What is “adaptive lane guidance” on VW, Audi, Skoda and Seat?

If you treat yourself to the Lane Assist lane departure warning system in a VW, Skoda, Audi or Seat, there is an option in the infotainment system that adaptive lane guidance to activate. You should do that too: Because only this function activates the actual, active steering assistant!

Lane Assist recognizes lanes from around 65 km/h. If the driver threatens to leave the lane, the assistant actively countersteers and warns. As soon as the lane symbol in the speedometer lights up green, the lane has been recognized. Basically, you switch Lane Assist on and off via an option in the speedometer (or the Lane Assist button on the outside of the turn signal lever), as we show in the first photo:

Adaptive lane guidance activates permanent, active steering

… then the Lane Assist itself is switched on – as a simple lane departure warning system. In many models of the Volkswagen Group there is also the function of adaptive lane guidance: That’s actually the beauty of Lane Assist and means that Lane Assist controls the vehicle stays in the middle of the lane thanks to permanent steering assistance. It is not only steered to keep the car within the markings, but the Golf, for example, supports the driver with steering the whole time. This doesn’t work in very steep bends, but it is a great relief, especially on monotonous long-distance stages.

Hands on the steering wheel!

Since it is of course only one assistance system and not an autopilot, you still have to keep your hands on the steering wheel at all times. Otherwise, the Lane Assist warns several times and then switches itself off. We have already demonstrated Lane Assist in detail in the Skoda Superb. In conjunction with the adaptive cruise control ACC, this becomes semi-autonomous driving. Optionally, many VW, Skoda, Seat or Audi models also have the traffic jam assistant, which steers at slow speeds even in tighter bends by not only orienting itself to the road markings, but also to the vehicle in front.

Differences between active and passive steering assistants in the video