[tcbk411]

Hey All,

I've been lurking on this board for a little while because I'm close to buying a gently used 2019 Forester. I feel pretty great about this, except for auto stop/start and EyeSight (pre-collision braking system, lane keep assist, lane departure warning). I live in Brooklyn. I'm a Brooklyn driver, ie: safely aggressive, lots of quick moves, stops and starts, crossing double yellow lines, very very tight squeezes. I'm thrilled about all of these safety features and even the auto stop/start for when I'm on the highway, road trips with my family, etc. But when driving in the city, I suspect that all of these 'features' are going to make it quite difficult to drive.

So, what are my options here? Please no opining on driving style, or suggestions that I change the way I drive. I've read the threads and there seems to be no easy way to toggle these features off and have the system remember that setting after the car is shut down. If I go with the 2019 or 2018 (minus auto stop/start) does this mean that each time I start the car up for city driving, I'm going to have to press 4-5 buttons to disable all of these features for that trip? Any self-identified New York (or other cities w/ similarly crazy driving) drivers who've had good or bad experiences w/ the 2019 or 2018? Should I just get an older model? I love everything else about the 2019.

Thank you!

TC

 

[harlenm77]

2019 here.

You don’t need to turn any of them off except lane keep assist, however, it only works above 35 mph anyway. That stays off until you want it back on. I don’t have any issues with stop start, it’s dependent on how hard you press the break pedal while stopped.

Edit, I don’t live in NYC but have driven in it plenty over the years


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[tcbk411]

Thanks Harlenm.

I was wondering about the pre-collision breaking system too. Does it allow for tailgating? Because while I surely keep many car length's distance on the highway, people are often up on each others' bumpers in New York. I just don't want to have a)a computer braking for me when I don't want it to and b) a bunch of warning indicators going off because the car perceives a safety issue when there is none. I've been driving almost daily for 30 years in this city, and also travel a lot-- it's a particular style of driving here that involves a lot of stuff that would be considered illegal, unsafe, or at the very least, inconsiderate elsewhere.

 

[PearlWhite]

Thanks Harlenm.

I was wondering about the pre-collision breaking system too. Does it allow for tailgating? Because while I surely keep many car length's distance on the highway, people are often up on each others' bumpers in New York. I just don't want to have a)a computer braking for me when I don't want it to and b) a bunch of warning indicators going off because the car perceives a safety issue when there is none. I've been driving almost daily for 30 years in this city, and also travel a lot-- it's a particular style of driving here that involves a lot of stuff that would be considered illegal, unsafe, or at the very least, inconsiderate elsewhere.

Yes it allows you to tailgate very close. It's looks at the speed difference so if you're following very close at about the same speed it doesn't react.

 

[AMC4x4]

Former NYC driver here (Long Island now) shopping for a Forester for the family car. Funny, I never thought about how all these safety systems would impact city drivers, especially in NYC where you just kind of push yourself into whatever spot in a lane you can find as you travel, kind of like water finds a void. I would imagine the only useful safety feature in general NYC driving would be the blind spot warning, but we're well trained to look over our shoulders before changing lanes.

I'm interested in the stop/start functionality as well. I absolutely detest it, and crossed the Buick TourX off our family wagon list because you cannot disable it even for the current trip. I don't mind turning it off once I get in the car each time, as that's what I do with our Grand Cherokee, but if you can't turn it off at all, that's gonna be tough.

Subscribed.

 

[harlenm77]

Wanted to add, eyesight will not let you accelerate if there is a car in front of you. I get it all the time at 4 way stop signs. I start to go as the car crossing in front of me is about to pass, and the car won’t react to throttle until the car is completely out of the way


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[harlenm77]

Thanks Harlenm.



I was wondering about the pre-collision breaking system too. Does it allow for tailgating? Because while I surely keep many car length's distance on the highway, people are often up on each others' bumpers in New York. I just don't want to have a)a computer braking for me when I don't want it to and b) a bunch of warning indicators going off because the car perceives a safety issue when there is none. I've been driving almost daily for 30 years in this city, and also travel a lot-- it's a particular style of driving here that involves a lot of stuff that would be considered illegal, unsafe, or at the very least, inconsiderate elsewhere.

I went to Pace in westchester starting in 95, so I used to drive into the city quite often. Last time I drove in was probably 3 years ago for a Ranger game. Now I just take metro north, much easier.


