Want to know what it’s like to ride in a self-driving car? In a word: boring. But maybe not as dull as a monotonous commute or soul-sucking drive on the interstate, but that’s the point.

Ahead of this week’s Chicago Auto Show, we had the chance to ride along in Continental’s Automated Driving technology prototype – a highly modified version of a 2011 VW Passat. Continental’s Ibro Muharemovic, one of Continental’s engineers, has logged over 15,000 miles on the Passat, in part to fulfill the 10,000 automated-mode miles required by Nevada to get an autonomous car license from the state.

As we drove along Chicago’s South Lakeshore Drive, Muharemovic switched the car through three modes which can be selected based on what the driver wants and what the traffic situation entails.

The first is Driver Support mode and forward-collision and lane-departure warning, blind-spot detection and automatic emergency braking. Think of it as a hyper-aware nanny keeping watch on your surroundings while you’re still in control.

The second is Semi-Automated mode, which adds active cruise control (ACC) that keeps the car in pace with the vehicle ahead and can bring the car to a complete stop.

Finally, there’s a Highly Automated mode that adds full-speed ACC with an automatic-resume function that uses free-space detection and side-sensing. This is the one we’re looking forward to.

In fully automated mode, Muharemovic completely removed his hands from the steering wheel and foot from the pedals. At one point he turned around for several seconds to talk to passengers in the backseat. He had a casualness that comes from getting used to the technology over thousands a miles and a steadfast faith in the systems he helped create.

According to Muharemovic, Continental’s Passat doesn’t contain prototype hardware, but off-the-shelf sensors that are in production vehicles. “The stereo camera: Mercedes-Benz E-Class,” he says. “Long-range radar: BMW and Cadillac. Short-range radar: Toyota, Chrysler and Ford.” And lots and lots of software.

“The key is redundancies,” Muharemovic told Wired during the drive. “To take the driver out of the loop, everything needs to be calculated twice. Failure modes need to be there, and HMI is also a key factor.”

That’s especially true as most drivers initially won’t be comfortable with the car taking over. “Now it’s just a matter of trying to convince people that it’s good for them, that it’s not taking anything away from driving,” Muharemovic says.

A dyed-in-the-wool Detroit car guy, Muharemovic challenges anyone who fears that autonomous driving will take the fun out of motoring. “I’d like to meet someone who loves traffic jams,” he says, adding that his girlfriend has noticed that he comes home less stressed from his daily commute.

“I drove to West Virginia in this car,” he recalls. “It’s about a nine-hour drive from Detroit. Out of that entire nine hours, I drove for 45 minutes. And the only reason I drove that much was because there was this nice mountain pass, with sharp S-turns.” Further proof that in an autonomous world, we’ll still have a chance to enjoy the drive.