A method for adaptively controlling a vehicle speed (vFzg) in a vehicle, in particular a utility vehicle with a cruise control, having at least the following steps: establishing a reference speed (vRef); activating an engine and/or brakes and/or a transmission of the vehicle by means of the cruise control in accordance with a target vehicle speed (vSoll) and/or a target vehicle deceleration (zSoll) for adapting the currently present vehicle speed (vFzg) to the reference speed (vRef) in a fuel-efficient manner, wherein the target vehicle speed (vSoll) and/or the target vehicle deceleration (zSoll) is determined for a current driving dynamic situation of the vehicle defined by vehicle parameters (vFzg, M, A, B, P) in accordance with at least one calculation coefficient (W, X, Y, Z), the at least one calculation coefficient (W, X, Y, Z) is provided by an external processor outside of the vehicle in accordance with the currently present driving dynamic vehicle parameters (vFzg, M, A, B, P) and in accordance with currently present route information for a route section ahead, and the route section ahead is established on the basis of the currently present driving dynamic vehicle parameters (vFzg, M, A, B, P), a currently present position and a currently present vehicle speed (vFzg) and/or a current vehicle mass and/or a current maximum available drive torque and/or a current maximum available braking torque are used as driving dynamic vehicle parameters, and the route section ahead is determined in accordance with the current vehicle mass and the current vehicle speed (vFzg), in particular in accordance with the kinetic energy (Ekin) of the vehicle, characterized in that a route section start point and a route section end point of the route section ahead are determined in accordance with the maximum available drive torque and/or in accordance with the maximum available braking torque. establishing a reference speed (vRef); activating an engine and/or brakes and/or a transmission of the vehicle by means of the cruise control in accordance with a target vehicle speed (vSoll) and/or a target vehicle deceleration (zSoll) for adapting the currently present vehicle speed (vFzg) to the reference speed (vRef) in a fuel-efficient manner, wherein the target vehicle speed (vSoll) and/or the target vehicle deceleration (zSoll) is determined for a current driving dynamic situation of the vehicle defined by vehicle parameters (vFzg, M, A, B, P) in accordance with at least one calculation coefficient (W, X, Y, Z), the at least one calculation coefficient (W, X, Y, Z) is provided by an external processor outside of the vehicle in accordance with the currently present driving dynamic vehicle parameters (vFzg, M, A, B, P) and in accordance with currently present route information for a route section ahead, and the route section ahead is established on the basis of the currently present driving dynamic vehicle parameters (vFzg, M, A, B, P), a currently present position and a currently present vehicle speed (vFzg) and/or a current vehicle mass and/or a current maximum available drive torque and/or a current maximum available braking torque are used as driving dynamic vehicle parameters, and the route section ahead is determined in accordance with the current vehicle mass and the current vehicle speed (vFzg), in particular in accordance with the kinetic energy (Ekin) of the vehicle, characterized in that a route section start point and a route section end point of the route section ahead are determined in accordance with the maximum available drive torque and/or in accordance with the maximum available braking torque.