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What is Kia Smart Cruise Control and how does it work? 

Modern automotive technology has come a long, long way. Kia is no stranger to modern marvels and all new vehicles come with  some kind of technological  breakthrough. In recent years, radar or adaptive cruise control systems have surged in popularity. Kia models come available with Smart Cruise Control with Stop & Go. What  exactly  is that system? How does it work? Check out the video below courtesy of Kia Features & Functions Videos.  

You might also be interested in:  How can I maximize my fuel economy?  

How does Kia Smart Cruise Control work?  

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Smart Cruise Control display and control

Basic function.

You can see the status of the Smart Cruise Control operation in the Driving Assist mode on the cluster. Refer to More Details .

Smart Cruise Control will be displayed as below depending on the status of the function.

When operating

Whether there is a vehicle ahead and the selected distance level are displayed.

Set speed is displayed.

Whether there is a vehicle ahead and the selected target distance are displayed.

When temporarily canceled

The previous set speed is shaded.

The distance of the front vehicle on the cluster is displayed according to the actual distance between your vehicle and the vehicle ahead.

The target distance may vary according to the vehicle speed and the set distance level. If vehicle speed is low, even though the vehicle distance have changed, the change of the target vehicle distance may be small.

To temporarily accelerate

If you want to speed up temporarily without altering the set speed while Smart Cruise Control is operating, depress the accelerator pedal. While the accelerator pedal is depressed, the set speed, distance level and target distance will blink on the cluster.

However, if the accelerator pedal is depressed insufficiently, the vehicle may decelerate.

Be careful when accelerating temporarily, because the speed and distance is not controlled automatically even if there is a vehicle in front of you.

Based on Driving Style operating (if equipped)

A: Driving Style Adaptive SCC

When Based on Driving Style is operating, the message will appear on the cluster for 2 seconds, and the distance level and target distance will be displayed based on the driving style.

Smart Cruise Control temporarily canceled

A: Smart Cruise Control canceled

Smart Cruise Control will be temporarily canceled automatically when:

The vehicle speed is above 190 km/h (120 mph)

The vehicle is stopped for a certain period of time

The accelerator pedal is continuously depressed for a certain period of time

The conditions for the Smart Cruise Control to operate is not satisfied

If Smart Cruise Control is temporarily canceled automatically, a warning message will appear on the cluster, and an audible warning will sound to warn the driver.

When Smart Cruise Control is temporarily canceled, distance with the front vehicle will not be maintained. Always have your eyes on the road while driving, and if necessary, depress the brake pedal to reduce your driving speed in order to maintain a safe distance.

Smart Cruise Control conditions not satisfied

A: Smart Cruise Control conditions not met

In traffic situation

A: Use switch or pedal to accelerate

In traffic, your vehicle will stop if the vehicle ahead of you stops. Also, if the vehicle ahead of you starts moving, your vehicle will start as well.

Warning road conditions ahead

A: Watch for surrounding vehicles

In the following situation, the warning message will appear on the cluster, and an audible warning will sound to warn the driver of road conditions ahead.

The vehicle in front disappears when Smart Cruise Control is maintaining the distance with the vehicle ahead while driving below a certain speed.

While the Use switch or pedal to accelerate message is displayed on the cluster, if there is no vehicle in front or the vehicle is far away from you, and the + switch, – switch or switch is pushed.

Always pay attention to vehicles or objects that may suddenly appear in front of you, and if necessary, depress the brake pedal to reduce your driving speed in order to maintain a safe distance.

Collision warning

A: Collision Warning

While Smart Cruise Control is operating, when the collision risk with the vehicle ahead is high, a warning message will appear on the cluster, and an audible warning will sound to warn the driver. Always have your eyes on the road while driving, and if necessary, depress the brake pedal to reduce your driving speed in order to maintain a safe distance.

In the following situations, Smart Cruise Control may not warn the driver of a collision.

The distance from the front vehicle is near, and the vehicle speed of the front vehicle is faster or similar with your vehicle

The speed of the front vehicle is very slow or is at a standstill

The accelerator pedal is depressed right after Smart Cruise Control is turned on

Take the following precautions when using Smart Cruise Control:

Smart Cruise Control does not substitute for proper and safe driving. It is the responsibility of the driver to always check the speed and distance to the vehicle ahead.

