[Redcari30]

Hi All

Since new ( 2013 ) i have never found the cruise control very good on my i30 GD petrol. It isn't broken and give it a flat road and it holds the speed. Add a few hills though and it really is unusable. First it lets the speed drop too much. Then regains the speed aggressively only to go well over once your crest the hill. On the down it gains a good 10 -20Kph which then triggers the downshifting to try to reduce the speed which it gained by holding the gas on too long!!

Basically it responds a couple of seconds after the event, like coming too late for the dance. I have owned Toyotas and Mazdas and they hold the speed like a laser beam compared to this. As soon as the speed gains or looses just 1 -2 kph you feel  car responding. It is like another planet. As Sydney is a bit hilly, even on freeways i rarely use the cruise as a result.

How do others find it?

[17clarence]

Mines exactly the same. When I'm on the autobahn and find an incline it's a right PITA.
My old diesel VW had enough grunt to just pick up any decrease, but my i30 1.6 petrol can't do it without some help from me.

What do the diesel owners experience?

[Redcari30]

Hi 17Clarence,

Just to be clear, it is a 1.8L here in Australia so has enough power and torque. At our highway speeds ~110kph the engine isn't an issue to hold the speed even on a steep incline if you drive it without cruise control. The cruise control logic is just very very poor and slow to respond to anything but a flat road.

Oh and the last thing it does is, speed control down a hill shifts down gears  to get engine braking so it will reach the set speed. Once on the flat thought it holds the engine in the low gear at very high rpm, engine screaming while it has lunch, a coffee and cake. Then after a good 10 seconds it decides it can shift back to a higher gear. It is just clunky.

[DaveBern]

I have a GD diesel, and the cruise control is very good.  I had a similar problem to you with my 1999 2.2L Vectra.  Terrible over and under shooting.  Turned out it was too much freeplay in the cable from the cruise actuator to the throttle lever.  A quick adjustment and it was fixed (aren't forums just the best!).  I'm assuming a petrol GD is fly by wire, so this tip is 10 years too late, sorry...

[pidim]

My GD is the same. Worst Cruise control ever!  I've learnt to live with it these days. I think the real issue is that accelerating to get back to set speed is the problem... ie takes it good ol time thinking about it (as opposed to a Toyota I used to own which was manic.  It would race up to speed and was kinda dangerous).

[general2460]

Same here - i30 GD. A little annoying!