Adaptive cruise assist on the Audi E-tron GT is a feature found on many EVs and modern cars. It helps with highway driving, maintaining a safe distance behind vehicles in front. At the same time, your fuel economy will improve, and you’ll always know how fast you’re going.
This article will walk you through adaptive cruise assist on the E-tron GT. You’ll find more information on switching it on and off and the system’s limitations.
Read on.
Table of Contents
What is adaptive cruise assist?
Adaptive cruise assist is Audi’s version of what is more commonly termed Adaptive Cruise Control.
It works like a standard cruise control system on normal open roads. When behind traffic, however, it will accelerate and brake the E-tron to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front. All of this is subject to the system’s limits, of course. See the end of the article.
Adaptive cruise assist uses radar and ultrasonic sensors with cameras to monitor the area in front of and around your car.
How to turn adaptive cruise assist on
Follow these instructions to turn adaptive cruise assist on in the E-tron GT.
You’ll need to use the cruise control stalk. You’ll find it on the left-hand side of the steering wheel.
- Pull the stalk towards you.
- After it engages, the system is active.
You now need to set the speed at which adaptive cruise assist should maintain your vehicle. Do this by either:
- Setting your current speed as the regulated speed.
- (Before activating) manually setting the desired regulated speed using the control stalk.
The regulated speed will be shown on your speedometer display. It’s a small red arrow around the edge in the thin red circle (adaptive cruise assist’s speed range).
Setting your current speed as the regulated speed
If you want to maintain the speed you’re traveling at:
- Ensure adaptive cruise assist is on (see above).
- Press the SET button. This will mean the E-tron GT maintains your current speed in adaptive cruise assist.
- The SET button is on the end of the lever.
The car will maintain this speed.
Preset the regulated speed using the adaptive cruise assist lever
Instead of setting adaptive cruise control to your current speed, you could manually choose how fast you want to go. Do this by:
- Check that the adaptive cruise assist isn’t on (the lever shouldn’t be pulled towards you yet).
- Move the cruise control stalk up and down to preselect a speed.
- Lift it up to increase the preset speed.
- Push it down to decrease the preset speed.
- Once you’re ready, pull the lever towards you to activate adaptive cruise assist.
Pausing and resuming adaptive cruise assist
If you want to pause adaptive cruise assist (that is, stop using it but without losing the preset speed), do so by:
- Either pressing the stalk away from you (not all the way); or
- Pressing the brake pedal.
The adaptive cruise assist light will turn off, but the set speed will remain.
The set speed will resume when you reactivate adaptive cruise assist after a pause. Do this by:
- Pulling the control stalk back towards you.
- You can also do this while stationary, provided you’re pressing the brake pedal.
Changing the set speed while adaptive cruise assist is active
Use the cruise control stalk to change the regulated speed while the system is turned on and in use.
- Tap the lever up or down to increase or decrease the set speed in small increments.
- Tap it up or down to the second level (you’ll feel it) to change the set speed in larger increments.
- Press and hold the stalk up or down to raise or lower the set speed quickly.
Turning adaptive cruise assist off on the Audi E-tron GT
When you want to turn the adaptive cruise assist off, simply:
- Push the lever back away from you. You’ll feel it click into its resting position.
- The indicator light will switch itself off, and the set speed will disappear from your dashboard.
Adaptive cruise assist is now turned off.
Adaptive cruise assist on the E-tron – system limits
In the following situations, adaptive cruise control won’t function as expected.
- The maximum speed at which adaptive cruise assist can work is shown by the thin red line surrounding your speedometer.
- Driving through bends and curves.
- Going up and down steep hills (particularly while cresting or reaching the bottom).
- Sensor impedance from environmental conditions (rain, snow, fog, dust, dirt, etc.).
- Stationary objects you’re approaching at high speeds or from some distance away.
- Sensor malfunction.
- Vehicles moving into or out of your lanes or that aren’t in the sensors’ direct “lines of sight”.
- Smaller road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, horses, trailers, etc.
- Traffic cutting across your path or approaching in the other direction.
Check out this PDF from the Audi E-tron GT’s owner’s manual for more information.
