1 Full-Size Pickup Truck Cruises Along With Hands-Free Driving–and Towing – MotorBiscuit
General Motors offers the most advanced driver aid software of any pickup truck manufacturer. The GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado do not fit the official definition of “self driving truck” reserved for autonomous vehicles. But the latest Chevy Silverado 1500 LTD High Country and the GMC Sierra 1500 Denali can both cruise along pre-mapped highways–even towing a trailer–without any driver input.
Does Chevy have a self driving truck?
While Chevy does not technically have a “self driving” truck, the top-trim Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra both offer the most advanced hands-free driving in the business. These trucks can navigate most highways without driver input, even pulling a trailer. But they cannot navigate intersections.
GMC Sierra testing Super Cruise | General Motors
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The government regulates how automakers label driver aid software and self-driving is a term no one can use until vehicles can actually drive themselves. What General Motors offers is an advanced suite of driver aid software–or a partially automated driving system–called Super Cruise.
Super Cruise cannot navigate surface streets, intersections, or highway interchanges. It can keep your truck centered in the lane with your hands off the wheel. Super Cruise can also slow down your set cruise control speed to match surrounding traffic or match speed limits.
You can’t turn on Super Cruise then recline your seat and take a nap. You also can’t give your truck directions and send it off to run errands without you. Super Cruise only works while someone is sitting in the driver’s seat with their eyes on the road.
GM offers Super Cruise as an option on the 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTD High Country and GMC Sierra 1500 Denali. GMC installs Super Cruise standard on the Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate.
What is Super Cruise technology?
Super Cruise is General Motors’ name for its hands-free driver aid software, available in certain Cadillac, GMC, and Chevrolet vehicles. With lane centering and stop/go cruise control, these cars and trucks can usually navigate pre-mapped highways with no driver input. But you’ll need to take the wheel on surface streets and at interchanges.
Super Cruise availability | General Motors
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General Motors’ new Super Cruise technology merges two older, time-tested technologies. These are adaptive cruise control and lane-centering. So while the Sierra and Denali are not true self driving trucks, they offer a lot of driver aids.
For example, you can simply set a cruising speed and Super Cruise maintains this speed when possible, but matches surrounding t traffic when necessary. Super Cruise also detects the lines on either side of your lane and keeps your truck in the center without you touching the steering wheel.
The automaker has pre-mapped over 200,000 miles of roads. Super Cruise leverages this data to drive more smoothly. For example, when a curve in the highway is coming up, Super Cruise slows down to better navigate the bend.
Currently, you can authorize Super Cruise to pass a slow-moving vehicle by tapping your turn-signal stalk, but you don’t have to take the wheel. Forbes reports that Super Cruise will soon be able to complete passes with no driver input at all.
Super Cruise review
Consumer Reports rates Super Cruise as the most advanced driver aid software available in 2022. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is proving problematic, at present, and Ford’s Blue Cruise is still playing catch-up.
2022 GMC Sierra Denali Ultimate | General Motors
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According to Consumer Reports, Super Cruise is a superior partially automated driving system to Tesla’s Autopilot, Ford’s Blue Cruise (also called Lincoln ActiveGlide), Volvo’s Pilot Assist, and Nissan’s ProPilot Assist. At the moment, Ram and the Toyota Tundra offer adaptive cruise control, but no partially automated driving system. No one builds a true self driving truck.
One major differentiator is Super Cruise’s use of map data to slow down for curves. Another is how well Super Cruise communicates with the driver: when the system is engaged, a lightbar in the steering wheel turns green and you can let go of the wheel. A third difference is that Super Cruise works while you’re towing a trailer. The Ford F-150’s Blue Cruise does not.
Watch TFL Truck test out a GMC Sierra 1500’s Super Cruise towing in the video below:
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