Which Cars Have Self-Driving Features for 2016?
CARS.COM — What self-driving technology does each automaker offer today? In which of their cars can you buy it? And where does each automaker expect to go with this tech in the not-too-distant future?
Related: More on Self-Driving Cars
Those questions get to the brass tacks of self-driving cars. In our ongoing series on autonomous car technology, we’ve asked what makes a self-driving car, looked at some autonomous features that already may be in your current set of wheels, considered some of the barriers to self-driving cars and explored the future of vehicle autonomy.
Now we’ll assessing which automakers offer autonomous-vehicle building blocks. Features such as self-park steering, adaptive cruise control and lane-centering steering rely on sensors earlier cars didn’t employ, and are considered foundational. They automatically accelerate, brake or steer in certain driving situations but still require the driver for some or all other tasks, or to intervene when needed. The next step toward autonomous cars will be tech that does all three — accelerate, decelerate and steer — but with the driver keeping an eye on the road and other cars and taking over when necessary. Only a few automakers now offer these systems such as Audi’s Traffic Jam Assist. Beyond that would be a full autonomy, but no automaker offers this in the U.S. yet.
Where does each automaker stand on these self-driving features? Read on.
BMW
Every BMW except the Z4 and i8 offers at least some degree of automation through the automaker’s self-park steering and, in most cases, adaptive cruise control.
Self-park steering:
- 2016 BMW 2 Series
- 2016 BMW X1
Adaptive cruise control and self-park steering:
- 2016 BMW 3 Series
- 2016 BMW 4 Series
- 2016 BMW 5 Series
- 2016 BMW 6 Series
- 2016 BMW X3
- 2016 BMW X4
- 2016 BMW X5
- 2016 BMW X6
For two BMWs — the 7 Series and the electric i3, both self-parking cars — the available park system (primarily for parallel parking with the driver onboard) automates the steering and the accelerator and brakes. The automaker’s Traffic Jam Assistant, meanwhile, includes lane-centering steering and full-speed adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go functionality.
Self-park steering, acceleration and brakes:
- 2016 BMW i3
Parking steering, acceleration and brakes plus lane-centering steering and adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 BMW 7 Series
What’s next? BMW says the industry is on the cusp of “highly automated driving” but didn’t provide a specific timetable for when it would reach that.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
FCA says the following cars have adaptive cruise control, self-park steering or both.
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Chrysler 300
- 2016 Dodge Charger
- 2016 Dodge Durango
- 2016 Fiat 500X
- 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee
- 2016 Jeep Renegade
Self-park steering and adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Chrysler 200
- 2017 Chrysler Pacifica
- 2016 Jeep Cherokee
What’s next? FCA announced plans on May 3 to build with Google a test fleet of self-driving Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans. It’s a joint effort for both that could bear self-driving fruit down the road, but Google’s self-driving Pacificas won’t be for consumers.
Ford
Ford’s self-parking steering — among the first such mass-market systems — can park by steering the car into a parking spot while the driver works the brakes and accelerator. Ford and its Lincoln luxury division offer adaptive cruise control and/or self-park steering in these cars:
Self-parking steering:
- 2016 Ford Focus
- 2016 Ford C-Max
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Ford Mustang
Self-parking steering and adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Ford Edge
- 2017 Ford Escape (on sale now)
- 2016 Ford Explorer
- 2016 Ford Taurus
- 2016 Ford F-150
- 2016 Ford Flex
- 2016 Ford Fusion
- 2016 Lincoln MKC
- 2016 Lincoln MKS
- 2016 Lincoln MKT
- 2016 Lincoln MKX
- 2016 Lincoln MKZ
What’s next? Ford is developing a feature called Traffic Jam Assist that will combine lane-centering steering — not just lane-departure prevention, which the automaker already offers — with full-speed adaptive cruise control. Traffic Jam Assist will arrive in the next three years, Ford technology spokesman Alan Hall said. Ford is working on a self-parking feature that works the steering, accelerator and brakes to maneuver into a parking space.
The automaker also has a development program working to deliver “fully autonomous capability that takes the driver out of the loop,” Hall said.