Smart Cruise Control may not detect unexpected and sudden situations or complex driving situations, so always pay attention to driving conditions and control your vehicle speed.

Keep Smart Cruise Control off when the function is not in use to avoid inadvertently setting a speed.

Do not open the door when Smart Cruise Control is operating, even if the vehicle is stopped.

Always be aware of the selected speed and vehicle to vehicle distance.

Keep a safe distance according to road conditions and vehicle speed. If the vehicle to vehicle distance is too close during high-speed driving, a serious collision may result. Always pay attention to the road condition ahead.

When maintaining distance with the vehicle ahead, if the front vehicle disappears, the function may suddenly accelerate to the set speed. Always be aware of unexpected and sudden situations from occurring.

Vehicle speed may decrease on an upward sloped road and increase on a downward sloped road.

Always be aware of situations such as when a vehicle cuts in suddenly.

When you are towing a trailer or another vehicle, we recommend that Smart Cruise Control is turned off due to safety reasons.

Turn off Smart Cruise Control when your vehicle is being towed.

Smart Cruise Control may be canceled if interfered by strong electromagnetic waves.

Smart Cruise Control may not detect an obstacle in front and lead to a collision. Always look ahead cautiously to prevent unexpected and sudden situations from occurring.

Vehicles moving in front of you with a frequent lane change may cause a delay in the function's reaction or may cause the function to react to a vehicle actually in an adjacent lane. Always drive cautiously to prevent unexpected and sudden situations from occurring.

Always be aware of the surroundings and drive safely, even though a warning message does not appear or an audible warning does not sound.

If any other function's warning message is displayed or warning sound is generated, Smart Cruise Control warning message may not be displayed and warning sound may not be generated.

You may not hear the warning sound of Smart Cruise Control if the surrounding is noisy. Always pay attention to the road condition ahead.

The vehicle manufacturer is not responsible for any traffic violation or accidents caused by the driver while Smart Cruise Control is operating.

Always set the vehicle speed under the speed limit in your country.

Vehicle distance, acceleration and reaction speed may change if the driver's driving style changes. Always pay attention to the road condition ahead.

The vehicle must be driven sufficiently to reflect the actual driving style of the driver, such as vehicle distance, acceleration and reaction speed.

Based on Driving Style may not reflect the driver's driving style or driving conditions that affects driving safety.

If you are driving in special conditions, such as snow, rain, fog or steep sloped roads, the vehicle may not be driven according to the driver's driving style.

Smart Cruise Control may not operate for 15 seconds after the vehicle is restarted or the front view camera or front radar is initialized.

You may hear a sound when the brake is controlled by Smart Cruise Control.

Based on Driving Style may not reflect the driver's driving style that is not safe such as rapid acceleration.

Based on Driving Style does not reflect any other driving style other than vehicle distance, acceleration and reaction speed.

The paddle shifter does not operate when Smart Cruise Control is activated.

The images or colors may be displayed differently depending on the specifications of the instrument cluster or theme.

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How Adaptive Cruise Control Can Help Keep You More Serene

The technology is no substitute for staying alert, awake, experts say.

Linda Dono,

In this story

Extra eyes are useful • Cameras serve two purposes • What’s adaptive cruise control? • Reduce impulse to speed • Combat drowsy driving • Not always safer

When I bought a crossover SUV  a little more than five years ago, I wanted cameras in front to help detect obstacles in the road as well as the now-standard backup cameras.

I was fresh off an accident , and I wasn’t thinking about cruise control. My previous lower and more compact hatchback had run over a sign on a foggy morning — a sign that some bigger vehicle had knocked off its perch in a median and onto the roadway. I didn’t see it until too late.

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The twisted metal had enough height to impale my oil pan, and I couldn’t drive forward or backward. A groggy driver soon ran into the good Samaritan who had stopped behind me and added a second injury to the rear of my little car that ultimately totaled it. (Neither I nor the nice man was hurt, but I still wince at what happened to his car. I’ve lost his contact information and never thanked him properly.)

