BLIS with steer assist
 

The Volvo marketing and car configurator imply that the BLIS system is capable of making steering inputs to avoid a collision.

Interestingly this isn't mentioned in the manual anywhere (I've looked in the V60, V90, and XC60 versions).

Did some careful testing with a friend on a closed road and I can confirm that it won't intervene as suggested by the videos.

Presumably Volvo know this, so why do they continue to advertise it?

XC90 user manual has this feature mentioned - "Steering assistance upon risk of rear-end collision".

The subfunction can help a distracted driver who does not notice that the car is about to leave its own lane while an oncoming vehicle is approaching at the same time, either from behind or in the blind spot.

The function can assist by steering the car back to its own lane.

If the car is about to leave its own lane while another vehicle is in the blind spot, or another vehicle is approaching rapidly in an adjacent lane at the same time, the function can help the driver to steer the car back into its own lane.

The function can even assist if the driver intentionally changes lanes using direction indicators without noticing that another vehicle is approaching.

The function is active within the speed range 60-140 km/h(37-87 mph) on roads with clearly visible lane markings/lines.

After automatic engagement, the driver display indicates that this has occurred via a text message:

Collision avoidance assistance Automatic intervention

I can confirm this works on XC60, it happened to me on a road near Frankfurt. Unfortunately it was a false positive... :confused_smile: it was a not so standard highway split with two lanes going to the right. First one was already separated with a continuous line, the second was just starting to become available by turning right from the first lane going forward. When I activated the right turn light and tried to join this second line to the right, a speedy BMW was coming on the already separated first lane. I had to apply a lot of force to be able to correctly (and safely) join the second lane, the wheel kept vibrating trying to keep me on the first lane going forward. After I managed somehow to join the second lane, I got the collision avoidance message mentioned above. Until now I didn’t know what triggered this false positive, but know I see it perfectly matches the manual description above.

Yesterday I had a second false positive in a tunnel near Zurich, but this I can’t yet describe or match to any “feature”

I’m an experienced driver and in both cases I was able to asses the situation and correctly recover, I just wonder what would have happened to a junior driver who would have panicked? Anyone else experienced these types of false positives?

I find this on p.378 of the online UK XC60 owners manual:
Steering assistance at risk of collision
The function Collision avoidance assistance
can help the driver reduce the risk of the car
leaving its lane unintentionally and/or colliding
with another vehicle or obstacle by actively
steering the car back into its lane and/or swerving.
The function consists of these subfunctions:
• Steering assistance upon risk of run-off
• Steering assistance upon risk of head-on collision
• Steering assistance upon risk of rear-end collision*
The asterix means that it's optional.

Details are explained on the following pages.
I seem to remember that the sensitivity of collision avoidance can be selected.
This may help to avoid false avoidance :cool:

I have also experienced in a real life situation the intervention of the system. I was not careful and the car was going to the right, where another car was coming from behind. The system moved my car back on its lane, messaged popped up on display and that is when I realised what I was doing. Yet I think my speed was under 60 Kms/hr.

What is you model and MY?
If your car is older then MY2019 this is not implemented - you'll have to buy the upgrade.

Interesting that it’s in the XC60 manual but not the V60 version. According to the paperwork supplied with the car the package includes “BLIS with steer assist” but as I said, I’ve been unable to find a reference nor provoke it into action with a controlled test.

Edit: It's gone from the product page on Volvo's website. This is going to be an interesting conversation with the dealer as the steer assist function is the main reason I paid for the Intellisafe pack.

Edit 2: The eBrochure has been updated with a new video in the BLIS section showing the driver just being alerted to car in the blind spot and steering out of the way himself. Fortunately it's still in the price list as "BLIS with steer assist".

Cheers,

Dave

No such thing as "BLIS with steer assist". What gaby said- the function is called "Steering assistance upon risk of head-on collision".

https://www.volvocars.com/uk/support...426-2018-17w46

@Fursty Ferret: I don't understand how does one "provoke it into action with a controlled test".. Can you really do a "controlled test" of steering into oncoming traffic at 60-140km/h?.. Also, per manual: "..if the function detects that the driver is actively driving the car, activation of the function will be delayed."

Only controlled to the extent that the driver in the other car knew what was happening, although it was below the 60kph activation speed now I think back.

But it definitely didn't intervene as designed when I nearly splatted someone on the motorway the other day when the sun shone onto the mirror, and I missed them when looking back over my shoulder.

Thing is, I specced the Intellisafe pack to provide another layer of protection between me and other drivers (I'm most definitely not a driving god, and often end up on the motorway after shift work).

If it's not there, I'd like to know. Much like the City Safety, you never see it in normal driving but it's always running in the background.

@Haldex - No such thing as "BLIS with steer assist".

Google it. It's in the XC60 manual as linked to above, on YouTube, and on the pricelist.