What Level of Active Safety Features Do You Expect On Your C8?

[Shepherd777]

While reading the latest Motor Trend magazine, I noticed that the 2020 Kia Soul base model, costing $21,285, has the following STANDARD Active Safety Features:

• Automatic Emergency Braking
• Lane Keeping
• Lane Change Assist
• Blind Spot Monitoring
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert

Now I want to DRIVE my new C8, and not have a computer do it. But I'd gladly welcome any bits and bytes that help me or prevent me from crashing it if I momentarily become distracted. (Hey did you see that jogger???)

So what level of Standard Active Safety Features do you think Chevy should supply us with for cars costing an average of 50,000 smackers more?

[John]

Good question Shepherd777. We truly do not know, for while we saw a leaked order, even assuming it was accurate, it does not list which of the safety features on it are standard equipment or options.

However, if I were to guess based on 2022 Federal safety requirements and GM own stated increasing safety standards, I think you are five for five on your above list — with every one of them being standard equipment on the entry (no option) 2020 C8.

[Plasboy]

None of the above.

[MidEngine]

IMO most but maybe not all of the five would be standard equipment.

[Frenzy36]

I don't want any of it. I presently have it in a couple of my GM vehicles and I turn it off. I don't appreciate it trying to make decisions when they are not needed. When going over a bridge and not one car around anywhere and I was changing lanes without using turn signal it jerks the wheel out of your hand and scares the hell out of you. Likewise when accelerating and changing lanes with other vehicles around it gets confused and alerts and brakes when not necessary, and again scares the hell out of you, when you are completely in control. NO THANKS.

[Foreverfuelie]

IMHO, I too would prefer not having any “nannies” that provide direct interference in drivers control. I find the lane keeping and braking intrusive especially with my driving style. The last two I don’t find intrusive but informational and would welcome those additions. Save the weight, leave them off.

[Racer86]

I’m not sure about nannies, unless you can turn them off. On a Ferrari Club track day, the nannies in my F430 ( even turned down ) came very close to causing a high speed accident with a ZO6 Corvette. Same deal as stated above. Ran a little wide forwards an apex, ZO6 was about 1 foot behind, wanted to rotate the rear end to get the car back to the apex, breathed the throttle , car rotated correctly heading towards the apex. Corvette still very close. When I reapplied the throttle for the drive off the corner, the nannies pulled the throttle back, not allowing the car to pull off the corner. The corvette had to leave the course to miss me. All this at about120 mph. Had a long talk with the corvette driver after, and he said that he was confident following me that close, but was surprised when I didn’t accelerate at the apex. Nannies can cause problems, look at Tesla, Boeing for what can happen

[John]

Nice that they will be able IMO to be individually turned off. In my wife’s Mazda 3 GT (her DD), each and every one gets to be selected in the on or off position, and even better, about more than half have “sensitivity selections” where you can customize in-between choices as to how sensitive you wish them to be (like 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4).

I believe that we will see the same for our C8.

[P-Tree]

None of the above.

Concur with the above.

[Meldoon]

For the average driver, these nannies will and do prevent accidents. Years ago driving a Porsche 944, I changed lane without a turn signal. Fortunately, the guy in my blind spot was alert enough to avoid me. I, since then use turn signals even when I know no one is there. What could it hurt? When teaching my children to drive, I told them to imagine that the car wouldn’t change lanes without the signal. Courtesy is not a bad thing. Certainly for track use, I’d want to be able to turn off all nannies, to allow that up close and personal competition. If you are driving like that on the street, I guess, good luck to ya.

[ZoraC2]

It only needs really good Traction Control..."When you want it".

[brad66]

I hope it can be turned off for those of us who prefer not to use it. These features also add weight so if you want a light car for track use, will the 1LT trim level come without them?

[Meldoon]

In my Genesis everything except the automatic braking can be turned off. Maybe, with the Corvette being a performance car, we’ll be able to turn that off as well. I certainly hope so. That would make it un-raceable.

[Plasboy]

For the average driver, these nannies will and do prevent accidents. Years ago driving a Porsche 944, I changed lane without a turn signal. Fortunately, the guy in my blind spot was alert enough to avoid me. I, since then use turn signals even when I know no one is there. What could it hurt? When teaching my children to drive, I told them to imagine that the car wouldn’t change lanes without the signal. Courtesy is not a bad thing. Certainly for track use, I’d want to be able to turn off all nannies, to allow that up close and personal competition. If you are driving like that on the street, I guess, good luck to ya.

You should use turn signals anyway. It’s the law in Missouri. Turn a corner, change lanes, come to a y in the road or any change of direction.

[meyerweb]

I wouldn't be surprised to see AEB standard, since it's going to be offered on most cars by 2022** anyway. Of the others, the rear cross traffic alert is the only one that really interests me. I can still manage to stay in my own lane, and use my mirrors and turn my head before changing lanes.

But there were a lot of people complaining that the C7 lacked blind spot monitoring, so I'd expect to see than on the C8, too. And the same technology can be used for lane change assist* with just some added software, so that'll probably be there. If it has automated lane keeping, I sure hope it can be turned off. My wife's Honda has a warning when it thinks you're drifting out of your lane, and it falses way to often for my liking. There may be a good reason I'm drifting out of my lane a little bit (debris in the road, for example) and I don't want my steering wheel fighting my inputs. Corvettes are supposed to be drivers' cars.

*One question, though: What is lane change assist, and how is it different than blind spot monitoring?

In my Genesis everything except the automatic braking can be turned off. Maybe, with the Corvette being a performance car, we’ll be able to turn that off as well. I certainly hope so. That would make it un-raceable.

** Interestingly, AEB is not a federal standard. Automakers committed to offering AEB on "virtually all" automobiles by 2020. So I supposed GM could choose to leave it off a relatively low volume, high performance car like the Corvette, or make it user defeatable for track use.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases...nouncement-aeb