Cruise Control - New D4D Auto Prado

[Gordo Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Gordo]

Hi guys - Move over - The waiting room just got a little more cramped.

I just completed the deal for my new Prado GXL Auto D4D, powder white, Option Pack 1, ARB Steel Colour-coded Bullbar (Suspension kit to follow), bonnet protector, headlight protectors, windshields, seat covers, roofrack, reverse sensors, colour Coded spare wheel cover & 2500KG Towbar. Should see vehicle mid March 2008. Thats only about 90 sleeps. :shock: :P

One thing that concerns me is the Cruise Control on the auto. I understand that it responds to hills, sometimes pretty violently by reducing gears quickly, whilst sometimes it disconnects. Has anyone with the Auto D4D GXL put the auto lever into the fixed gear to prevent this from occuring?

I am currently driving a Mazda 6 auto till the Prado arrives and I place the auto into manual overide mode. This prevents the cruise control from stepping down gear to keep the speed. On big hills, the cruise will release altogether.

My last 4WD (Should I say ?WD) was a 1992 Mitsubishi Pajero GLX auto. 92 Litre fuel tank - 550km travel distance, very very limited 4WD ability without expensive add-ons. Glad the Prado is on the way.



Whats your experiences with the Cruise Control?

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

the auto changes gear smoothly, but, in the v6 (i assume it would be very similair in the d4d, it goes back to 4th, then quickly goes back to 3rd and holds it for the hill. This would be great when towing, but can get annoying when not, as when driven without cruise, you can hold a constant speed most of the time in 5th all the way up the hill.

You can drop it back to 4th and the cruise will stay on, and it may help, but when you go back to 3rd manually, the cruise shuts off.

[Fazza Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Fazza]

Gordo,
Congratulations on your choice of next set of wheels.

As to the conserns with the Cruise control, I personally don't have a issue with the operation other than if you brake when going through a town or in building traffic & have dropped below approx 16 kph from your initial setting, you have to reset.
What ever :!: You would still have to push a button :roll:

Cheers,
Fazza

[HGMonaro Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close HGMonaro]

My biggest gripe (V6 for me) is that usually I can manually hold a higher gear (either 5th or 4th depending on hill) and maintain the speed than the CC which drops the gears increases the revs considerably and achieves the same thing at the expense of fuel! If you've got a Scangauge this is very visible... most I've seen with CC in charge is about 150L/100! Also, if I'm in charge and towing, I don't mind loosing a few kph to maintain the gear I've selected where the CC does everything it can to maintain the speed. When towing, this occurs on little undulations too which is probably more annoying. With the Prado I can easily beat the CC's fuel economy abilities, but from my experience in other cars, the CC usually does a better job. One thing about the Auto shifter is it is easy to manualy manipulate if desired.

Whether any of this is applicable to a D4D Auto I don't know, I've only driven my father-in-laws manual D4D, mostly around town not towing anything, so can't even compare it's performance to what I'm used to (the V6)

[pshenton Member Find all posts View Profile Close pshenton]

I drive the F3 everyday and there are some decent hills along there. I have a D4D VX and I use the CC all the time. However it is annoying that on some of the longer hills it kicks down a gear and revs its guts out when I know that if I have CC off I can easily hold 110 or more in 5th. Given the torque of the D4D it seems rediculous to me that the CC program feels the need to kick down when there's load of power on tap at 2500rpm.

Anyway, it's a small inconvenience for daily driving. Towing would drive me nuts though. I think I would stay in human control!

Phil

[StormyKnight Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close StormyKnight]

I suspect the CC program between the Diesel & the Petrol are the same......

Usually however, the CC will only drop a gear if speed is lost - even if it is only 2km/h!

I guess the CC is a compromise.....

Its either too agressive or its too sluggish. Unladen its probably too aggresive & loaded up its going to be close to ideal?

Anyway, I have been wanting a manufacturer for a while to add a 'fuel saver' cruise control. i.e when selected it will try to maintain the set speed in top or 4th, but if it can't it will settle on 10% less. i.e. 100km/h @ 110km/h. I dislike my Diesel being over 3500rpm, it distracts from the intent of cruise control I think.

Anyway will will wait & see I guess....fossil fuel may be extinct by then & we will be glad to maintain even 100km/h up a hill!

Cheers
Richard

[HGMonaro Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close HGMonaro]

I want a CC option that allowed you to dial in the most it was allowed to use. Dial in 30 (L/100km) and it doesn't feed in anymore than that.

[speedcomm Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close speedcomm]

Its interesting, I had an AU falcon auto with cruise, the auto had two settings normal and economy, on economy the gearbox was slow to down change and fast to upchange, especially on the cruise control. This is the only example I have come accross of the economy function actually doing whats its meant to do, it was very noticable, this would be good in a high torque diesel auto.

[Addy Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Addy]

Anyway, I have been wanting a manufacturer for a while to add a 'fuel saver' cruise control. i.e when selected it will try to maintain the set speed

Cheers
Richard

It may take a few more years for the technology to filter down but my olds have a lexus that when you select i.e 100 it will maintain this speed within a few k's in top gear if it can and not on a hill.

It also has a set distance between cars by this i mean that if you set it to say 100 and come upon someone doing 90 :x you don't need to hit the brakes as it will do that and maintain the set distance. Then when you see a gap put the foot down and go.

It is great no need to be on and off the brakes hitting resume.

[lawrance Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lawrance]

I drove a Toyota Kluger V6 3.3 recently, towing a wind up camper from Melbourne to Robe (South Australia).

Same deal with the cruise control - if you leave the CC to do its thing, there is a higher chance of the transmission dropping from top gear to 3rd and revving the guts out of the engine.

And likewise, if CC was turned off and I'm just using my right foot, it's possible to get to the top of the hill on one gear higher.

So it's not a Prado specific thing.

[Guest Close Guest]

As to the conserns with the Cruise control, I personally don't have a issue with the operation other than if you brake when going through a town or in building traffic & have dropped below approx 16 kph from your initial setting, you have to reset.

I am not sure on this one? Try as I might I cannot get mine to reset like this?
I did a trip the other day, 500 kms. Set the cruise at 115 40kms out of ADL > braked for heaps of towns and just hit resume (after manually getting the vehicle up to about 110 to save it dropping back to 2nd and doing a skid! :roll:
I could not get a single reset out of mine?
When I stopped to have lunch it reset (key off) but no other time?

Odd...

[Matt Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Matt]

yeah i dont get it either..

i have come to complete stops and hit resume after i go over 40kph.. and it will resume my speed.