Japanese car-maker's second attempt at driverless tech offers accuracy and real hands-off driving others can't, but it's not perfect
Being driven by a hopeless driver is a hateful experience and one we’ve all had to endure from time to time.
And it never takes long before your spider senses begin tingling that all is not well with your Uber to the airport.
I swear sometimes it take all of five metres and a simple misjudged prod of the throttle before I’m sweating.
Curiously, for me at least, it’s a similar experience with the current crop of semi-autonomous driving aids, from their panic braking, constant steering wheel corrections and dreadful lane positioning, to spotting and reacting to hazards that simply aren’t there.
From BMW to Audi, Mercedes to Tesla, they’ve all nearly killed me, or at the very least given me a bloody good scare.
You’d think with billions of dollars already ploughed into it that cars themselves would do a better job of driving, but despite what some claim, we’re a long way from your family sedan driving you home drunk from the pub while you snooze safely in the back.
Some engineers say we’re 10 years away, others that it will never completely happen in urban environments.
Nissan’s next-level tech
Until recently, the leaders have been Tesla and the Germans, but now Nissan has enhanced its semi-autonomous offering to a system that will drive from an on-ramp to off-ramp completely automatically, and is capable of switching lanes along with away with a flick of the indicator stalk.
That, perhaps, isn’t all that impressive, as Tesla has been offering that level of functionality for years – but the most remarkable thing about the Skyline I’m driving is that Nissan’s ProPilot 2.0 is doing all of that without a single hand on the wheel, and with a level of accuracy and precision I’ve never experienced.
It’s almost spooky how calmly the Nissan sedan tracks dead-centre within the lane, around curve after curve, unfazed by poor road markings that would see a Tesla dart left or right.
The secret to its driving prowess isn’t its hardware but something far more crucial – the actual mapping the ProPilot 2.0 system relies upon.
Mapping the key
The reason the Nissan has an uncanny knack of winding just enough lock on mid-corner is because it knows exactly where it is at any given time because of the 3D high-definition mapping.
Nissan, in effect, has removed the terrifying guesswork that other systems have to reply on but, of course, it isn’t quite perfect.
Instead of being able to enjoy the scenery the car-maker has installed cameras to track the driver’s eyes – to prevent them reading a newspaper or, worse, have forty winks.
The hands-off driving also doesn’t work in tunnels, or through areas of construction. More annoying is how the system deactivates if you indulge in some speed-limit bending.
Rain is also said to be a problem.
Finally, when you do reach a toll booth it’s up to you to take over but for most it is instantly the most relaxing semi-autonomous cruise you can buy.
Except you can’t.
ProPilot 2.0 only works if you have the advanced HD mapping that would involve surveying all of Australia’s seemingly endless kilometres of highway.
In Japan, the local car-maker’s close relationship with the government made the process pretty much simple. Down Under the amount of legislation, lack of funding and political will is, let’s say, lacking.
So if you want a car that can drive itself, be prepared to keep your wits about you and your eyes on the road – because you’re in for a white-knuckle ride for at least another decade.
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