Navigation Autosteer and Stability in 2018.42.2
Navigation Autosteer and Stability in 2018.42.2 ================================================
After updating to 2018.42.2 from 2018.40, stability has not approved any. It did present a new feature at the top of the release notes, however: Navigation Autosteer.
Navigation Autosteer --------------------- Navigation Autosteer sounded most interesting, as if the car would finally start driving itself on the highway. Once you try to enable it though, it makes it clear that Tesla is not promising this is autonomous, and that it's a beta feature.
Another Beta Feature
…and it is very beta. My first attempt at using it likely scared a few of my fellow drivers as I tried to understand the feature. Effectively, it proposes lane shifts by showing a grey line in the dash display, and you can confirm by repeating the Autosteer motion (double pull) or effecting a line change as you would have previously via the turn signal. In my experience, many of the proposed paths, at least during rush hour, would have been impossible to pull-off. Since it knows which lanes continue on, and which are exit lanes, I was a little surprised when Navigation Autosteer would suggest using exit lanes to pass.
Exiting
The car has finally started to understand when it is going to take an exit (despite having previously been sold as handling exits, and an earlier software version claiming support for this). In practice, it doesn't seem to slow down (enough, if at all), and it appears to keep shifting (or take the exit ramp too early), such that it looks like it would ram into the guard rail if you didn't cancel out of Autosteer.
The Cart before the Electric Horse
Navigation Autosteer feels like the epitome of a before-it's-ready product. While driving on the Interstate, where Autosteer is supposed to be at its best, the car failed to handle even the drivers who bothered to signal before switching lanes, let alone the majority during rush hour that shift without the required warning. Considering that Autosteer can't get straight-line driving right, don't put too much faith into the new Navigation Autosteer feature.
Unlike its principal compeitors, such as Volvo's City Safe, the Tesla still won't stop for people, wildlife (like deer), or (sometimes) cyclists.
Continued Stability Issues --------------------------- Stability of the Tesla software has not improved. So far, each drive something has locked-up or stopped-working. The sound issues continue, but now are more frequently shorter, almost as if the sound subsystem is restarting.
Lock-ups still abound, and reboots are scarier as they have started showing "Car Off" messaging before the screens go blank, bringing back memories of my '94 Civic losing all power going 65 on the Interstate years back. Unlike turning the key over in the Civic, if the Tesla loses power or reboots, there is no way to speed-up its return.