Inaugural Road Trip: Testing Pilot Assist

Miles Driven: 817

Feature Tested:  Pilot Assist

Randy’s Rating:  8/10

Our first road trip in the new XC90 wasn’t one I was expecting to make. Four days before Christmas, I received a phone call from my sister telling me Mom had fallen and broken her right ankle in two places. As a result, she would not be joining the family on Christmas day at my sister’s house, as she customarily does along with my stepfather, but rather would be recovering from surgery in a hospital two hours away.

So, on the Sunday before Christmas, we headed east in the XC90 to take Christmas to Mom. We were relieved to find her in good spirits and learn that the surgery had gone well.

The drive there gave me a good chance to test out Pilot Assist—the Volvo feature that combines a number of other tools and functionalities, such as Lane Keeping Aid, Adaptive Cruise Control, and the vehicle’s cameras and radar sensor, to effectively drive your car for you. Note that it’s called “Pilot Assist,” not “Auto Pilot,” because it’s not designed to turn your Volvo into a self-driving vehicle. Instead, it’s meant to make driving just a little less taxing on the driver, and a little safer. It also requires that the driver keep at least one hand on the steering wheel most of the time. Let go of the steering wheel, and after several seconds the car will warn you, first visually and then both visually and audibly, to put at least one of your hands back on the wheel. If you don’t, the Pilot Assist feature will stop working.

Note that Pilot Assist won’t do things like stop at stoplights or stop signs (unless there’s a vehicle stopped ahead of you), or follow instructions from the vehicle’s navigation system. My owner’s manual also notes that Pilot Assist “does not brake for people, animals, objects, small vehicles (e.g. cycles and motorcycles), low trailers as well as oncoming slow or stationary vehicles.”

To activate Pilot Assist, simply press the right arrow button on the control stalk, or lever, on the left side of the steering wheel when Adaptive Cruise Control is active. Alternatively, with Adaptive Cruise Control in standby mode, press the center button on that control stalk. A steering wheel symbol at the bottom of the speedometer display will turn green to indicate that Pilot Assist is active. To temporarily deactivate Pilot Assist, push that center button again, and the steering wheel symbol will turn grey. To turn the feature off completely, push the left arrow button on the control stalk.

I don’t see much use for Pilot Assist during short trips, on back roads that may be poorly marked or snow-covered, or when you’re making lots of turns. Nor is it intended for such applications. But on clear interstate highways, it can make sense. I tested the feature during our trip to Mom’s hospital and found that it pretty much works as advertised. Using its cameras and computers, the car keeps you centered in your lane and maintains your speed and your distance from any vehicles ahead of you, accelerating and braking as necessary. (You can override any of this at any time simply by applying pressure to the steering wheel, the accelerator or the brake.)

My sense was that the steering performed by Pilot Assist isn’t quite as smooth as what you get when you’re steering yourself. The adjustments it makes aren’t always as gradual, and hence as unobtrusive, as what a human driver can deliver. Still, it’s awfully good for a first-generation system. With one hand resting on the wheel but not directing it, I could feel the car being nudged left and right into the center of the lane a smidge more sharply in some cases than I would have done it myself. Or so it seemed to me. But none of the passengers in my car remarked on it, suggesting that either they didn’t realize it was happening or that it wasn’t so different from my ordinary driving after all. (I didn’t announce when I was activating and deactivating the feature.)

Overall, Pilot Assist performs as advertised, allowing you to cruise down the highway with minimal effort. I could see it being a valuable safety feature for anybody who might get distracted or tired during long-distance driving. Randy’s Rating: 8 out of a possible 10.

As for Mom? Shortly after Christmas, she left the hospital for a rehab facility where she would receive help getting back on her feet. When she’s up for it, I’m looking forward to giving her a ride in the Volvo. I think she’ll be impressed by the Pilot Assist feature.