Last year, Ford announced that a high-tech version of its Co-Pilot360 system would bring hands-free driving on a few models. Five months later, Ford finally has a name for its hands-free system, which will be called BlueCruise. The system will become available later this year on the 2021 F-150 and 2021 Mustang Mach-E, as long as consumers have ticked the right boxes.
To get BlueCruise, which will become available through over-the-air-software updates, consumers must have a 2021 F-150 or 2021 Mustang Mach-E with the available Ford Co-Pilot360 Active 2.0 Prep Package. With the F-150, the package is standard on the Limited trim, but is a $995 option on the Lariat, King Ranch, and Platinum trims. For the Mach-E, the package is standard on the California Route 1, Premium, and First Edition trims. The Select trim can be fitted with the package for $2,600. On top of getting the right configuration, Ford will be charging an extra $600 for a three-year service period to use BlueCruise.
Compared to Ford’s Co-Pilot360 system, BlueCruise is more advanced. Like General Motors’ Super Cruise, BlueCruise utilizes adaptive cruise control, as well as lane centering technology to allow the driver to take their hands off the steering wheel on “prequalified sections of divided highways.” While this makes BlueCruise sound like autonomous technology, it’s classified as a Level 2 system according to the SAE. That means the driver must keep a watchful eye on the systems at all times. Over Co-Pilot360, BlueCruise comes with a driver-facing camera that makes sure the driver is watching the road ahead by tracking eye gaze and head position.
To let drivers know when the system is in use and can be engaged, the Mach-E and F-150’s digital instrument cluster has multiple visual cues in varying hues of blue – hence the BlueCruise name. While this may sound confusing, Ford claims this is an effective way to portray information for those with color blindness.
For drivers that may feel nervous about taking their hands off the steering wheel, Ford claims that BlueCruise has gone through 500,000 miles of testing across the U.S. and Canada. Ford also hopes to sell more than 100,000 vehicles equipped with BlueCruise the first year the system is available. So, the automaker must be confident about how well it works.
This system sounds nearly identical to GM’s Super Cruise that was introduced back in 2017. The only difference between Super Cruise and BlueCruise is how the systems let drivers know the system is engaged and can be engaged. Beyond that, they sound like fraternal twins. The big difference between BlueCruise, Super Cruise, and other advanced driver-assist systems on the market, is that BlueCruise and Super Cruise are fully hands-free systems.
While Ford hasn’t announced what other vehicles will be offered with BlueCruise, we’re sure the system will be expanded to other vehicles in the lineup. The F-150 is the automaker’s best-selling vehicle, while the Mustang Mach-E is the brand’s high-tech, futuristic option. So, it makes plenty of sense to offer these vehicles with the system first. Going forward, we could see BlueCruise being offered on the majority of Ford’s lineup.
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