A car’s cameras  can have a second use

But those same cameras and sometimes radar and lidar that can warn about debris and stopped vehicles before a driver sees them — known as forward collision warning systems — also make a different kind of cruise control possible than what existed when I was 16. Although automakers use various names, the feature that has trickled down to moderately priced cars in the past five years is generically called adaptive cruise control .

“It can be really helpful for older Americans,” says Abigail Bassett, a journalist who has covered technology and the automotive industry for more than 10 years. “It takes some of the stress of driving in traffic away.”

I’ve long been a lover of stick shifts and hadn’t used a standard cruise control for years. In my return to an automatic transmission car, I didn’t realize I had the new feature until about a year ago. More than 60 percent of the 2023 cars, light trucks, SUVs and vans had adaptive cruise control installed, almost triple from 2017, according to Wards Intelligence, an auto technology research company headquartered in Southfield, Michigan.

At Consumer Reports, Kelly Funkhouser, associate director of vehicle technology, says that 89 percent of the models out last year had adaptive cruise control available. Only the base trim models didn’t offer it.

“If [buyers] end up getting adaptive cruise control, 90 percent of the people report they are using it and they report high satisfaction,” she says. Chances are good that your future new car will have it.

The way you turn the control on varies by vehicle.

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What is adaptive cruise control?

Cruise control makes driving long distances easier, but the more crowded the road, the more often you’ll have to tap the brakes to slow down. Adaptive cruise control uses the sensors in the collision detection system and the automatic emergency braking technology that often accompanies it to scan the road ahead.

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If a driver in front of you is going slower than your set speed, a car with adaptive cruise control will automatically slow down to ensure you stay a safe distance away. When you change lanes or the traffic ahead clears, your car resumes its cruising speed.

The idea is to keep a safe driving distance between you and the vehicle in front, so your car won’t need to use its automatic emergency braking to keep you from a collision. It doesn’t mean you have a self-driving car , but your new car is probably smarter than one you had a decade ago — and certainly smarter than my father’s Oldsmobile, a 2000 Intrigue that I inherited about 15 years ago.

Cruise control reduces the inclination to speed

Adaptive cruise control is useful if you tend to depress the accelerator a little too much, as I found myself doing on a drive alone in 2023 through a flat and sparsely populated part of the Navajo Nation in northeast Arizona. The police officer coming toward me on that two-lane road discovered my lead foot.

Driving down drowsiness

In 2021, 684 people were killed in crashes involving a drowsy driver, representing 1.6 percent of all motor vehicle traffic crash fatalities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports. Several companies, including Audi, Tesla, Mercedes and Volvo, have systems that will sound an alert if you appear to be dozing off — even with your eyes open.

Surveilling your vehicle, you.  Some systems monitor your vehicle’s movements, factoring in steering wheel angle, lane deviation and the amount of time you’ve been driving. Other systems, like Tesla’s, use cabin-facing cameras to watch you for signs of sleepiness, such as yawns and rapid blinks. If the car thinks you’re drowsy, it will suggest you pull over to grab a cup of coffee or stretch. 

Safety-minded older adults.  Yet older drivers might be the best monitors of their own sleepiness. Data from the National Sleep Foundation noted that only 19 percent of people 65 and older are likely to drive drowsy, compared with 71 percent of drivers age 18 to 29 and 52 percent of 30- to 64-year-olds.

I didn’t want to get into that predicament again. So I found a safe place to pull over, got out my car’s manual and looked for the cruise control instructions. That’s when I discovered my car had adaptive cruise control and I started my experiment with it, following cars that slowed at stoplights in small communities and sped up on the open road for the 300 or so miles to Los Alamos, New Mexico.

I still test it on crowded U.S. 50 into work and congested Interstate 81 in southwest Virginia. And here’s what I’ve learned in 15 months of using adaptive cruise control nearly every time I drive.

My average miles per gallon have increased by about two in the past year because I’m letting the onboard computer do the braking and a lot of the accelerating. But it’s not a substitute for being alert.

