Derek Shiekhi | Oct 14, 2020
When you configure a new vehicle, it's important to be able to mix and match certain things. You may want to get your new Corvette in silver with red seats instead of black. Or order your RAM 1500 with the MultiFunction tailgate, but without the RamBoxes on the side of the cargo box. When it comes to safety features, it's better to get several of them in one big bundle. Why pick and choose when it comes to your and your family's protection?
Fortunately, you don't have to because several automakers pack a variety of warning systems and driving aids into comprehensive packages with easy-to-remember names. These are just a few that you can find in vehicles at AutoNation dealerships.
Ford Co-Pilot360
When Ford refreshed the Edge for 2019, it not only gave it a facelift, but also used it as the debut vehicle for its Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety technologies. That combines the illumination of automatic high beams with the vision of a Blind Spot Information System and rearview camera and the assistance of a Lane-Keeping System and Automatic Emergency Braking.
That's just the beginning, though. Ford Co-Pilot360 Assist+ adds the convenience and control of Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go, Lane Centering and Speed Sign Recognition; Evasive Steering Assist to help you avoid collisions; and the guidance of voice-activated navigation with SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link information about weather conditions, fuel prices and more.
The revolutionary Mustang Mach-E electric performance SUV is available with the second-generation (aka 2.0) versions of Ford Co-Pilot360 and Co-Pilot360 Assist. The basic package comes with eight features, including Post Collision Braking to reduce the chances of a secondary impact. The more advanced one contains Intersection Assist, which Ford designed to make left-hand turns through intersections safer.
The Mach-E's available Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package will allow you to download Ford's new Active Drive Assist feature as an over-the-air software update next year. With that, if your eyes are fixed on the road ahead, you can drive more than 100,000 miles of divided highways in all 50 states and Canada without having to keep your hands on the steering wheel.
Nissan Safety Shield 360
True to its name, Nissan's Safety Shield 360 system uses cameras, radar and sonar to guard you from every angle. High Beam Assist automatically switches the high beams on when the road ahead is clear of oncoming traffic and turns them off when someone is coming your way.
If you get too close to another vehicle or person in front of you, Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection will alert you with audio and visual warnings. If you don't heed those in time, it can even apply the brakes to help you avoid a collision.
Two sets of eyes make sure you don't come into contact with the cars traveling next to you. Blind Spot Monitor sounds a chime to let you know when there's a vehicle somewhere you can't see in your side mirrors. Lane Departure Warning checks to make sure you're only switching lanes when you want to and warns you when it detects that you're unintentionally drifting over.
Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Automatic Braking literally watch your back by notifying you when a vehicle is approaching from the side while you're reversing out of a parking spot and applying the brakes to prevent you from bumping into something behind you when backing up.
Subaru EyeSight
You can't really put a price on safety, but Subaru has certainly quantified it in other ways. It crunched some numbers that show how the effectiveness of its EyeSight Driver Assist Technology. Subaru has sold over one million vehicles equipped with its dual-camera setup that watches the road, alerts drivers to possible dangers, and helps them avoid accidents.
According to the automaker, "EyeSight has been found to reduce the rate of rear-end crashes with injuries by up to 85%." But it also keeps its eyes open for hazards from every other angle. EyeSight's cameras are key parts in several major safety features. With Adaptive Cruise Control, you can choose a speed and following distance from the vehicle in front of you and let the system manage the throttle and brakes to maintain both settings.
Sway Warning and Lane Keep Assist will tell you when you're drifting out of your lane and make sure you stay in it. If an accident is likely, Pre-Collision Throttle Management and Pre-Collision Braking cut engine power and apply maximum stopping force, respectively, to prevent or at least minimize the impact of it.
Volvo IntelliSafe
For decades, the unofficial Swedish word for "safe car" has been "Volvo." They have a word of their own for their branded package of protective features: IntelliSafe.
Volvo divides it into three tiers. The basic system includes structural elements, such as a safety cage made out of high-strength steel, as well as electronically aided features, such as Run-off Road Mitigation, which keeps you from veering off the pavement, and City Safety, a combination of camera and radar tech that can potentially prevent collisions with vehicles, cyclists, pedestrians and even large animals.
IntelliSafe Surround encompasses more advanced technologies. One of the most notable is Blind Spot Information with steer assist. It warns you if someone is approaching in one of your blind spots and, if necessary, steers you out of their path.
The third tier of IntelliSafe is called IntelliSafe Assist. As long as you keep your hands on the steering wheel and your eyes on the road, its standout feature, Pilot Assist, maintains your cruising speed and following distance and keeps you centered in your lane at speeds up to roughly 80 mph (130 kph).
It also flies into action in emergency situations. According to Volvo, "When activated, the system also has a positive effect if a conflict is about to happen - the performance in emergency steering and braking is improved."
