Stuck in Heavy Highway Traffic

The other day, my husband drove our Panamera to work and got caught in a major highway traffic jam. He decided to try out Traffic Jam Assist.

Porsche Traffic Jam Assist is designed to

support the driver in traffic jams and other slow-moving traffic at speeds below approximately 65 km/h (40 mph). The system helps the vehicle stay in the lane it has calculated. When Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) is switched on, the system can automatically steer the vehicle within its operating limits. (The driver must keep their hands on the steering wheel and be ready to take control at all times.) The system is designed for use on highways and well-maintained rural roads.

That’s the feature in a nutshell. (Summarized from the Panamera’s owner’s manual.)

Does It Feel Like Self-Driving?

Tap “Surround View” in the upper-left corner of the touchscreen shown below, and Lane Keep Assist on the right will also switch on. But Lane Keep Assist is designed to operate at speeds above approximately 65 km/h (40 mph). For the heavy traffic we were in, the right feature to select is “Traffic Jam Assist,” which operates at around 65 km/h (40 mph) or below.

If the instrument cluster displays the indicator shown below—and it lights up green—then the system is working normally.

For reference, Lane Keep Assist uses a camera mounted by the rear-view mirror to detect lane markings within the system’s limits. If the car approaches a lane marking and risks drifting out of its lane, the system can apply corrective steering.

The driver can override the system at any time by taking hold of the steering wheel and steering.

With Traffic Jam Assist switched on, the Panamera can follow the car ahead even when you take your feet completely off the accelerator and brake pedals.

If the car ahead brakes, the Panamera responds by braking, too. And if it comes to a stop only briefly (the manual doesn’t specify exactly how long), the Panamera will accelerate and move off again when the car ahead does.

Amazing! It really feels like a dream come true—self-driving! (ﾟ∀ﾟ)

We also tried taking our hands off the wheel. After a little while, this warning appeared.

My husband said, “It felt like I had my hands off the wheel for about a minute—it seemed like quite a long time.” I checked the owner’s manual, but it doesn’t say exactly how long you can leave the wheel untouched before the warning appears.

When Traffic Jam Assist is switched on, the driver’s steering input is monitored. If no steering input is detected, a warning message appears in the instrument cluster after a short time.
＊Quoted from the Porsche Panamera owner’s manual

Once my husband started steering again, Traffic Jam Assist resumed. He said it was “smarter than the cruise control in our Volkswagen Golf.” There was just one drawback.