My version of adaptive cruise control must be tapped to resume after every stop. Sometimes when rounding corners, it doesn’t see another car soon enough, which causes some white-knuckle moments for my husband when he’s in the passenger seat.

It can approach a stopped car too fast. It won’t brake when a school bus extends its arm on the other side of the road. It doesn’t know the speed limit in a residential area and can’t sense speed bumps.

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Consider it a tool more than a fail-safe

“Everything we’re seeing tells us that partial automation is a convenience feature, like power windows or heated seats, rather than a safety technology,” says President David Harkey of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. His nonprofit educational organization, supported by auto insurers, released a study in July with the Highway Loss Data Institute looking at the crash rates of Nissan Rogues from 2017 to 2019 and BMWs from 2013 to 2017.

Consumer Reports ’ Funkhouser, who has been part of her nonprofit’s vehicle testing program for more than six years, wants to emphasize that all these features — adaptive cruise control, another one called lane centering that keeps your vehicle from drifting, and emergency braking — have more benefits than preventing crashes.

“I sometimes hear the sentiment of ‘Why do I need these fancy features?’ ” she says. “But who doesn’t want a second set of eyes to help you?”

Her concern with the safety features is when someone tries to use them as if they have a self-driving car. With lane centering and adaptive cruise control together, you’re not in control of a lot of driving-related tasks anymore, she says. But you still must pay attention to the road.

“They’re not meant to replace a driver but to make driving easier and less stressful,” Funkhouser says.

Adaptive cruise control and its partners in driver assistance have saved my bacon a couple of times in Washington, most recently when streets around the White House and Capitol were blocked for NATO’s 75th anniversary. Wide rivers of drivers were condensed into one lane, and maneuvering was almost a contact sport. I came out unscathed after a more than two-hour commute, most of it spent in the 2.5 mile stretch between the Potomac River and the office.

C ontributing: Chris Morris and Lexi Pandell

Linda Dono is an executive editor for AARP. Previously, she served as a reporter and editor for USA Today , Gannett News Service and newspapers in four states, including The Cincinnati Enquirer .

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Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia

The capital city of Nizhegorodskaya oblast: Nizhny Novgorod .

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast - Overview

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the central part of European Russia, in the Volga Federal District. Nizhny Novgorod is the capital city of the region.

The population of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is about 3,144,000 (2022), the area - 76,624 sq. km.

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Nizhegorodskaya oblast latest news and posts from our blog:.

7 January, 2022 / Nikolai Bugrov's Summer Dacha in Volodarsk .

20 March, 2016 / Belyaev Manor in the village of Voskresenskoye .

13 October, 2012 / The most polluted lake in the world located near Dzerzhinsk .

30 July, 2010 / Escaping the forest fire .

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast - Features

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is one of the largest regions of Central Russia. The length of the region from north to south is about 400 km, from west to east - about 300 km. The largest rivers in the European part of Russia flow through the region - the Volga and the Oka.

The largest cities are Nizhny Novgorod (1,234,000), Dzerzhinsk (225,500), Arzamas (102,600), Sarov (96,100), Bor (76,300), Kstovo (66,500), Pavlovo (55,300), Vyksa (52,500), Balakhna (47,200).

The climate of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast is temperate continental climate. The average temperature in January is minus 12 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 19 degrees Celsius. Winter lasts from early November to late March.

There are deposits of peat, phosphorites, iron ores. There is a large deposit of titanium and zirconium ores in the basin of the Pyana River, one of the five largest deposits of titanium and zirconium in Russia. Forests cover about 53% of the territory.

The main industries are engineering, metalworking, chemical and petrochemical industries, forestry, woodworking and paper industries. Machine-building and metal working industries produce trucks and cars, buses, automobile parts, river and sea ships, automobile and ship motors, planes, tools, gadgets, instruments, equipment for chemical, light, food industries, TV-sets etc. Art handicrafts are developed (Khokhloma and Gorodets painting).

The following crops are grown: rye, oats, barley, wheat, buckwheat, sugar beets. Potatoes and onions are grown too. Meat and milk cattle-, pig- and poultry-breeding are developed. Gorky Railway passes through the territory of the region. The rivers of Volga, Oka, Vetluga, Sura are navigable.

