Fully autonomous driving, where cars move on their own without a driver, is an inevitable future. At ‘The Battery Conference,’ a side event of the country’s largest battery industry exhibition, ‘InterBattery 2026,’ held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 12th, Jeong Won-Seok, a senior research fellow at iM Securities, cautiously predicted the timing would be around 2029.

However, as seen in the case of electric vehiclesonce taken for granted as the alternative to internal combustion carsrunning into the ‘chasm’ (a temporary demand lull) and struggling through a long tunnel of stagnation, autonomous-driving technology likewise has many variables and more than a few factors to consider in development.

Even so, albeit slowly, the global automakers are edging toward the long-held human dream of full autonomy. ‘Adaptive Cruise Control’(ACC), which automatically adjusts the gap to the car ahead and repeatedly raises and lowers speed without pressing the pedals, proving useful not only on high-speed sections but also in congestion, is a prime example. Thanks to the benefit of not having to alternate between the accelerator and brake with one foot, this driver-assistance function has become mainstream on most new cars. It also serves as a trailer for the fully autonomous era that will arrive someday.

I test-drove JLR Korea’s large sport-utility vehicle (SUV), the ‘New Defender 110,’ launched in the domestic market last month. The new Defender is a true off-roader that easily fords water 900㎜ deep and has a maximum towing capacity of 3500㎏. Press the ride-height adjustment button and the brawny body goes up and down with a ‘whirr.’ At the highest setting, the expansive forward view is superb.

I took this car on an expressway for a round trip of 500㎞. As expected, I ran into a traffic jam, with weekend day-trippers flooding the road. I switched on ACC. It slipped naturally into the flow of vehicles. When the road opened up, it charged ahead without hesitation, and when the car in front looked set to stop, it halted smoothly yet swiftly. Throughout the stop-and-go, the new Defender’s autonomous driving operated with agility and stability that belied its hefty bulk.

Although I stayed on edge to brace for sudden situationssuch as a car cutting in from the adjacent lane or the vehicle ahead braking abruptlyfatigue from long-distance driving was clearly reduced.

A JLR Korea official said, “Through this facelift, we have enhanced autonomous-driving performance so that relaxed and stable driving is possible not only in urban traffic but also in rough off-road environments, while reducing driver fatigue.”