M3 Cruise Control Settings

[WannabeOwner]

How do you adjust Cruise Control?

I'm doing 70 and come into 40 roadworks. Long-press on "-" reduces by 5 MPH. Is rinse-and-repeat the only way?

Press the brakes and want to re-engage Cruise, I still need 40 but its back at 70 again. Any way around that?

Has a way been added to engage at current speed? or is it necessary to either be behind someone (to control speed) or keep foot on accelerator until cruise-speed is adjusted?

If speed limit (on screen) changes then double-press to change to that speed.

Any other hints and tips?

 

[NorfolkMustard]

Fast-scroll/flick of the right scroll wheel changes speed in 5mph increments

tap speed limit on screen (once) to set to that speed (plus any offset you have set)

 

[WannabeOwner]

Fast-scroll/flick of the right scroll wheel changes speed in 5mph increments

That sounds a lot easier, thanks.

 

[Rob R]

Fast-scroll/flick of the right scroll wheel changes speed in 5mph increments

tap speed limit on screen (once) to set to that speed (plus any offset you have set)

Yes, those are the only tricks I know. If you just switch cruise or autopilot on, it will go to speed limit per its database, plus your designated offset (or minus?). The database is often wrong (it's not Tesla's database).

You get used to this, but if you forget, panic ensues.

I wish there were an option to select current speed as the default when first engaging.

 

[WannabeOwner]

I wish there were an option to select current speed as the default when first engaging.

yes, I agree, surprised there hasn't been a software fix of some sort of that - long-down on the stalk perhaps.

MS / MX have dedicated Cruise / AP stalk, so that has the expected adjustment options, including engage-at-current-speed.

 

[Bernard_S]

Yes, those are the only tricks I know. If you just switch cruise or autopilot on, it will go to speed limit per its database, plus your designated offset (or minus?). The database is often wrong (it's not Tesla's database).

You get used to this, but if you forget, panic ensues.

I wish there were an option to select current speed as the default when first engaging.

Exactly !! Can't be that hard, all the other manufacturers manage to do it.

 

[Adopado]

There are situations that are too complicated for TACC ... we definitely could do with a dumb cruise option that engages at current speed ... it's so obvious that it's needed!

 

[WannabeOwner]

all the other manufacturers manage to do it.

Without a dedicated Cruise Control Stalk?

 

[Tony Hoyle]

Another trick is it won't change speed until you let go of the accelerator, so if it comes on at 70 in a 40, if you get into the habit of keeping your foot down it gives you time to adjust it.

 

[Sunshine State]

The Model 3 cruise just doesn’t work as good as the S and X. I don’t know why Tesla can’t make it work as nicely as those. In the S and X if you are doing a specific speed hit the cruise and that’s the speed you get. We happen to have a crazy low 24 through 29 mph radar enforced speed limit in our neighborhood so I like to quickly hit the cruise to maintain that limit. My 3 thinks that if I’m doing 25 that 40 is the smart choice on activation and immediately accelerates until I can crank down the scroll wheel. The S and X, no problem. I have noticed the throttle adjustment time but why not just make it work as good as other cars?

 

[Adopado]

Without a dedicated Cruise Control Stalk?

Yep ... even a Ford Fiesta ...

 

[Bernard_S]

Without a dedicated Cruise Control Stalk?

???? What's the problem ? Flick down and it just has to engage at the current speed, not what it thinks the current speed limit is. It wouldn't be so bad if you could set a bigger offset but the maximum is -6 MPH.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Flick down and it just has to engage at the current speed,

Personally I have used , and would expect to be able to, select either current speed or previous set-speed, along with easy 1 MPH and 5 MPH up/down adjust. Resume previously selected speed after a disengage by e.g. brake is handy, particularly when in a 40 MPH Roadworks on motorway.

 

[Boggle]

Agreed... this is one thing I find kinda odd, that established tech and practice isn’t available but without even an upgraded version that just needs a tweak

 

[AndrewGR]

I’ve found that if I reduce the cruise speed on my M3 it can be automatically increased when the road changes. I noticed this first when towing at 60mph on the M42. As I joined the M5 I suddenly found I was doing 70. Not clever.

