Monday 27th July 2009

Nissan's Nanny Takes Charge

New assistance software helps drivers keep it on the tarmac

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Nissan is set to release its new Fuga luxury saloon (known as the M in the US) at the Tokyo motor show. We expect the Fuga to be unremarkable in almost every respect – other than being almost impossible to crash!

The Fuga - crash it if you can

At least that’s how it looks from the Nissan press release, which suggests its two latest driver assist systems, known as ‘Navigation-Cooperative Intelligent Pedal’ (NCIP) and ‘Active Stability Assist’ (ASA), will not only please acronym fans, but also promise to make the most ham-fisted driver look competent.

What’s clever about the new systems is they both make use of GPS technology to make real-time decisions about what the car should be doing over a given stretch of road.

The NCIP system, for example, can recognise when a bend in the road is approaching by using information from the vehicles sat-nav. It then - and this is the clever part - pushes upwards on the accelerator pedal, urging the driver to ease off. Think of it as the mechanical version of a passenger ‘phantom braking’ as you come into a corner too fast. Once you’ve been ‘encouraged’ away from the accelerator, the NCIP then applies the brakes.

Nissan says that this is the world's first driving assist system focused on reducing the driver's workload by integrating navigation, accelerator pedal, powertrain and brakes.

The other trick up the new Nissan’s sleeve is ASA - active stability assist. This is a development of conventional stability control, where the vehicle compares where the driver wishes to go with where the car is actually going. The ASA system can apply braking force to each of the four wheels, or reduce engine torque to help control the speed and direction of the car.

It’s impressive technology, that’s for sure, but it’s all a bit too ‘Nanny State’ for us. After all, if you can’t judge what speed you should be entering a corner, maybe you shouldn’t be driving at all…

[MICK E90 M3]

Sounds intresting, i like the way that car looks aswell

[Mr Gear]

Interesting tech, but frankly terrifying that anyone should need it. Maybe it should be fitted to all learners cars for 1 year? That's about the only use I can think for it.

[H22K]

Mr Gear said:

Interesting tech, but frankly terrifying that anyone should need it. Maybe it should be fitted to all learners cars for 1 year? That's about the only use I can think for it.

but wouldn't that just mean you'd have a load of people who have been driving for a year so think they know what they're doing, suddenly getting in to faster cars with none of the nannyness..?

[Negative Creep]

Sounds great! If I can't crash then no need to pay any attention to the road at all, I can just spend my time flicking through the ipod and talking to my passenger

[ctallchris]

ROLFL

[collateral]

Sounds like a terrible idea. Also no mention of the weather conditions, so if it was really wet you still might be going too fast

Shame, the motor looks decent in the picture. I assume this will have the 3.7?

[dudleybloke]

they need to ban this sort of stuff. its just going to mean more crashes as people switch thier brains off. if you need this technology to help you be safe then your are already a danger on the road.

[NeutralFanboy]

Looks like they traced out a CLS and added some drunken wavy lines.

[IanMorewood]

NeutralFanboy said:

Looks like they traced out a CLS and added some drunken wavy lines.

Interesting you say that I thought whats a picture of a Merc doing on a thread about Nissan?

Anyway all I will say is we are all doomed if this runs on Sat Nav, my (Garmin) sat nav on more than one occasion has told me to turn right onto a roundabout. Mind what do I expect it cost me £0.16.

[Parrot of Doom]

Great, so you're overtaking someone on the approach to a bend (safely I might add) and the car decides you need less power, not more.

fkoff Nissan.

[Sagacitas]

What happens when the road on the SatNav has been moved? Or even if it is just the roudabout that is changed?

More importantly - who is responsible if the system causes an accident?