Attractions of Nizhny Novgorod Oblast

A lot of architectural monuments can be found in the capital city of the region - Nizhny Novgorod (Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Stroganov Church, Staroyarmarochny Cathedral, and others).

Nizhny Novgorod Oblast has several unique natural objects : Kerzhensky reserve, Ichalkovsky reserve, Vadskoe Lake and Lake Svetloyar (according to legend, the mythical town of Kitezh is situated at the bottom of this lake).

Boldino State Literary-Memorial and Natural Museum-Reserve of A.S. Pushkin is located in the village of Bolshoye Boldino. A.S.Pushkin, the most famous Russian poet, lived and worked there.

On the left bank of the Oka River, near the city of Dzerzhinsk, a unique architectural monument is located: 128 meter steel hyperboloid tower constructed by the engineer V.G.Shukhov in 1929. This tower was used as a power support across the river.

In the town of Vyksa , on the territory of the Vyksa Metallurgical Plant, you can find unique monuments of industrial architecture and technical art. They were also constructed by V.G.Shukhov at the end of the 19th century.

The city of Arzamas is rich in architectural monuments. The Cathedral of the Resurrection (1814-1842), located on Cathedral Square, is the most famous one.

In Gorodets , one of the oldest Russian settlement in the Middle Volga, founded in the 2nd half of the 12th century, there are museums dedicated to handicrafts and craftsmanship, life and history of the peoples of the Volga region.

Holy Trinity-Makarievo-Zheltovodsky Convent is located on the left bank of the Volga, in Lyskovsky district, near the village of Makarievo. It was founded in the first half of the 15th century. Diveyevo Convent , located near the town of Sarov, is a place of pilgrimage for the Orthodox. The relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are placed in the Trinity Cathedral of the convent.

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Nizhny Novgorod: A ‘Russian Detroit’ from 19th to 21st centuries (PHOTOS)

Dmitrievskaya Tower through the centuries.

Founded in 1221, Nizhny Novgorod (260 miles east of Moscow) is still one of the most visited and populated Russian cities (it has more than 1.2 million inhabitants). Its ancient kremlin, cozy paved streets with centuries-old buildings (a regular city plan was adopted after Empress Cathrine the Great visited the city in 1767) and scenic views of the Volga River warm the hearts of locals and tourists. By the way, many people confuse it with Veliky Novgorod (established in 859) in the north-west of Russia. In Russian, the word ‘Novgorod’ literally means “new city” and, luckily, there are only two in the whole country: ‘Lower new city’ and ‘Great new city’. One of the oldest and largest automobile plants that produces GAZ cars is still located in Nizhny (Russians often omit ‘Novgorod’) - and that’s why the city is often known as the ‘Russian Detroit’. In Soviet times, it bore the name of main Soviet writer Maxim Gorky , who was born there.

And despite its steel and metal history, today, Nizhny Novgorod has the poetic epithet of the capital of sunsets. We compared some vintage and recent photos of the city.

Dmitrievskaya Tower in 1913 and in 2021.

The stone citadel of Nizhny Novgorod was built in the 16th century around the Chasovaya (Sentry) Hill. Here is the most famous view of the fortress with the Dmitrievskaya Tower. Previously, a moat was dug in front of the tower, which was filled with water. At the end of the 18th century, the moat was filled and the tower sunk about 6 meters into the ground. The tower received its a-la Rus facade only at the end of the 19th century. 

2. National Unity Square 

Skoba square, 1957 / Monument to Minin and Pozharsky nowadays.

On Moscow’s Red Square, there is a monument to Minin and Pozharsky , who were the leaders of the people’s militia against the Polish intervention of 1611. Interestingly, exactly the same monument stands in Nizhny Novgorod! And all because the militia gathered there. City official Kuzma Minin called on all residents to fight and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky was chosen as the militia head. The date of Moscow’s liberation from the Poles (November 4) has been celebrated as National Unity Day in Russia since 2005. In the same year, Nizhny Novgorod’s Skoba Square, where the militia gathered, was renamed ‘National Unity Square’ and a monument to the two national heroes was erected there, as well.

