I just got a brand new MY22 leaf, 40kWh with N-Connecta trim (so it has adaptive cruise control and a navigation system, but not pro pilot).
As the title says, I find the ACC a little violent. I'm using it in city stop-and-go traffic, but it has a tendency to sort-of not realise the car in front is stopping, and then realize late and brake rather abruptly. When accelerating back up, it likewise tends to accelerate harder than I normally would. Perhaps some part of this is psychological - I'm seeing the car in front slow for a roundabout or a stop sign, I'm seeing the brake lights illuminate, so I know a stop is coming... but all the car can "see" is the radar distance between me and the car in front, so logically speaking its reaction will always be a little delayed compared to mine.
I reckon this is normal behaviour since the one I test-drove before buying my leaf was somewhat similar, but has anyone found a way to tame it a bit? I'm just curious why it tends to be so violent. It feels like it's braking hard at the last second instead of smoothly coming to a stop. Admittedly stop-and-go traffic in Malta can be quite challenging, one moment you're doing 60km/h, next moment you have to stop dead due to traffic.
I've found that it's worse (i.e. more violent) if you set the spacing (i.e. car-following distance) to be closer (1 or 2 bars instead of the default 3 bars), and found that it improves slightly if you set a target speed close to what the traffic is actually doing. For instance if traffic is at 30km/h, I get better behaviour out of it if I set the cruise control target to 30km/h than if I set it to 60km/h (though the ultimate result is fundamentally the same because obviously it tracks the speed of the car in front).
Thoughts?
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P.S. on an unrelated note, has anyone figured out how the brake pedal works? A hydraulic diagram would be awesome. I perceive it blends regen with mechanical braking, but oddly the pedal doesn't really get stiffer as you brake harder, in fact I can easily push it all the way to the floor with the same pressure I use for normal braking, and it was the same in the test drive model, so it's something intrinsic by design. It feels more like "brake by wire" than a direct connection to the calipers. I'd really like to understand the underlying mechanism. If I catch it at the right moment, I can even feel the pedal changing stiffness as I engage or disengage e-pedal mode.
As the title says, I find the ACC a little violent. I'm using it in city stop-and-go traffic, but it has a tendency to sort-of not realise the car in front is stopping, and then realize late and brake rather abruptly. When accelerating back up, it likewise tends to accelerate harder than I normally would. Perhaps some part of this is psychological - I'm seeing the car in front slow for a roundabout or a stop sign, I'm seeing the brake lights illuminate, so I know a stop is coming... but all the car can "see" is the radar distance between me and the car in front, so logically speaking its reaction will always be a little delayed compared to mine.
I reckon this is normal behaviour since the one I test-drove before buying my leaf was somewhat similar, but has anyone found a way to tame it a bit? I'm just curious why it tends to be so violent. It feels like it's braking hard at the last second instead of smoothly coming to a stop. Admittedly stop-and-go traffic in Malta can be quite challenging, one moment you're doing 60km/h, next moment you have to stop dead due to traffic.
I've found that it's worse (i.e. more violent) if you set the spacing (i.e. car-following distance) to be closer (1 or 2 bars instead of the default 3 bars), and found that it improves slightly if you set a target speed close to what the traffic is actually doing. For instance if traffic is at 30km/h, I get better behaviour out of it if I set the cruise control target to 30km/h than if I set it to 60km/h (though the ultimate result is fundamentally the same because obviously it tracks the speed of the car in front).
Thoughts?
---
P.S. on an unrelated note, has anyone figured out how the brake pedal works? A hydraulic diagram would be awesome. I perceive it blends regen with mechanical braking, but oddly the pedal doesn't really get stiffer as you brake harder, in fact I can easily push it all the way to the floor with the same pressure I use for normal braking, and it was the same in the test drive model, so it's something intrinsic by design. It feels more like "brake by wire" than a direct connection to the calipers. I'd really like to understand the underlying mechanism. If I catch it at the right moment, I can even feel the pedal changing stiffness as I engage or disengage e-pedal mode.