GM
Self-park steering:
- 2016 Chevrolet SS
- 2016 Chevrolet Volt
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Buick LaCrosse
- 2016 Buick Regal
- 2016 Cadillac ATS
- 2016 Cadillac ELR
- 2016 Cadillac Escalade
- 2016 Cadillac Escalade ESV
- 2016 Cadillac SRX
- 2016 Chevrolet Impala
- 2016 Chevrolet Suburban
- 2016 Chevrolet Tahoe
- 2016 GMC Yukon
- 2016 GMC Yukon XL
Adaptive cruise control and self-park steering:
- 2016 Buick Envision
- 2016 Cadillac CTS
- 2016 Cadillac CT6
- 2017 Cadillac XT5 (on sale now)
- 2016 Cadillac XTS
- 2016 Chevrolet Malibu
What’s next? GM’s forthcoming Super Cruise system will accelerate, brake and steer, and in certain highway situations it won’t require you to hold the wheel periodically, as virtually all lane-centering systems do now.
Honda
Honda includes lane-centering steering and adaptive cruise control with its Honda Sensing and AcuraWatch packages, respectively. (Acura is Honda’s luxury division.) These packages are offered on a wide range of cars:
- 2016 Acura ILX
- 2016 Acura MDX
- 2016 Acura RDX
- 2016 Acura RLX
- 2016 Acura TLX
- 2016 Honda Accord
- 2016 Honda Civic
- 2016 Honda CR-V
- 2016 Honda Pilot
What’s next? At a meeting in Japan last year, Honda demonstrated a new Traffic Jam Assist feature that enables “high levels of automation in traffic,” said Honda spokesman Matt Sloustcher. Honda also aims to launch a system that “enables automated freeway driving around 2020,” he added.
Hyundai and Kia
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Hyundai Azera
- 2016 Hyundai Equus
- 2016 Hyundai Genesis
- 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe (on sale now)
- 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport (on sale now)
- 2016 Hyundai Sonata
- 2016 Kia Cadenza
- 2016 Kia K900
- 2016 Kia Optima
- 2016 Kia Sedona
- 2016 Kia Sorento
Hyundai’s Lane Keeping Assist, available on the 2016 Hyundai Genesis, can actively steer the car. Hyundai characterized it in 2016 as a lane-centering steering system but later changed the characterization, saying Lane Keeping Assist can’t offer “sustained latitudinal control” and only works to mitigate lane departure.
What’s next? Higher levels of autonomous driving will require vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication, said Cason Grover, a senior group manager in Hyundai’s vehicle planning division.
“That starts to solve problems that allow you to get off freeways and really safely manage intersections, because that’s the big challenge,” he said. “It’s a combination of big challenges. It doesn’t mean no one will do it without V2I [communication]… but I generally feel like that’s a critical step to get it to true mass market.”
True self-driving cars will arrive “before 2030, but maybe pretty close to it,” Grover said.
Mazda
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Mazda3
- 2016 Mazda6
- 2016 Mazda CX-3
- 2016 Mazda CX-5
- 2016 Mazda CX-9
What’s next? Self-driving technology doesn’t seem a huge priority for Mazda. The automaker has “safety technologies that align with autonomous cars,” spokeswoman Tamara Mlynarczyk said. “But those are designed to complement the driving experience and not supersede it. We continue to develop technologies that complement the Mazda philosophy of bettering people’s lives through bettering the experience from behind the wheel.”
Mercedes-Benz
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 G-Class
- 2016 CLA-Class
- 2016 GLA-Class
- 2016 Mercedes-AMG GT
Self-park, which steers but doesn’t control the accelerator and brakes, is available on “almost all of” the current lineup, Mercedes spokesman Christian Bokich said.
Lane-centering steering and adaptive cruise control, marketed under Mercedes’ Distronic system:
- 2016 Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- 2016 Mercedes-Benz E-Class
- 2016 Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class
- 2016 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
- 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class
- 2016 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class
- 2017 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class (on sale now)
What’s next? Mercedes’ redesigned 2017 E-Class will offer a parking system that enables the car to steer, brake and accelerate out of a parking spot; Bokich said it also will offer extended periods of hands-free steering, conditions permitting.
Nissan
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Infiniti Q50
- 2016 Infiniti Q70
- 2016 Infiniti QX50
- 2016 Infiniti QX60
- 2016 Infiniti QX70
- 2016 Infiniti QX80
- 2016 Nissan Altima
- 2016 Nissan Maxima
- 2016 Nissan Murano
- 2016 Nissan Sentra
What’s next? “Within the next couple years we expect to launch a system that has your hands-off capability,” said Andy Christensen, a senior manager of Intelligent Transportation Systems Research at Nissan’s Technical Center North America.
Tesla
At this time, Tesla’s Autopilot feature combines adaptive cruise control with lane-centering steering that requires minimal driver involvement, though currently encourages drivers to keep their hands on the wheel. Fully electric Teslas receive operating system updates, wirelessly, enabling the refinement and addition of features. Autopilot is available on any Model S manufactured since September 2014, when all the sensors and associated hardware became standard equipment, and the Model X, both currently on sale.
