I just tried out the latest free-trial version, for entertainment value more than anything else. If this is too long to read, the summary is: drove 3 small routes totaling maybe 10 or 15 miles, with roughly half a dozen "oops" moments including at least 2 times it deactivated itself for reasons that weren't obvious. I'm a FSD newbie, so feel free to tell me what I might be doing wrong.
Navigated from home to Home Depot maybe 5 miles away:
- Failed to pull out of our alley onto a neighborhood street (just sat there) so I did that manually.
- Successfully navigated a couple stop signs, slowed WAY down for several speed bumps.
- Approached intersection with light at larger busy street but the light turned yellow just as we reached it and the car touched the brakes then deactivated FSD and “coasted” (regen) to a stop further into the intersection than I’m comfortable with, including blocking a cross walk. I backed up and waited for the green light manually.
- Started again and it successfully took me all the way to Home Depot, another 4.5mi or so including several stop lights, merging onto and exiting the highway, and pulling into the large parking lot and proceeding to the front of the store.
Navigated to McD’s from Home Depot:
- Finding its way out of the HD lot was tricky and it failed, including seeming like it was pulling out into the path of an oncoming car (which had also just pulled out and turned, in a way that perhaps it did not have the right to do). I hit the brakes and left the lot manually.
- Started again and got to McD’s without further incident, including a few lights and an unprotected left into the lot.
Navigated from McD’s to home:
- Got confused trying to exit the lot where it should have turned left from the parking lot lane into a lane that parallels the street, and then immediately turned right to exit the lot and wait for an opportunity to turn right onto the street. It made the first left VERY slowly, then failed to take the immediate right turn (which was indicated on the nav screen), and pissed off another car in the lot by moving so slowly. I deactivated by wrenching the wheel to take the needed right turn.
- Reactivated after pulling onto the street and putting it into the middle (and correct) lane for an eventual right onto the highway. After a bit it changed lanes into the right lane but that lane is exit only for the wrong direction on the highway, so it almost immediately (50 yards?) moved back to the middle lane and then got on the highway shortly after that.
- Stop and go traffic on the highway came to a stop. The car signaled a lane change to the left to go around stopped traffic, but that lane had upcoming traffic so it waited a bit and then seemed to give up, turning the signal off. Almost immediately after that FSD just deactivated for no apparent reason.
- Reactivated and it took me all the way home, exiting the highway and navigating a few lights and stop signs. The last two turns (indicated correctly on the nav screen) are a right onto a residential street and then an immediate 45 degree right again into our alley (which is a city street on the map, but looks more like a driveway in real life). It took the first right onto the street but it drove right past the alley, continued another block or so and then pulled over and stopped (not where our house is). I deactivated and went around the block to get into the alley.
All in all it was impressive to a newbie, but at the same time that’s quite a few mistakes in 10 or 15 miles of driving. This is my first experience with FSD so what do I know.
D
.