3. Chkalov staircase

View on Nizhny Novgorod kremlin, Dyatlov hills and Chkalov stairs, 1886 and now.

With 560 steps, these are some of the longest stairs in Russia! The site where this staircase was built was called the ‘Volga Downhill’ and was very popular among locals, since it had one of the most picturesque views of the Volga. The stairs, named after a pilot named Valery Chkalov, connect the upper and lower embankments in the historical center of Nizhny Novgorod. Among the architects was Lev Rudnev , who worked in the Stalinist Empire style and designed the Moscow State University and the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.

4. Kremlin funicular

Kremlin funicular in operation... and in ruins.

Amazing: At the end of the 19th century, in the center of Nizhny Novgorod, two funiculars operated near the kremlin. They literally worked on water. Imagine a water tank in the car: filled at the upper station, empty at the lower station. When one car went down, the lower one went up under its gravity. They would move at the same time. The funiculars were abandoned in the 1920s, when a tram line was completed. Today, only ruins remain in place of the historical funiculars, although the city administration has already promised to recreate this type of transport. There still is one funicular operating in Nizhny Novgorod, which connects it with the city of Bor on the other side of the Volga River.

5. Bolshaya Pokrovskaya Street 

Bolshaya Pokrovskaya street in 1880s and 2021.

The main street of Nizhny Novgorod has undergone many changes over the centuries. Before the revolution of 1917, it was the favorite area of nobles to settle. Along the street, you can still see old stone mansions, theaters, churches. One of the most beautiful buildings is the main state bank built in Neo-Russian style. It was opened for the 300th anniversary of the Romanov house in 1913. At the beginning of the 20th century, a tram line passed there - one of the first in Russia. But, since the 1980s, the street has become pedestrian only.

6. Rozhdestvenskaya Street

Rozhdestvenskaya Street in 1890s and 2020.

A historical tram line has been preserved on the other oldest street, Rozhdestvenskaya. However, now it’s a tourist transport and it operates only in summer. The street has also preserved its appearance since pre-revolutionary times. There, you can see almost all the same buildings that were in Tsarist Russia, including the Stroganov and Golitsyn estates, the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Blinov Passage - the first shopping center outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Construction of the Burevestnik station, 1996 / Burevestnik station, 2009.

Nizhny Novgorod is one of the seven Russian cities with its own underground transport. The metro here was opened in 1985: In Soviet times, only cities with the population over 1 million residents had a subway. It consists of only two lines and sees about 115,000 commuters a day, which makes it less popular than ground transports. In the near future, there are plans to build new stations on the other side of the Oka River.

8. Referees Tower

Before and after restoration, 2021.

The Referees Tower built in the Neo-constructivist style on the embankment of the Grebnoy Canal was built in 1988 for the 2nd All-Union Youth Rowing Games. Over time, it was severely destroyed and only recently restored, for the 800th anniversary of the city. Of course, with cafes and places to relax. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?

9. GAZ automobile plant

The first car assembly plant, 1930 / Gorky Automobile Plant, 2021.

The GAZ (Gorky Automobile Plant) plant in Nizhny Novgorod became one of the first in Russia. Early models of trucks and passenger cars were produced under a Ford license. In the 1920s-1930s, American specialists also helped to build the plant itself and the socialist city for workers In the post-war years, the ‘Volga’ and ‘Chaika’ cars were the most expensive among Soviet cars - a citizen’s dream! These days, the plant still operates, but produces mainly trucks and minibuses.

10. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 

High water in Nizhny Novgorod, 1890s/ The same district nowadays.

The Cathedral Church of Nizhny Novgorod is located in one of the most picturesque places of the city - on the arrow of the Volga and the Oka rivers. People used to call it ‘fair church’, since its parishioners were merchants who came to fairs from all over the country. It also was only open in the summertime. In the Soviet years, the iconostasis was dismantled for firewood to heat houses and then it was even planned to demolish it altogether and build a lighthouse and a monument to Lenin on the same site. Nevertheless, the cathedral was preserved (in the 1980s, it was restored by volunteers) and, in 2009, was reinstated as the city’s main church.

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