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[harlenm77]

From my last visit, last weekend, lol

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[tcbk411]

this seems like it would make driving in nyc quite difficult:

Wanted to add, eyesight will not let you accelerate if there is a car in front of you. I get it all the time at 4 way stop signs. I start to go as the car crossing in front of me is about to pass, and the car won’t react to throttle until the car is completely out of the way


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[harlenm77]

this seems like it would make driving in nyc quite difficult:

I honestly don’t know if it will or not, unless you plan on accelerating into the car that is 2 feet in front of you


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[SyrForester]

I'm sure someone will make a start/stop disabler before too long. They are available for other brands. Or in some cases, you can plug a trailer light tester into the car and it will disable the start/stop.

Seems like in NYC traffic, that's a good way to be doing yearly starter and flexplate replacement!

 

[harlenm77]

I'm sure someone will make a start/stop disabler before too long. They are available for other brands. Or in some cases, you can plug a trailer light tester into the car and it will disable the start/stop.



Seems like in NYC traffic, that's a good way to be doing yearly starter and flexplate replacement!

There is a button to disable it, or you just don’t press down hard on the brake and it won’t shut off

 

[twospirits]

Although I work and live in Queens NYC and technically it is part of NYC, the traffic here can be at times as bad as Manhattan. The Van Wyck expressway is trying to compete with the Long Island Expressway as the worlds longest parking lot. Between the cabs (yellow , green etc), bike lanes and everyone trying to get there faster than ever its going to be a ongoing stop and go no matter where you are at. And don't get me started on the yellow menace school buses that force you to stop to pick up kids when in my day we all walked to school. But that's a topic for another day.
Anyway, since having the Forester and driving throughout the city including Manhattan (but mostly in in the outer boroughs), I really do not find auto stop and start that bad. actually correction, I hated the idea at first, especially since one has to redo the turn it off procedure every time. And yes it can be a bit more refine and smooth when starting the car back up, but I don't bother doing the turn it off procedure when I first start the car anymore since I found that to be annoying. I actually gotten used to it and leave it on (plus I do like the fact that I've been saving gas even if it is a tiny bit.) Tailgating is possible without any interference from the eyesight safety systems since as harlenm77 mention it tracks the vehicle in front of you. Although I have cut back on tailgating since its a brand new car and really don't want to get into a situation where the person in front of me hard slams on the breaks and I end up tapping his rear end or someone tapping my car if I had to hard break myself. Speaking of eyesight, the other day it freaked me out. I was backing into a spot at a 45 degree angle trying to straighten the car up to the car next to me and a metal fence behind me and I guess I must have press the pedal a bit too hard going backwards and that rear collision break system went into effect. It was a nice big jolt, sort of what a front anti-collision system does with the breaks. It did stop the car from hitting either the fence or the other car.
As for the original topic question, I can only suggest is to go to a dealership that is within a heavily traffic area and do a test drive and then see how it feels in stop and go traffic.

TS out (stuck behind the yellow menace)

 

[tcbk411]

Thanks TS, harlenm, and syl. This is all very useful. Syl, do you think it makes sense to disable the start/stop when in crazy traffic? And,TS, I live deep in Brooklyn, in Flatbush/Midwood area-- and often taking Kings Highway to the Jackie Robinson over to the Van Wyck, so I know the traffic of which you speak. I'm also constantly driving up and down Flatbush and Nostrand, which are both totally insane, no-holds barred, chaos. So, it's good to know none of these features are getting in the way. And, yes, I should certainly test drive one, possible in my neighborhood to really get a sense if any of these things are going to drive me nuts, and if I'm going to have to do a pilot's flight-pre-check style routine every time i get in the car, of toggling off 4 or 5 switches.

 

[Tokyo SKE]

Driving in Tokyo is a challenge. Stoplights every 100 meters, narrow streets, bicyclists (without helmets), kids running around. I feel all of the eyesight features are helpful, maybe lane departure warning could be a bit annoying, but its only a few beeps a day.
THE AVH function is really great in the city, sitting at lights without your foot on the brake makes a huge difference I feel. If stuck in traffic, I just turn on ACC, and it creaps for me, just gotta watch for red lights.

 

[straphanger322]

Queens here...I've done some aggressive driving with my XT on the highways and I haven't been bothered by EyeSight one bit. The only time it starts acting is when I'm about to do something pretty stupid, which I shouldn't be doing in the first place. On local streets, I frequently maneuver out of the way to get around a car waiting to turn and haven't had an issue either. It all depends on your driving style but I haven't found it to be a bother.

 

[techseltz]

Queens here also, but I work by the Battery Tunnel so I'm on the LIE & BQE or Jackie & GCP combo depending on the traffic. Don't have auto start/stop on my '17 XT but I do have EyeSight. I didn't find it as intrusive as I thought it was going to be. I lowered all my Eyesight warnings to the lowest settings which helps.