated on the "digital speedometer" with grey-blue-red-green circle around the truck icon.

ACC works for me separate of the LKA in stop-n-go traffic. I do not have BC equipment/functionality on my 2021 F150 302A.

As @discothan mentioned, Lane Centering will disengage for visual reasons. I'm unaware of a 45mph speed minimum. Lane Centering can stay engaged even in stop&go, along with Adaptive Cruise.

I haven't had the pleasure of driving a 2024 though.

 

[SomebodyInGNV]

If the truck has Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering, then you would be experiencing the same Adaptive Cruise and Lane Centering that Bluecruise rides on top of. You just will not have hands-free officially, nor the eye-nanny monitoring your eyes.

The 2 features you will not experience is the truck changing lanes or biasing away from a large vehicle in the adjacent lane.

A 2024 would be shipped with the equivalent software of either Bluecruise 1.3 or 1.4. So a much more mature version of Adaptive Cruise/Lane Centering than us 2021-2023 guys first experienced.

I wouldn't mind BC because it eliminates the nagging. I wouldn't be willing to pay for it.

I'm unclear why they exclude the bias away from large vehicles without BC. It's still not hands-free and it's just a tweak of what it considers the correct place in the lane.

Is LC better in '24s without BC?

 

[SomebodyInGNV]

If you won't be on any BC mapped interstates, then ACC+LC is the way to go. I use it everywhere I go daily and can't live without it now. Just about to clock 30K on my 23 I got back in September and I love it. ...

I suspect that driver monitoring during use of ACC+LC in a BC-equipped truck uses the camera, rather than twitching the wheel to measure driver resistance. That would make it tolerable to me. The constant jiggling of the wheel is not.

 

[Jesse-Infotainment]

Slight correction. If you have the CMR(Eye Tracking Cam) It stays active in all modes of cruise control. Even non hands free driving. The only ACC that wont have the eye tracing are trucks that dont have the CMR>

It gets a bit annoying when using ACC not BC that you will still be told to watch the road same as if you were using BC>

Like mentioned If you dont pay for BC then you will maintain everything other than hands free driving.

Lane keep assist only engages at 40MPH. Cruise control with Lane centering will work while engaged all the way to stopped. It is very helpful in stop and go traffic that is the traffic jam assist. The update also extended the time from auto resume from a stop. If the truck comes to a full stop in traffic the amount of time required before you have to hit resume to go again is greater now.

The ACC in these trucks are really one of the best I have used. really takes a lot of stress out of longer drives. The later updates have improved BC and ACC a lot.

 

[SomebodyInGNV]

... The update also extended the time from auto resume from a stop. If the truck comes to a full stop in traffic the amount of time required before you have to hit resume to go again is greater now. ...

Is that a setting somewhere deep in the system that we can adjust w/ FORScan?

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