- 2016 Model S
- 2016 Model X
What’s next? Tesla CEO Elon Musk reportedly has said the automaker plans to have “fully autonomous” cars in less than three years.
Toyota
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Lexus CT
- 2016 Lexus ES
- 2016 Lexus GS
- 2016 Lexus GX
- 2016 Lexus IS
- 2016 Lexus LS
- 2016 Lexus LX
- 2016 Lexus NX
- 2016 Lexus RC
- 2016 Lexus RX
- 2016 Toyota Avalon
- 2016 Toyota Camry
- 2016 Toyota Highlander
- 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser
- 2016 Toyota Mirai
- 2016 Toyota Prius v
- 2016 Toyota Sequoia
- 2016 Toyota Sienna
Adaptive cruise control and self-park steering:
- 2016 Toyota Prius
Toyota’s Lane Trace Control operates as lane departure steering. Toyota called it as a lane-centering approach in 2016 but later backed off that characterization, saying its active steering systems only mitigate lane departure.
What’s next? Toyota spokeswoman Cindy Knight didn’t share any forthcoming developments, but Toyota announced plans in April to open a Michigan research center this year that focuses on fully autonomous driving.
Volkswagen Group
The Volkswagen Group also includes the Audi and Porsche brands. Here’s a rundown of what VW and Audi confirmed. Porsche did not respond to our inquiry.
Self-park steering:
- 2016 Volkswagen e-Golf
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Audi A3/S3
- 2016 Audi A5/S5
- 2016 Audi A6/S6
- 2016 Audi A7/S7/RS 7
- 2016 Audi A8/S8
- 2016 Audi Q5/SQ5
- 2016 Volkswagen CC
- 2016 Volkswagen Golf R
- 2016 Volkswagen Jetta
- 2016 Volkswagen Touareg
Self-park steering and adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Volkswagen Golf
- 2016 Volkswagen Golf SportWagen
- 2016 Volkswagen GTI
- 2016 Volkswagen Passat
Audi offers Traffic Jam Assist, which has both lane-centering steering and adaptive cruise control. “If you take the Traffic Jam Assist — I think that’s the best example — we have control of accelerating, braking and steering,” said Thanh Uy Phan Tan, an electronic strategy specialist at Volkswagen. Traffic Jam Assist is offered on:
- 2017 Audi A4 (on sale now)
- 2017 Audi Q7 (on sale now)
What’s next? Full automation is “going to be, at the beginning, probably limited to certain scenarios,” Phan Tan said. “Like, there’s a Traffic Jam Assist that would apply to that kind of conditional automation. That would be in a lower speed but very structured kind of condition.”
Brad Stertz, Audi’s director of government affairs, said he believes the next-generation A8 will introduce more automated driving technology in a production car, allowing the driver to take their hands off the wheel in some circumstances.
Volvo
Every U.S. Volvo model offers adaptive cruise control, self-park steering or more.
Adaptive cruise control:
- 2016 Volvo S80
- 2016 Volvo V60
- 2016 Volvo XC60
- 2016 Volvo XC70
Adaptive cruise control and self-park steering:
- 2016 Volvo S60
Pilot Assist that combines lane-centering steering with adaptive cruise control and operates up to 30 mph:
- 2016 Volvo XC90
What’s next? Volvo spokesman Jim Nichols said the automaker will increase Pilot Assist lane centering to 80 mph on the 2017 XC90, and the S90 — Volvo’s replacement for the S80 — will get Pilot Assist standard. (It currently only works at slow speeds on the 2016 XC90.) Nichols claims the S90 will be “actually the first car in the world to have this semi-autonomous technology as standard.”
Meanwhile, the automaker plans to allow consumers to test dozens of XC90s outfitted with self-driving technology on specified highways in its native Sweden, with the aim to allow drivers to divert their attention elsewhere while the car drives. Volvo calls it the Drive Me project. Volvo wants to conduct similar tests in China and the United Kingdom; it also has “a very strong interest in doing it in the U.S.,” Nichols said.
Other Automakers
A Mitsubishi spokesman told us the automaker didn’t have much to offer in the realm of autonomous driving, and representatives from Subaru did not furnish any specifics in response to our request.
Jaguar Land Rover did not provide details for its current lineup, but spokesman Nathan Hoyt told us the automaker plans to “have something autonomous” in the next decade.
Editor’s note: This post was updated on March 21, 2017, after Toyota and Hyundai changed their prior assessments of lane-centering steering.
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
