Automatic lane change with Travel Assist - how does it work?

[yacoob]

According to the in-car manual, TA should be able to automatically change lanes. That is, if there's a white arrow on the current lane and you indicate in this direction, the car should accelerate and switch lanes. Sure enough, there's an option for this in TA's settings. The problem is, it doesn't seem to work :) I get into situations where the display shows left/right lane as empty, and there are white arrows pointing to those on the current lane on the TA section of the display. When I indicate, there's a bump in the speed, but there's no automatic lane change, nor is there an indication of a lane change on the display. Am I missing something here? The manual mentions that in order for this to work, the speed needs to be high enough and there need to be lane information available for the road I'm currently driving on. Given the arrows light up, I'm assuming that information is there. The navigation marks the correct lane on highways, so *some* information seems to be there :D

[sidehaas]

Do you have a car with software version 3.0 and the side sensors? I think auto lane change was only added with these features. If you do have them, you'll be very unusual in a car with Travel Assist, as this year the vast majority of cars delivered seem to have been Life and Family; the few Max and Tour trims delivered in spring were all on 2.3 without the sensors and therefore without that feature.
Afraid I can't help any further - if it should definitely work in your spec I'd contact VW/dealer.

[Jimmybones100]

My tour got delivered last month with 2.3 and no side sensors,I was really angry about it cause I thought I will get a car with all features and 3.0 software after waiting for 10 months and it being in the same price bracket as a Tesla but guess I was wrong .

[MotMot]

If it makes you feel any better Tesla’s now start at £48.5k….

I too have a 2.3 delivered tour from June 22 and it doesn’t have the side sensors… I’m going to wait and see if 3.0 doesn’t deliver lane changing as the area view cameras might cover the gaps the side radar does.. it auto brakes when reversing and something comes along out of range (and view) of the parking sensors..

Anyway - for me it’s no biggy - that large battery outweighs (literally!! ) and minor negatives like this. In the ten weeks I’ve had it - I’ve only had to use a rapid once.. unlike my 58kwh life. That wee bit extra is enough for me to get all my journeys done over the summer without a pit stop…

[Bengeo]

Anyway - for me it’s no biggy - that large battery outweighs (literally!! ) and minor negatives like this. In the ten weeks I’ve had it - I’ve only had to use a rapid once.. unlike my 58kwh life. That wee bit extra is enough for me to get all my journeys done over the summer without a pit stop…

Yep, my Tour delivered at the same time is 2.3 and no side sensors. My Golf SV from 2015 has side sensors and self parking!

The big battery is great. On a recent trip to Norfolk I did 313 miles and could have done it with just a very short top up on the way home.

But I wanted to try out some chargers for future reference and used a holiday park destination charger, Ionity using Bonnet and also a Tesla charger ......

[Newfie]

At the end of the day we still have to be touching the steering wheel and start to get reminded of that after 9 seconds.
The feature of Auto Lane Change will really only be any good if it goes fully autonomous self steering.
I find the side assist very good on my Tour.

[yacoob]

My car is Tech trim, on 3.0 - and I think it has the side sensors, as it does full assisted parking, proximity sensing on all sides, etc. I've tested the lane change more today, and it might be a software issue. Basically, the moment I start indicating it takes about a second for the car to realize that nope, the lane is not there, no change possible, no sirree. If I switch manually, the lane I've just departed from becomes marked as available in a moment. If I indicate back, the whole dance repeats itself.

To people who have this working: how *should* it behave, so I have something to compare to? :)

[Newfie]

My car is Tech trim, on 3.0 - and I think it has the side sensors, as it does full assisted parking, proximity sensing on all sides, etc. I've tested the lane change more today, and it might be a software issue. Basically, the moment I start indicating it takes about a second for the car to realize that nope, the lane is not there, no change possible, no sirree. If I switch manually, the lane I've just departed from becomes marked as available in a moment. If I indicate back, the whole dance repeats itself.

To people who have this working: how *should* it behave, so I have something to compare to?

I do not think you will find anyone in the UK that has this function yet as sidehaas mention in an earlier post that there have been no Tour's or Max's delivered with the side sensors. Here in the UK the "TTech" trim was deletedin the middle of 2021.

[Sherlock]

My car is Tech trim, on 3.0 - and I think it has the side sensors, as it does full assisted parking, proximity sensing on all sides, etc. I've tested the lane change more today, and it might be a software issue. Basically, the moment I start indicating it takes about a second for the car to realize that nope, the lane is not there, no change possible, no sirree. If I switch manually, the lane I've just departed from becomes marked as available in a moment. If I indicate back, the whole dance repeats itself.

To people who have this working: how *should* it behave, so I have something to compare to?

