Autopilot vs. Full Self-Driving
Alex Reale
· 3 min read
Tesla owners who have purchased the much-anticipated Full Self-Driving (FSD) feature are still waiting for it. It’s an enticing add-on for models that already have Autopilot driving tech built in. Autopilot boasts traffic-aware cruise control and autosteer.
With Full Self-Driving, drivers can expect automatic lane changes on the freeway and automatic parallel parking. It also offers Smart Summon, a feature that calls your car to you.
There’s a lot to look forward to, but based on current Autopilot capabilities, it’s not clear whether FSD will truly offer self-driving.
What did Autopilot testing reveal?
Car and Driver
tested the Autopilot features on their leased Model 3. Like other Tesla drivers, they don’t have access to FSD yet and this was only part one of testing. They’ll conduct part two once FSD is released.They took their Model 3 on a 70-mile loop around Ann Arbor, Michigan, on a sunny day. They noted that the car’s system learned a lot in the course of its 28,000 miles, and improved with each encounter of a new road situation. It got better at recognizing things like road signs, paint, and pedestrians.
Let Jerry find your price in only 45 seconds
No spam · No long forms · No fees
The current self-driving system has several issues
MORE: Tesla Autopilot Leads to Another Crash Into a Police Car
Car and Driver took the Model 3 on tricky roads with faded lanes and twists. They found that Autopilot went right down the middle of the lane a few different times.
FSD offers Navigate on Autopilot that makes automatic lane changes around slower highway traffic, and steers itself through interchanges, according to Car and Driver. It’s currently in Beta and can be activated in the Autopilot menu. The reviewers drove the car on the freeway to test out these features.
Some issues that they experienced included dangerous lane changes, too much time spent passing, and having to intervene to avoid hitting the guard rail.
Autopilot leaves a lot for FSD to improve on
Though no grades were assigned after this test, Car and Driver seems to have given the system a halfhearted pass. They noted that the Tesla traveled many miles without anyone touching the wheel and did well in a difficult interchange.
They were less impressed by an attempted freeway exit, where the system did not anticipate a lane change early enough and couldn’t get across traffic. Once FSD makes its true debut, the new tech can be compared to the current Autopilot system. Hopefully, the self-driving capabilities will see major improvements with the update.
In the meantime,
Jerry
lets you put your car insurance on autopilot. The AI-powered app helps you compare rates from 50 top providers in under a minute. Jerry contacts your insurance company to get the details of your current coverage so you don’t have to scale a mountain of questions. You get all the best prices and coverage with none of the legwork. Jerry even helps cancel your old policy.
