while recently at the parts desk of the dealership i asked the fellow to print out a copy of the various options that were supposed to come with my '09 E61--based on my VIN. In that printout, under the list of "series options", it mentions "cruise control with braking function". As I see it, that probably does NOT refer to the feature of touching the brake in order to cancel cruise control; i believe it refers to the new cc version which slows the car down when the system detects that it's causing the car to drive to closely to a car ahead. Yet, i don't seem to have this function (at least, i don't THINK i do). I thought i'd educate myself before asking the dealer. Any thoughts? I don't remember ordering the option, but then, i got a lot of options bundled up when I ordered the car. Basically, i'm wondering if i paid for it without getting it.

 

2 years ago i had a loaner,which had basically the same feature.
you have cruise control with a rotating wheel( sry dunno the right word) inside,where you can adjust three different gaps between your car and the car in front of you.
When you have the cruise control on, your car will brake automatically, so that you will achieve the gap you have chosen with the ratating wheel.

Hope this was helpful,

Bye Bye,
Ivano

 

I think what you are referring to is Active Cruise Control (ACC). An easy way to tell if you have it is to look at your front end....



The dome on the left of the pic is the sensor for ACC. The one on the right is Night Vision. If you have that dome, you have ACC.

 

There are three types of cruise control (depending on the market of course).

1) "Traditional" cruise control
2) Cruise control with braking function - on the downhill the car will brake if it would be going faster than the set speed
3) Active Cruise Control - Cruise control with braking function and the distance control

I got my Cruise control with braking function as part of the Business package in Finland.

 

#2 is standard for my car.

 

no.2 is standard on mine too, works pretty well

 

Dynamic Cruise Control.
Regulation of vehicle speed with automatic braking function: in bends, the speed is adjusted to the lateral acceleration that occurs.

http://www.bmw.co.id/x5/safety_dcc.html

I think that would be useful on the autobahn with it's gentle curves. The US Interstate highway is mostly straight.

 

Actually now when you mentioned it ... I have been noticing that if I drive cruise control enabled to the tight curve, the car will noticeably brake but DSC hasn't engaged so it isn't DSC doing that (and besides, cruise control would disengage in case DSC needs to do it's job). So, it would seem that E60 already has this at least when you have Cruise Control with braking function.

 

You're likely okay.

CC w/ braking is not ACC.

It only brakes to maintain the set speed, instead of freewheeling downhill and gaining speed.

I personally don't like the fact that when this system working and braking, the brake lights illuminate. You need to remember that if you are trying to slow down due to a radar trap, instead of just coasting slower. I don't like to light up the brakes in that situation.

 

+ 1

Neither do I.

I love the CC on our E60 without braking and ACC, and really dislike the new one with braking feature.

One of the reasons: You're driving behind a car at 140 km/h and the car in front of you is doing 137 km/h. You hit the gas pedal with the CC activated and accelerate up to 150 km/h to manage to take over the car, before the car behind you in the left lane would like to pass you. You therefore pull back into the right slower lane on the highway and let go the gas pedal. The first thing that would happen is the CC trying to get back at 140 km/h, by applying the brakes (brake lights ON) just in front of the car you just passed = Not nice!

I drove 2600 km's in the new Audi A4 with that type of CC and deactivated it several times after overtaking, to avoid the brake lights flashing to the cars behind.

/ Simon