Subaru's Eyesight Was Ahead Of Its Time, But Is It Falling Behind?

Subaru

Subaru introduced nan EyeSight suite of information strategy to American customers connected Legacy and Outback models astatine nan 2013 New York International Auto Show. EyeSight was 1 of nan first and, importantly, astir affordable precocious driver information assistance systems (ADAS) disposable successful nan U.S., paving nan measurement for Level 2 autonomous driving products for illustration Ford's CoPilot360 successful 2018 (eventually Ford's much precocious ADAS strategy would beryllium called BlueCruise), aliases Tesla's Autopilot, which still sucks, though it came to marketplace successful 2015. You'd deliberation pinch specified a caput start, Subaru would beryllium astatine nan cutting separator of self-driving software, but it's mislaid its lead. EyeSight is nary longer connected nan bleeding separator of technological advancements; it's successful nan mediate of nan pack.

EyeSight was genuinely up of its time, backmost successful nan day. Perfected connected Japanese roads starting successful 2008, nan strategy was 1 of nan first to combine adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, and conveyance lane departure informing into 1 information suite. In 2014, Subaru improved EyeSight's "vision" with color stereo cameras, letting nan Subaru "see" obstacles overmuch farther ahead. EyeSight was, if not Level 1 autonomous driving, astatine slightest a measurement successful that direction. 

Nowadays, Eyesight offers owners adaptive cruise power pinch lane centering, lane departure warnings, automatic emergency steering, progressive rear cross-traffic warning, pre-collision braking and throttle management, and more. That mightiness look for illustration a lot, but it pales successful comparison to, say, Dodge's Active Driving Assist, which offers each this, positive hands-free driving connected definite roadways, positive driver monitoring to make judge folks down nan instrumentality enactment awake. Mercedes-Benz offers Level 3 connected its ADAS system, Drive Pilot, though only connected definite models, connected definite roads in California and Nevada. In fact, a Consumer Reports trial from 2023 put Subaru person to nan bottommost successful ADAS capability.

Subaru

So what put different automakers miles up connected nan roadworthy first laid down by nan medium-sized Japanese automaker? The measurement CR sees it, Subaru mislaid points erstwhile it comes to detecting and responding to unresponsive drivers. Subaru's strategy shuts disconnected lane-keeping assistance erstwhile it detects a driver is retired of commission, but not nan adaptive cruise control. Adaptive cruise power keeps your car a definite region from nan car up of it, while lane-keeping assistance does what's connected nan explanation — it assists connected keeping your car successful a lane. Subaru's strategy turns disconnected nan lane-keeping assist, but keeps the adaptive cruise power astatine a group velocity without slowing aliases navigating nan car to a shoulder, which could beryllium dangerous.

However, a recently updated type of EyeSight promises to drawback Subaru up. J.D. Power reports that nan new, improved EyeSight, which debuted astatine nan 2025 New York International Auto Show, easy clears nan Level 2 qualifications met by automakers for illustration Tesla's Autopilot and Ford's BlueCruise. The improved EyeSight will first beryllium connected connection connected give-the-people-what-they-want 2026 Outbacks, getting a bump acknowledgment to nan summation of radar sensors. While little powerful than lidar, considered nan manufacture golden modular exertion for self-driving cars, it's an betterment connected nan automaker's camera-only attack while keeping costs affordable. 

The caller EyeSight addresses nan problems Consumer Reports pointed retired pinch its caller emergency extremity assist, which will propulsion nan car over, activate nan hazard lights, unlock nan doors and telephone emergency services if it detects nan driver is unresponsive erstwhile utilizing adaptive cruise control. So while Subaru whitethorn person gotten lapped by different automakers successful nan 2010s and 2020s, nan automaker seems definite to drawback up.