 

[bitmanEV]

Using Cruise Control since 1987 in various cars I can't say that I'm impressed with the M3 Cruise Control... Now most of the times not using it anymore while in our 'old' Leaf using it all the time

 

[jimbo_hippo]

Using Cruise Control since 1987 in various cars I can't say that I'm impressed with the M3 Cruise Control... Now most of the times not using it anymore while in our 'old' Leaf using it all the time

the ‘old’ leaf is certainly more conventional bitman but for me it’s also not particularly intuitive. When I drive my GF’s 2017, I can never remember which way up or down engages the speed and which one resumes. By the end of a short journey I’ve got it nailed but a few days gap and I’ve forgotten again and find myself sticking my reading glasses on again to decipher the steering wheel info. In fact most things on the steering wheel aren’t too obvious and overall, I find it a bit of a mess. I love that car and it makes me grin a lot. Possibly the ideal partner for a 3 as a second car, but I do find the cruise odd. It works the way it should but the controls are a bit bonkers to me. maybe I just need to force learn it, like my times tables or my girlfriends birth date.

 

[WannabeOwner]

Using Cruise Control since 1987 in various cars I can't say that I'm impressed with the M3 Cruise Control... Now most of the times not using it anymore while in our 'old' Leaf using it all the time

Sadens me when I read things like this ...but fully agree. However, good news is that all the similar scenarios I can remember over the 4 years that I have driven Tesla have been fixed OTA (well ... there must be some that I have forgotten ...), so hopefully Cruise Control will be improved. Begs the question why that hasn't happened already though ... and why Testing didn't pick up that the initial design had snags (plenty of history on that for Tesla too ... they aren't the only software company to do "Get it out the door, fix it later")

Original "graphic equaliser" was 3 sliders. Changed to 5 sliders in an update ... but ... then forgot all the settings when you pressed PARK <sigh> That got fixed a couple of months later.

Passive Entry became a thief's bonanza. Pretty sure it was only a couple of months until Tesla OTA'd "Pin to drive". Thieves then used the fingerprints on the screen to figure out the combination ... Tesla changed it so Pin-to-Drive pops up at random places on the screen. Meantime the likes of Merc have fixed it by selling expensive keyfobs that stop transmitting when they have been stationary for 60 seconds or somesuch.

and so on ...

But on the flip side some major overhauls of the screen layout have been hated ... and "Classic" has never been provided as a backwards-compatible option (and now Tesla are strong-arming anyone who hasn't upgraded by forcefully removing connectivity if they don't ...)

Brave New World.

. In fact most things on the steering wheel aren’t too obvious and overall, I find it a bit of a mess

I feel like that about the final BlueMotion Golf we had. Previous one had a dedicated Cruise stalk with the obvious/familiar movements to cancel/pause, engage, engage at current speed, nudge up/down either 1 or 5 MPH and twist for follow distance. That was replaced with (dedicated - so why not have a stalk?) buttons on the steering wheel and it took me a long time to remember how to do engage-at-current-speed (which from memory is labelled "reset" as in "reset to previous speed"). Pressing the up/down buttons to change speed is very laborious, just like Tesla M3, and the button contact is poor (obviously with a physical button I can glance at screen, see that it is set to 60, and thus eyes-on-road press the button counting from 60 to 70 .. but when I look down to check it almost never reached the goal). And follow distance? I could never remember how to adjust that, and its a full eyes off screen and try to work out if the image on screen is showing increase or decrease in distance. Between models they let Marketing have design of the screen ... the simple Compass showing N. NE, E, SE, S, ... got changed to a complete spider's web image and the devil's detail was thrown out with the bath water ... apologies ... still gritting my teeth all these years later

 

[bitmanEV]

same goes a bit for the SatNav... I had expect a better system from a guy as Elon who created internet vector maps in the 90s

cruise control is too jerky and aggressive, doesn't understand corners and brakes for no reason; had that this morning again as i do want to give Tesla a change but it spoils the use of it and the chance of being rear ended is very will present in there current version
hope that 'they' will fix it in the near future...

 

[WannabeOwner]

cruise control is too jerky and aggressive, doesn't understand corners and brakes for no reason

Agree (I drive with foot-over-accelerator to counter AP-hesitation/brake but that may not suit everyone). However, it has improved massively over the last couple of years, so the difference with Tesla is that lots will improve during your ownership.

I had 4 VWs in succession; not once did they offer me a SatNav upgrade, not even for Hard Cash. Now I get new maps once a quarter whether I want them or not