Active Driving Assistance Evaluation Ranks Ford BlueCruise First for 2023 Fleet

The Active Driving Assistance Evaluation program, updated through 2023, provided a benchmark for how different manufacturers implement driver-assistance technology, including the forward-facing camera systems that live in or near the windshield.

The October 2023 evaluation rated Ford's BlueCruise system as the top performer. Systems from other manufacturers varied widely in how well they maintained lane position, managed driver monitoring, and responded to unexpected traffic situations. Camera quality and field-of-view calibration were important factors in system performance.

For auto-glass technicians and shop owners, the CR rankings serve as a map of which vehicle platforms carry the most sophisticated and most calibration-sensitive windshield camera systems. The top-performing systems — those earning high CR scores — are typically also the ones where camera recalibration after windshield replacement must be performed with precision and documented thoroughly.

The evaluation also highlighted a consumer-behavior dynamic: owners of highly rated systems rely on them more actively during daily driving. That reliance means that when a windshield replacement knocks the camera out of alignment, the customer notices the degradation quickly and is more likely to return the vehicle or complain about the job. High-quality calibration work is, therefore, both a technical necessity and a customer satisfaction imperative on vehicles with top-ranked systems.

The evaluation methodology has helped prompt OEMs to invest in system improvements, which in turn have raised the bar for calibration accuracy. Shops can use independent system evaluations as leading indicators of where calibration complexity is heading. A platform moving upward in the rankings may bring more customer reliance on its assistance features, making pre-scan, calibration, verification, and final documentation increasingly visible parts of the replacement experience.

The October 2023 update also flagged systems from Jaguar/Land Rover and Lucid as strong performers — an indicator that luxury and EV platforms were becoming significant portions of the high-complexity calibration workload for specialty glass shops.