OPEL ASTRA J 2014 Manual user

Driving and operating1799Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 118.
Deactivation
TC can be switched off when spinning of drive wheels is required:
press button b briefly to deactivate
TC, k illuminates. Deactivation is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre.
TC is reactivated by pressing the b
button again.
TC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.
Electronic Stability Control Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
improves driving stability when
necessary, regardless of the type of
road surface or tyre grip. It also
prevents the drive wheels from
spinning. ESC operates in
combination with the Traction Control system (TC) 3 178.
As soon as the vehicle starts to
swerve (understeer/oversteer),
engine output is reduced and the wheels are braked individually. This
considerably improves the driving stability of the vehicle on slippery road
surfaces.ESC is operational after each engine
start as soon as the control indicator
b extinguishes.
When ESC operates b flashes.9 Warning
Do not let this special safety
feature tempt you into taking risks
when driving.
Adapt speed to the road
conditions.
Control indicator b 3 118.
Deactivation

180Driving and operating
For a more sporty behaviour ESC and
TC can be deactivated separately:
■ press button b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates
■ hold button b pressed for min.
5 seconds: TC and ESC are
deactivated, k and n illuminate.
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre.
If the vehicle comes into threshold
with deactivated ESP, the system will reactivate ESP for the time duration
of the threshold, when the brake pedal is depressed once.
ESC is reactivated by pressing the
b button again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.Deactivation, OPC version
For very high-performance driving
ESC and TC can be deactivated
separately. The following modes are
selectable:
■ press button b briefly: only Traction
control system is inactive, ESC
remains active, k illuminates
■ press button b twice briefly within
2 seconds: TC is inactive, ESC is
operable without engine power
reduction, k and n illuminate
■ hold button b pressed for min.
5 seconds: TC and ESC are
completely inactive, k and n
illuminate.
Additionally the selected mode is
displayed as status message in the
Driver Information Centre.
On OPC version TC and ESC remain deactivated even if the vehicle comes into threshold with unstable
driveability.
ESC is reactivated by pressing the
b button again. If the TC system was
previously disabled, both TC and
ESC are reactivated.
ESC is also reactivated the next time
the ignition is switched on.

Driving and operating181Interactive driving system
Flex Ride Flex Ride driving system allows the
driver to select between three driving
modes:
■ SPORT mode: press button SPORT , LED illuminates.
■ TOUR mode: press button TOUR,
LED illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: both buttons SPORT and TOUR are not
pressed, no LED illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and TOUR
mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode Flex Ride
networks the following electronic systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control.
■ Accelerator Pedal Control.
■ Steering Control.
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
■ Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC).
■ Automatic transmission.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style:
■ Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more stiffly to provide better contact
with the road surface.
■ The engine reacts more quickly to the accelerator pedal.
■ Steering support is reduced.
■ Shift points of automatic transmission occur later.
■ With SPORT mode activated, the illumination of main instruments
changes from white to red.
TOUR mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a comfort driving style:
■ Damping of shock absorbers reacts
more softly.
■ Accelerator pedal reacts with standard settings.
■ Steering support is in standard mode.
■ Shift points of automatic transmission occur in a comfort
mode.
■ Illumination of main instruments is white.
NORMAL mode
All settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.
Drive mode control
Within each manual selected driving
mode SPORT, TOUR or NORMAL,
the Drive Mode Control (DMC)
detects and analyses continuously
the real driving characteristic,
responses by the driver, and the
active dynamic state of the vehicle. If
necessary, the control unit of DMC

182Driving and operating
automatically changes the settings
within the selected driving mode or, when recognising greater variations,
the driving mode is changed for the
length of variation.
If, for example, NORMAL mode is
selected and DMC detects a sporty
driving behaviour, DMC changes
several settings of the Normal mode
into sporty settings. The DMC
changes to SPORT mode in case of
very sporty driving behaviour.
If, for example, TOUR mode is
selected and whilst driving on a
winding road a sudden hard brake is
necessary, DMC will detect the
dynamic vehicle condition and
changes the settings for suspension
to SPORT mode to increase vehicle
stability.
When the driving characteristic or the
dynamic vehicle state returns to
former state, DMC will change the
settings to the preselected driving
mode.Personalised settings in the
Sport mode The driver can select the functions of
the SPORT mode when SPORT
button is pressed. These settings can
be changed in the menu Settings in
the Info-Display. Vehicle
personalisation 3 134.
Flex Ride - OPC Version
The OPC Version of Flex Ride system works in the same way as the
standard Flex Ride system with the
difference that the modes have a
more sporty characteristic.OPC Flex Ride driving system allows
the driver to select between three
driving modes:
■ OPC mode: press button OPC,
LED illuminates.
■ SPORT mode: press button SPORT , LED illuminates.
■ NORMAL mode: neither button SPORT nor OPC is pressed, no
LED illuminates.
Deactivate SPORT mode and OPC mode by pressing corresponding
button once more.
In each driving mode OPC Flex Ride
networks the following electronic systems:
■ Continuous Damping Control.
■ Accelerator Pedal Control.
■ Steering Control.
■ Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
■ Antilock brake system (ABS) with cornering brake control (CBC).

