Ford is bringing Level 2 hands-free driving to the UK in the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The BlueCruise system is available on 2023 Mach-E models from today for free for the first 90 days and will include 2,300 miles of motorways across England, Scotland and Wales.
BlueCruise is a Level 2 hands-off, eyes-on autonomous driving system. This means that the driver must watch the road at all times but can take their hands off the wheel when in the designated Blue Zones'. The car then takes control of the steering, acceleration, braking and lane positioning.
The system has been available in the United States for some time and I had the chance to test it on the Ford Mustang Mach-E GT – you can see the video below. But this is the first time any hands-off, eyes-on system has been approved for use in the UK. BMW offers a similar system on its new BMW i7 but this is only available in North America at this time.
Being able to take your hands off the wheel makes for a more relaxing driving experience – even though you are still monitoring the road. BlueCruise is an impressive system and I can't wait to see how if it handles UK roads as well as it does US ones.
One difference with the UK BlueCruise is that it's subscription-based. After the first 90 days for free, it will cost you £17.99 per month to use it. In the US it was a one-off payment of $1900 (roughly £1500). The monthly price is fairly high right now but this is new technology for UK roads – and the only company offering it right now.
I'm sure though, after 90 days of using it for free, not many Mach-E drivers will want to give it up.
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