I don't have Travel Assist, but seem to recall a video showing it in operation - I think it was when Version 3 software was first being talked about.
May have been two VW execs driving in the car showing all the features (my memory is a bit suspect these days!).
Maybe someone else will recall it too and be able to point to it.

[DickieBoy]

My car is Tech trim, on 3.0 - and I think it has the side sensors, as it does full assisted parking, proximity sensing on all sides, etc. I've tested the lane change more today, and it might be a software issue. Basically, the moment I start indicating it takes about a second for the car to realize that nope, the lane is not there, no change possible, no sirree. If I switch manually, the lane I've just departed from becomes marked as available in a moment. If I indicate back, the whole dance repeats itself.

To people who have this working: how *should* it behave, so I have something to compare to?

I don't have Travel Assist, but seem to recall a video showing it in operation - I think it was when Version 3 software was first being talked about.
May have been two VW execs driving in the car showing all the features (my memory is a bit suspect these days!).
Maybe someone else will recall it too and be able to point to it.

Think there are a few videos of it on YouTube by the normal folk who cover the id3.

[yacoob]

Turns out, Batterylife tested this in one of his 3.0 videos. Looking at the video carefully, I can see that he's not moving the indicator lever, but instead he just taps it. Which kinds of make sense, if the whole lane change is supposed to be idempotent :) Will try this the next possible time.

[ar76]

Is this meant to work on any ID.3 with side sensors? I have the Max Pro Performance Model, running ID software 3.2. The car has side sensors - i.e. parking sensors along the side, not just front and back. With travel assistant on it shows cars or lorries in the lanes either side and ahead.

On Motorways usually with 3 or more lanes the two small white left and right arrows appear. Then when the lane to the side is clear then that whole lane ‘lights up’ and it shows a curving arrow going forward and up into that lane. But then the second I touch on the indicator in that direction it deactivates. This happens every time. So it seems to tease the feature and then it immediately deactivates when I try to use it.

[DumfriesDik]

I have used this feature a few times. However, the wee little arrows/pointers are rarely there for me. It's a pretty useless feature, just slightly better than self parking which I have never managed to try.

[Dermottdog]

Yep, I too have had little success with this function. My car is running 3.5. When I use it or try to use it, it’s very hit and miss. Sometimes I get the little arrows and sometimes I don’t. When I have successfully used it, it works well. The little arrows appear (dulled out). When the car detects nothing is coming along side and all is safe, the arrow become brighter and you can use the function. Press on the indicator causes the car to lane change.

[ar76]

Press on the indicator causes the car to lane change.

By "press" do you mean setting the indicator fully on (as you would for a junction) – or tapping it on (as you would do to indicate briefly) ?

[Dermottdog]

Press on the indicator causes the car to lane change.

By "press" do you mean setting the indicator fully on (as you would for a junction) – or tapping it on (as you would do to indicate briefly) ?

To be honest, I think both work. I would have said that a firm press is how it’s meant to be. When pressed, a message comes up on the cockpit display reminding you to check your surroundings. Then the car gently moves across. Because it’s all electronic these days, I don’t think it relies on a latching stalk.

[ar76]

To be honest, I think both work. I would have said that a firm press is how it’s meant to be. When pressed, a message comes up on the cockpit display reminding you to check your surroundings. Then the car gently moves across. Because it’s all electronic these days, I don’t think it relies on a latching stalk.

Thanks. Maybe I need to try it on a much quieter road. It’s probably overly cautious, but it just seems to deactivate the instant I touch indicator

[mediaguy]

Press on the indicator causes the car to lane change.

By "press" do you mean setting the indicator fully on (as you would for a junction) – or tapping it on (as you would do to indicate briefly) ?

It's been a while, but I think it's a light tap, and it only works on the motorways with an excessively large gap (in my opinion). I turned it off as it it needed a practically empty lane to move into.

[Dermottdog]

Press on the indicator causes the car to lane change.

By "press" do you mean setting the indicator fully on (as you would for a junction) – or tapping it on (as you would do to indicate briefly) ?

It's been a while, but I think it's a light tap, and it only works on the motorways with an excessively large gap (in my opinion). I turned it off as it it needed a practically empty lane to move into.

Yep, you’re right. A light tap only. Tried it today - light tap worked and full press didn’t.

[ar76]

Hmm, interesting. I tried it many times yesterday on an almost deserted 4-lane section of the A1M. The instance I touch the indicator the arrows go back to being grey. Tried it probably 100 times now.

Not essential of course but seems to conclusively not work on my ID.3, unless I'm not understanding what sort of "tap" I'm meant to give it. Do I tap the *end* of the stick maybe?