AUTOMATIC FOLLOWING DISTANCE IN CRUISE CONTROL

A cruise control method to control a driven vehicle includes: determining projected speeds of the driven vehicle at each of the predetermined-upcoming locations; determining a plurality of following times at each of the predetermined-upcoming locations of the driven vehicle and the projected speeds of the followed vehicle; determining whether at least one of the plurality of following times is less than the predetermined-minimum time threshold; and in response to determining that at least one plurality of following times is less than the predetermined-minimum time threshold, commanding, by the controller, the propulsion system of the driven vehicle to decrease the commanded axle torque by a torque adjustment in order to prevent each of the plurality of following times at each of the predetermined-upcoming locations from being less than the predetermined-minimum time threshold.