Driving and operating183
NORMAL mode
In NORMAL mode, when neither
SPORT nor OPC button is pressed,
all settings of the systems are
adapted to standard values.
SPORT mode
The settings of the systems are
adapted to a sportier driving style.
OPC mode
The drive dynamic characteristics are adapted to high performance
settings.
In this mode the illumination of main instruments is switched to red.
Personalised settings in the OPC
mode
The driver can select the functions of
the OPC mode when OPC button is
pressed. These settings can be
changed in the menu Settings in the
Info-Display. Vehicle personalisation 3 134.Driver assistance
systems9 Warning
Driver assistance systems are
developed to support the driver
and not to replace his attention.
The driver accepts full
responsibility when driving the
vehicle.
When using driver assistance
systems, always take care
regarding the current traffic
situation.
Cruise control
The Cruise control can store and
maintain speeds of approx. 30 to
200 km/h. Deviations from the stored
speeds may occur when driving uphill or downhill.
For safety reasons the cruise control cannot be activated until the foot
brake has been operated once.
Activating in first gear is not possible.
Do not use the cruise control if it is not advisable to maintain a constant
speed.
With automatic transmission, only
activate cruise control in automatic
mode.
Control indicator m 3 121.
Switching on Press button m, control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Activation
Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the
current speed is stored and

184Driving and operating
maintained. Control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates green.
Accelerator pedal can be released.
Vehicle speed can be increased by depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the previously stored speed
is resumed.
Cruise control remains activated
while gearshifting.
Increase speed With cruise control active, hold thumb
wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn
to RES/+ repeatedly: speed
increases continuously or in small
increments.
Alternatively accelerate to the desired speed and store by turning to SET/-.
Reduce speed
With cruise control active, hold thumb wheel turned to SET/- or briefly turn to
SET/- repeatedly: speed decreases
continuously or in small increments.
Deactivation
Press button y, control indicator m in
instrument cluster illuminates white.
Cruise control is deactivated. Last
used set speed is stored in memory
for later speed resume.
Automatic deactivation:
■ vehicle speed below approx. 30 km/h,
■ vehicle speed above approx. 200 km/h,
■ the brake pedal is depressed,
■ the clutch pedal is depressed for a few seconds,
■ selector lever in N,
■ engine speed in a very low range,
■ the Traction Control system or Electronic Stability Control is
operating.
Resume stored speed Turn thumb wheel to RES/+ at a
speed above 30 km/h. The stored
speed will be obtained.
Switching off
Press button m, control indicator m in
instrument cluster extinguishes. The
stored speed is deleted.
Pressing button L for activating
speed limiter or switching off the
ignition also switches off cruise
control and deletes the stored speed.

Driving and operating185Speed limiterThe speed limiter prevents the
vehicle exceeding a preset maximum
speed.
The maximum speed can be set at a
speed above 25 km/h.
The driver can only accelerate up to
the preset speed. Deviations from the
limited speed may occur when driving downhill.
The preset speed limit is displayed in
the top line of the Driver Information
Centre when the system is active.
ActivationPress button L. If cruise control or
adaptive cruise control has been
activated before, it is switched off
when speed limiter is activated and
the control indicator m extinguishes.
Set speed limit
With speed limiter active, hold thumb
wheel turned to RES/+ or briefly turn
to RES/+ repeatedly until the desired
maximum speed is displayed in the
Driver Information Centre.
Alternatively accelerate to the desired speed and briefly turn thumb wheel to SET/- : the current speed is stored as
maximum speed. Speed limit is
displayed in the Driver Information
Centre.
Change speed limit
With speed limiter active, turn thumb
wheel to RES/+ to increase or SET/-
to decrease the desired maximum
speed.
Exceeding the speed limit
In the event of an emergency it is possible to exceed the speed limit by
depressing the accelerator pedal
firmly beyond the point of resistance.