[The Wookie]

PH said:

It’s impressive technology, that’s for sure, but it’s all a bit too ‘Nanny State’ for us. After all, if you can’t judge what speed you should be entering a corner, maybe you shouldn’t be driving at all…

Well, it's an un-sporting Nissan so it will only be driven by the old and decrepid who, by sweeping generalisation, shouldn't be driving anyway. I therefore can only see this as a safety improvement that will affect no-one's driving experience but the feckless and incompetent

[lionrampant]

The Wookie said:

PH said:

It’s impressive technology, that’s for sure, but it’s all a bit too ‘Nanny State’ for us. After all, if you can’t judge what speed you should be entering a corner, maybe you shouldn’t be driving at all…

Well, it's an un-sporting Nissan so it will only be driven by the old and decrepid who, by sweeping generalisation, shouldn't be driving anyway. I therefore can only see this as a safety improvement that will affect no-one's driving experience but the feckless and incompetent

And how long until insurance companies and government wombles start "encouraging" other manufacturers to install such technology?

[Cole Trickle]

Fuga

Fugly more like!

[The Wookie]

lionrampant said:

And how long until insurance companies and government wombles start "encouraging" other manufacturers to install such technology?

I was only kidding, but as you ask no-one has tried to force manufacturers to fit unswitchable DSC, and that's been knocking about for over a decade.

Obviously doesn't mean they wont in the future, but with regards to insurance, if it does in fact reduce accident rates, then it's reducing risk, so it's fair game. The only problem in that case is insurance companies loading premiums on cars without it fitted rather than passing on the benefits of reduced payouts (assuming a significant number of cars have it fitted in the future). As it stands it seems insurers don't really need an excuse to take the piss out of us.

[A911DOM]

Sagacitas said:

What happens when the road on the SatNav has been moved? Or even if it is just the roudabout that is changed?

More importantly - who is responsible if the system causes an accident?

Kind of what I was thinking...

Hey Nissan - How about trying to design an 'interesting' car that drives well and then let us decide when to brake / accelerate / think etc...

Ridiculous waste of technology and time.

[lankyarcher]

Am I the only person who believes that all these electronic safety systems lull people into thinking they are fantastic drivers? Close shaves or heart stopping moments are a couple of the things that teach you to be a better driver..... We have all had them, and as we all know at 17 you feel invincible, but with these systems surely 'said 17 year old will not learn?
Surely introducing some sort of mandatory skid pan sessions (like Finland) would be a better option, I just see that if little Johnny drives every car he ever owns with 'ESP', 'DSC' or the like, when the day comes that he fancies a 205 GTI, or an elise.... It will be game over rather quickly!

I'm sure 95% of the people on Pistonheads plied their trade in a variety of smaller engined machines, (Mine was a 205 1.1 Junior) this lets you build up your experience gradually and realise the mistakes you make at a moderatly low speed.

Sorry rant over... Bloody stability programs... Bah humbug! :LOL:

Edited by lankyarcher on Monday 27th July 14:57

[The Wookie]

What do you mean 'think' I'm a fantastic driver?

Seriously though, as a general rule most drivers have no talent and will do stupid things whether they think they're a driving legend or not. As long as I don't have to co-habit a race track with them I'm quite happy... which is one reason why I've given up on track days in favour of general tests

[lankyarcher]

The Wookie said:

What do you mean 'think' I'm a fantastic driver?

Seriously though, as a general rule most drivers have no talent and will do stupid things whether they think they're a driving legend or not. As long as I don't have to co-habit a race track with them I'm quite happy... which is one reason why I've given up on track days in favour of general tests

You are quite right, last time I was at Oulton Park there was some absolute cretin in a 'Nurburgring' edition Astra trying to defy the laws of physics! Going into druids at a fair lick, then stamping on the brakes when he realised he was going about 30mph quicker than he should have been. If it hadn't of been for his stability program he probably would have crashed.... I would argue that he should have crashed and would therfore learnt his lesson... Can I point you to the 'Darwin awards'

[ZesPak]

Isn't it more likely that this will fit into the Infinity brand?
The nissan brand isn't well known for it saloons...

Edit:
I do think there can be use for it, think of all the ppl doing 55mph on the freeway, in the middle lane, never indicating while changing lanes.
These are things that can be solved by all of this.

We're still not there where all of us HAVE to have a 5* pedestrian safety rating and the likes, we can stil choose what to buy. I'm pretty sure that ABS has kept some people out of my tailgate in the last years, and I'm pretty happy for it. Besides, when they put this into something like an Avensis, or a Passat, will you care? It's not like those are the cars you would "hoon" otherwise.

Edited by ZesPak on Monday 27th July 15:17