Has hands-free driving for hundreds of miles become legal in Europe? With Blue Cruise, Ford leads the way by offering this feature on a model already on the market.
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We had the chance to take the wheel—or rather, to avoid taking it—on a round trip exceeding 1500Km from Paris to Nîmes, and you’ll find the experience was quite pleasant, though still not perfect.
The Autonomous Driving Paradox
The prospect of not having to drive on the highway is appealing: between traffic, speed limits, and speed cameras, handing over the journey to a robot would likely appeal to many.
Yet, modern semi-autonomous driving goes against this idea: the computer actually demands more attention from you when it is engaged than otherwise! The pinnacle of this is seen in Tesla, which has implemented a sort of point-based Autopilot, that will penalize you if it deems you not attentive enough, or even completely disable the feature—ironically, as it ultimately reduces safety.
In vehicles that don’t yet have a capacitive steering wheel, the experience can even become a nightmare, because if you forget to apply force to the steering wheel regularly (even when driving straight!), the computer will wrongly reprimand and disconnect you. Some go as far as tracking your gaze, making it often difficult to adjust the GPS even though such semi-autonomous driving should allow for occasional inattention.
Fortunately, European legislation, which is very strict on this matter, is gradually loosening, though not entirely letting us off the leash. With Blue Cruise, Ford finally allows its customers to enjoy the small freedom of not having to touch the steering wheel… but not necessarily everything else.
What is Blue Cruise?
Blue Cruise is the name Ford has given to its hands-free driving technology. Yes, you read that right, the vehicles have been approved to operate without this still-common constraint at other manufacturers.
The certification takes months, which explains the slow implementation and the current lack of competition. Authorities must ensure that the system is reliable and perfectly secure. Ford was able to secure its approval as early as July 2024, but it took some time before the update was rolled out.
Blue Cruise is activated just like semi-autonomous driving, which it actually directly replaces. If you are on a “Blue Road,” Ford will automatically engage the function without any special manipulation. This allows you to drive hands-free, provided you follow a few rules.
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Which Roads are Eligible?
Blue Cruise only activates on Blue Roads, which actually cover a large part of Europe, except Switzerland.
In France, the system is triggered only on highways, with 95% of the sections being compatible, almost the entirety of the network. Yes, the sections are surprisingly numerous!
However, 2×2 lanes outside the highway network are not eligible. Sorry for the Bretons and other areas with only express roads, but that’s the way it is.
Other limitations, Blue Cruise will deactivate in tunnels, on bridges, and also in case of very sharp turns, even on highways. This is significant, as on some stretches, the sequence of tunnels and bridges requires particular attention, especially in areas like Nantua or around Nice/Monaco, which are very winding.
Eating While on Blue Cruise?
Not having to hold the steering wheel should normally allow for a bit of relaxation and the use of your hands for other tasks during driving—let’s avoid unflattering suggestions in the comments, thank you.
However, don’t plan on using your iPhone for long, as a small camera continuously tracks your gaze. Any use of the phone, a book, or any activity requiring prolonged attention will be quickly penalized.
Unfortunately, using the central screen and the GPS is not exempt: the action will be penalized like the rest! This is quite disappointing, as the system tends to remind you of the rules very quickly. To enter an address, it is sometimes easier to… deactivate the Blue Cruise. Odd, isn’t it?
With polarized sunglasses, the system still works. The same is true at night; the cameras are infrared, capable of analyzing the gaze under any circumstances. I’m not sure that the tracking is done at the eye level, but rather at the position of the head, because if you squint while keeping your torso turned towards the road, the system seems to leave you alone (I haven’t tried closing my eyes…).
Another practical use at the wheel is that of being able to drink and possibly snack a bit. Good news, this will be possible… as long as you’re looking at the road! Not always easy with a bottle in front of your eyes, but it works!
In fact, as long as your gaze is directed forward and you do not block the camera located at the level of the steering wheel, the rest matters little. This still remains level 2 autonomous driving, where the driver is supposed to be able to take over at any moment.
Why Overtake at All?
After several hundred kilometers using the system, I missed a key function that is already present in the USA: the ability to overtake automatically.
In practice, Blue Cruise is so comfortable that you even tend to not want to move back too quickly. Driving in the middle or in the left lane is obviously prohibited, which forces you to often take control in heavy traffic.
Ford has confirmed that automatic lane changing is legal in Europe and will arrive soon. Yes, it still requires certification, which the manufacturer did not want to wait for. Europe has many advantages, but regulation becomes difficult to manage in a market where technology evolves faster than the regulator’s ability to arbitrate in reasonable timeframes.
Finally, the car will not stop at tolls and will not take any specific initiative, especially if you need to take an exit—while some German manufacturers are already doing this. Only an emergency stop will be managed, the car will gradually brake and stop if the driver no longer responds.
It’s Paid!
Like Tesla’s FSD, Ford has chosen to make Blue Cruise a paid service, which might deter many customers.
After 90 days free, the monthly cost is high (€24.99/month) or via an annual payment of €280, a rather modest discount over 12 months. One might have imagined, for example, €199…
It will also be possible to purchase the feature outright from this summer for a price still unknown but certainly around €2000 to €3000, like at Elon Musk’s.
For now, one can imagine activating it only during the summer or for very long occasional trips, but not beyond.
Verdict: Looking Forward to More!
After more than 1500Km with Blue Cruise, there’s no doubt that the functionality excellently compensates for the absence of a capacitive steering wheel.
In general, one quickly gets used to not having to handle the wheel, even though the interest is still limited without lane changes and with constant attention on the road.
Compared with systems from BMW, Volkswagen, or Mercedes, which manage lane changes and incorporate a capacitive steering wheel, the added value of Blue Cruise is limited to being able to use both hands occasionally (to eat, drink, or other), which remains quite modest, especially considering the price.
Blue Cruise also gives the impression that we’ve only tasted the appetizer of true autonomous highway driving: it’s clear that modern cars are entirely capable of handling 100% of the driving and that legislation is lagging in allowing it.