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Some of the few “sure things” you can count on in life are taxes in April, a heartfelt Neil Diamond ballad at the most perfect time to make things right, and your Toyota lasting just about forever. As most of us know, a Toyota is really difficult to kill, so to speak.
Car buyers look in the direction of Toyota for many reasons, including long-term reliability and dependability. Extensive safety features are another important reason. Toyota takes pride in delivering the most optimal protection for families. Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) was a huge breakthrough in vehicle safety, and the updated Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (TSS 2.0) delivers even more.
What makes up original Toyota Safety Sense?
Included in Toyota Safety Sense is a bundle of active safety features designed to help protect you and your family while driving. These features utilize a millimeter-wave radar located in the front grille area and a camera positioned inside your front windshield facing out.
Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection recognizes other cars and pedestrians during the daytime. The system gives you an audio/visual alert that there is potential for collision. If you don’t use your brakes, your Toyota is designed to give automatic braking support to slow you down or stop you, depending on the situation.
Automatic High Beams work at night to give you more lighting and visibility without distracting other drivers. It is very simple. When other vehicles are coming your way, you will get low beams. Once they pass you and the coast is clear, your car will switch to high beams. Easy!
Your Lane Departure Alert gives you an audio and a visual warning that you are crossing over your lane without using your turn signal. Steering Assist is like an invisible hand that gently pushes you back into your lane before you cross traffic or run off the road. With all the distractions we face driving today, this is one feature that will help mitigate that.
Dynamic Radar Cruise Control makes sure you are an even distance between you and cars in front of you in highway or constant speed city roads. When you get close to another vehicle, you won’t have to hit the brakes to slow you down. Your Toyota will do that for you. You can even set your distance for three settings. I call them conservative, average and tail-gating distances (it is not really that close) based on your driving style.
And what vehicles have new Toyota Safety Sense 2.0?
The 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback was the first to adopt Toyota Safety Sense 2.0. Since then, 2020 Corolla and 2019 RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid have joined the party. This is yet another reason 2019 RAV4 models have seen a jump in popularity. I think you will really appreciate these new TSS 2.0 additions.
Pedestrian Detection in low lighting
Low-lighting capabilities help detect people at night. If you have ever been startled to see a person walking in front of your car when you were sure there was nobody there, this is a welcome and much-needed safety feature.
Bicycle Detection during the day
More than ever before, vehicles are sharing the roads with bicyclists. It is important that they be seen. Your Toyota recognizes bicycles in the daytime and alerts you to their presence if needed.
Road Sign Assist to the rescue
Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 uses an intelligent camera to make out shapes of important road signs we see every time we drive. You will be alerted to upcoming stop signs, do not enter signs, yield signs, and speed limit signs. The system even displays your current road’s posted speed limit and alerts you if you are speeding (unintentionally, of course).
Lane Tracing Assist
While using both radar cruise control and lane departure alert, your Toyota watches both painted lane markings on either side of you. It keeps you centered in your lane as long as markings are visible on both sides. Land Tracing Assist will also perform this feature while in heavy traffic, which can relieve a little stress for you.
Road Edge Detection
This system checks for the boundary between the pavement edge and the side of the road, like dirt, grass or a curb. It keeps you in your lane. Steering Assist will give a small helping hand if you do not correct your steering first.
I welcome your opinions. What TSS 2.0 features would you use most while driving? How about the features you do not think you would use as much? Thanks for reading everyone. See you next story!
Jeff Teague is a Toyota news reporter at Torque News. You can reach Jeff on Facebook and Instagram. Twitter at @toyotajeff1 and tweet him tips for new stories. Jeff also shares Toyota news videos on his Youtube Channel at Toyotajeff.
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