186Driving and operating
The limited speed will flash in the
Driver Information Centre and,
depending on the vehicle, additionally
a chime sounds during this period.
Release the accelerator pedal andthe speed limiter function is
reactivated once a speed lower than
the limit speed is obtained.
Deactivation
Press button y: speed limiter is
deactivated and the vehicle can be
driven without speed limit.
The limited speed is stored and a
corresponding message appears in
the Driver Information Centre.
Resume limit speedTurn thumb wheel to RES/+. The
stored speed limit will be obtained.
Switching off
Press button L, the speed limit
indication in the Driver Information Centre extinguishes. The stored
speed is deleted.By pressing button m to activate
cruise control or adaptive cruise
control or by switching off the ignition, speed limiter is also deactivated and
the stored speed is deleted.
Adaptive cruise control
Adaptive cruise control is an
enhancement to traditional cruise
control with the additional feature of
maintaining a certain distance behind the vehicle ahead.
Adaptive cruise control automatically
decelerates the vehicle when
approaching a slower moving vehicle.
It then adjusts the vehicle speed to
follow the vehicle ahead at the
selected following distance. The
vehicle speed increases or decreases to follow the vehicle in front, but will
not exceed the set speed. It may
apply limited braking with activated
brake lights.
The adaptive cruise control can store and maintain speeds over approx.
50 km/h and brakes automatically to follow a slower vehicle driving ahead
to a minimum speed of 30 km/h.
Adaptive cruise control uses a radar
sensor to detect the vehicles ahead.
If no vehicle is detected in the driving path, the adaptive cruise control will
behave like a traditional cruise
control.
For safety reasons, the system
cannot be activated before the brake
pedal has been depressed once
since switching on ignition. Activation
in first gear is not possible.
Adaptive cruise control is mainly
advised to be used on long straight
roads, e.g. highways or country roads
with steady traffic. Do not use the system if it is not advisable to
maintain a constant speed.
Control indicator A 3 121, m 3 121.

Driving and operating1879Warning
The complete driver attention is
always required while driving with adaptive cruise control. The driver stays fully in control of the vehicle
because the brake pedal, the
accelerator pedal and the cancel
switch have priority over any
adaptive cruise control operation.
Switching on
Press button C to switch on adaptive
cruise control. The control indicator
m illuminates white.
Activation by setting the speed
Adaptive cruise control can be
activated between 50 km/h and
180 km/h.
Accelerate to the desired speed and
turn thumb wheel to SET/-, the
current speed is stored and
maintained. Control indicator m
illuminates green.
The adaptive cruise control symbol,
the following distance setting and set speed are indicated in the top line ofthe Driver Information Centre.
The accelerator pedal can be
released. Adaptive cruise control
remains activated while gearshifting.
Overriding set speed
It is always possible to drive faster than the selected set speed by
depressing the accelerator pedal.
When the accelerator pedal is
released, the vehicle returns to the
desired distance if a slower vehicle is ahead. Otherwise it returns to the
stored speed.

188Driving and operating
Once the system is activated,
adaptive cruise control decelerates or
brakes if it detects a vehicle ahead,
which is slower or closer than the
desired following distance.9 Warning
Accelerating by the driver
deactivates automatic braking by
the system. This is indicated as a
pop-up warning in the Driver
Information Centre.
Increase speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to RES/+:
speed increases continuously in large increments, or activate repeatedly
RES/+ : speed increases in small
increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive cruise control active much faster than
the desired speed, e.g. after
depressing the accelerator pedal,
then the current speed can be stored and maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Reduce speed
With adaptive cruise control active,
hold thumb wheel turned to SET/-:
speed decreases continuously in
large increments, or activate
repeatedly SET/-: speed decreases in
small increments.
If the vehicle is driven with adaptive
cruise control active much slower
than the desired speed, e.g. because
of a slower vehicle ahead, then the
current speed can be stored and
maintained by turning the thumb
wheel to SET/-.
Resume stored speed If the system is switched on but
inactive, then turn thumb wheel to
RES/+ at a speed above 50 km/h to
resume the stored speed.
Setting the following distance
When adaptive cruise control detects a slower moving vehicle in the driving
path, it will adjust the vehicle speed to maintain the following distance
selected by the driver.The following distance can be set to
near, medium or far.
Press button E; the current setting is
shown on the Driver Information
Centre. Press button E again to
change the following distance. The
setting is also displayed in the top line
of the Driver Information Centre.