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Posted by CharlesW 1/23/2026

Tesla kills Autopilot, locks lane-keeping behind $99/month fee(arstechnica.com)
345 points | 366 commentspage 3
fortran77 1/23/2026|
The latest version of FSD is amazing. We have it on our Plaids (2024 and 2026 models) and I probably only actually "drive" 5% of the time. There's a camera to see if you're paying attention to the road, so no longer any need to keep your hands on the wheel. It'll start from a parking space and go all the way into my house and back into the garage.

Of course, I don't trust it as much as I trust Waymo's system, and I'm very careful when using it in rain or fog...

eldaisfish 1/23/2026||
Cameras wired into an internet connected car is the #1 reason why I will never buy a car like a Tesla.

Anecdotes like yours are often from the point of view of someone in California - sunny, clear weather most of the year. In monsoon rain, fog, snow, or unusual markings on the road, all these systems break down.

fortran77 1/23/2026||
> Cameras wired into an internet connected car is the #1 reason why I will never buy a car like a Tesla.

Well then, this isn't the car for you. For many other people the safety features are important. I wouldn't mind if every car had a camera that made sure the driver was paying attention and didn't fall asleep.

eldaisfish 1/23/2026||
That’s completely valid but the problem for me is the fact that you do not control the internet connection in these cars. A camera does not need an internet connection to monitor the driver.
cosmicgadget 1/23/2026||
So you're saying people should just pay for the subscription? Seems like tangential FSD(S)-glazing here.
stefan_ 1/23/2026||
Is the article confused or will there literally be no lane-keeping without the subscription? Because nowadays every car rental place bottom of the barrel Kia has lane-keeping.
cbsks 1/23/2026||
Tesla’s “autosteer” is significantly more advanced than the “lane keeping” feature I’ve seen in rental cars, or my own 2023 Jeep. My understanding is that autosteer will actively keep the car centered in the middle of the lane, while the “lane keeping” I’ve experienced will only adjust the steering when you approach the lane edge, which pin balls you back and forth like a drunk driver.
FireBeyond 1/23/2026|||
In mid tier and premium tier cars, lane keeping is generally either implicitly or explicitly lane centering. My Navigator calls it lane keeping but it is centering, and my Audi specifically calls out lane centering.
jeffbee 1/23/2026|||
My experience with that brand specifically is they should call it "lane oscillating".
bigstrat2003 1/23/2026|||
That is not universally true. It's lane keeping in my wife's Volvo, and it sucks in exactly the way described up-thread.
caconym_ 1/23/2026||||
Both my late model Japanese cars have two systems capable of steering the car toward the middle of the lane. One is an always-on (unless disabled) passive safety system that only kicks in when you actually appear to be drifting off the road, and the other is a system that actively tries to keep the car in the middle of the lane. The latter system has to be toggled on and off and is meant to be complementary with adaptive cruise.

What you're describing sounds like the former system, while the latter one is what should be compared to Tesla's "autopilot" or "FSD" or whatever the fuck. It works very well on both my cars and is a game changer for longer drives.

I consider good implementations of this and adaptive cruise to be basic equipment now, and asking $99/month for them is absolutely wild, especially since what you're getting isn't the "full self driving" we were promised. You still have to be fully engaged with what the car is doing and ready to take over in a fraction of a second.

tzs 1/24/2026||
> I consider good implementations of this and adaptive cruise to be basic equipment now, and asking $99/month for them is absolutely wild

The article doesn't mention it but other articles say that their version of adaptive cruise control (Traffic Aware Cruise Control or TACC) that was part of Autopilot is becoming a standard feature.

stefan_ 1/23/2026||||
I went with that example because I had a Kia Sportage from Hertz and it had lane centering (not just the thing that detects you are deviating from the lane). It did want you to touch the steering wheel but that's just cheaper driver monitoring.
Applejinx 1/23/2026||||
That would make modern Subaru from I don't know how many years back, 'autosteer'. My Impreza does not behave in the least like 'pinballing', it behaves like it too can drive down the road, but wants to be holding your hand while doing it. This is on some pretty sketchy roads and road conditions, so it won't keep doing it unless it's identified at least one if not two lines on the road.

Seems like Subaru lane assist is considerably better than when it first came out in 2013 or so. I was able to experience it back then and it could have pinballed, certainly wasn't as steady and capable as it is more than ten years of development later.

netsharc 1/23/2026||||
I have a 2020 Alfa Romeo (interestingly also a Stellantis car like your Jeep), it has "follow the lane" feature. For the edge of the lane, it can either vibrate as a warning or force you off it, I have it set to vibrate.
sublinear 1/23/2026|||
Jeep and all the other Stellantis brands have the worst lane assist and worst tech options on the market, and the trim level on any rental is going to be as basic as they can get away with.
loourr 1/23/2026||
it's click-bait, the lane keeping is free and is not going away
alistairSH 1/23/2026||
Do you have a source for that? I thought all of Tesla's "default" driver assistance was part of Autopilot, which is going away. I haven't seen any mention of decoupling various features from Autopilot (with some remaining free, just without the branding).
Sparyjerry 1/25/2026||
They just changed the name from autopilot to Traffic-Aware Cruise Control with Autosteer. This is just more anti-Tesla propaganda.
wscott 1/23/2026||
The funny part is that the Tesla doesn't have a basic dumb cruise control. It only has "traffic-aware" cruise control which uses the cameras and doesn't use the new FSD code so it has lots of glitches and phantom braking and decides for itself what speed to use. My wife just wants to set the speed and have the car go that speed.
Marsymars 1/23/2026|
Do any cars with assisted cruise control have the ability to step down to dumb cruise control? (I know my car doesn't - the lower trims have dumb cruise control, and you lose that in favour of assisted if you bump up to a higher trim.)
GuestFAUniverse 1/24/2026||
That's awesome. Lane-keeping is mandatory in the EU since 7/2024. They _cannot_ sell a car without it there.
dmitrygr 1/23/2026||
This is similar to GM‘s Super Cruise, which is similar in functionality and also a monthly subscription.
rootusrootus 1/23/2026||
GM Super Cruise (and Ford's Blue Cruise) is hands-free, autosteer is not. Ford has an equivalent of autosteer available without a subscription, I would guess GM does too.
dwa3592 1/23/2026||
Time for comma to shine?

https://comma.ai/

dissent 1/24/2026||
Does anybody actually find Autopilot to be more than a novelty? Having to look ahead like a robot and keep your hands on the wheel is exactly how you drive without it. It feels like placing trust in the system and accepting risk without any tangible benefit.
trentnix 1/23/2026||
Is this a precursor to Tesla offering autopilot in vehicles from other manufacturers? Sure, other manufactuers would have to adopt the hardware and integrate with the autopilot interface, but self-driving is inevitable and Tesla autopilot is the best.
nixass 1/23/2026||
Why would Tesla lock adaptive cruise control when others have it subscription free?
Marsymars 1/23/2026|
To be fair, you can say that about a lot of features/manufacturers. e.g. Why does Toyota lock remote start via app when others have it subscription free?
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