That was true of older systems, most newer adaptive cruise control systems I've used have no issue with stop and go traffic.

A Model 3 owner confirms this...

My Toyota Corolla with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0 (fitted in nearly every Toyota post 2018/2019) has stop and start, either press resume if you've stopped for more than 5 seconds or tap the accelerator, and that's with lane tracing assist as well. I don't think there's a second I don't have both Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Tracing Assist activated.

Edit: You can also accelerate without disabling it.

I feel like I missed a huge generational gap driving a 2017 toyota. None of this lane assist, no backup camera, the only new bell and whistle I get that's different from my car 20 years ago is that this one beeps at me like I have a missile locked on my tail when someone is too close in front of me.

Best part is it's standard on nearly every model. I don't think there's a minute when I don't have it enabled and it's full range so works at any speed and road. The millimetre wave radar is great when road markings aren't visible or when cars are manoeuvring around parked cars or other obstacles.

I think only the new Honda L3 system(only on one very limited edition car in Japan) and a Subaru tech on some mainstream cars(in the US too) have this capability.

My Kia EV does exactly this, and is fairly competent at it.

My mom's Subaru Forester does hands-off stop-and-go traffic from 0 to 90 mph. It has 2 cameras and does lane departure too. It will even activate antilock breaks if it needs to panic stop.

Hyundais have exceptionally-good lane-following.

I believe this one does all of those: https://www.toyota.com/safety-sense/animation/pcspd

Most cars support this here in Europe at least. However true traffic jam assist seems reserved for cars with automatic gears.

Naturally. In my manual North American market Miata I have basic cruise control but if you touch the clutch or gear selector it disengages cruise. I can’t imagine a safe system that would work in stop and go traffic with a manual transmission.

Cruise control in a manual Miata feels only slightly less wrong than an automatic Miata.

Or maybe I'm just salty that my cruise control has never worked.

I only use it in the rare times I'm driving on a quiet highway for long multi-hour stretches. That's definitely not my preferred way of driving, as I usually trade around a half hour of extra travel time to take more winding, fun, and scenic routes.

The current VW Golf R has adaptive cruise control available with the manual transmission. I test-drove one. Not sure whether it does stop-start or whether this applies to other trim levels. Unfortunately it was not available yet when I got my 2015.

> They don’t typically work below 25 MPH, and definitely don’t stop and go and keep you within the lane.

Eh? Yes they do. Bizarre lie.

Maybe their system doesn't ? older version? Broken system? Why assume they're lying?

Just off the top of my head - Honda Sensing works in stop-and-go traffic and keeps you within the lane.

Honda Sense lane keeping is only for > 40mph. In addition, you need to press a button if the vehicle completely stops.

Subaru Eyesight goes down to zero and handles stop and go with lane centering. Though I guess provided you've started the adaptive cruise control system above the minimum speed.

It's not smooth though. Once traffic starts again, Eyesight accelerates hard and then brakes hard when it get up to the car, because it's using cruise control and trying get up to speed and there is a minimum speed (25mph? maybe 10mph? i forget) to set the cruise control.

You could try setting the acceleration curve (eco/gentle) and increase the follow distance.

Not sure if it’s different now, but older models activated Lane Keeping Assist at 45mph and keeps lanes down to 40, and always seems to be just out of reach of usefulness in the city, perhaps by design.

LKA is just that, an assist, because if you let it drive it’ll bounce back and forth between the lane markers, not keep you seemingly centered.

My BMW 5 series does that. Huh. That's only when I ever use it.