General Motors offers the most advanced driver assistance software from any pickup manufacturer. 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 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali can both cross pre-mapped highways – even pulling a trailer – without any driver effort.
Does Chevy have a self-driving truck?
While Chevy technically does not have a “self-driving” truck, the top-tuned Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra both offer the most advanced hands-free driving in the industry. These trucks can navigate most highways without driver input, even towing a trailer. But they can not navigate at intersections.
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The government regulates how car manufacturers label driver assistance software and self-driving is a term that no one can use until vehicles can actually drive themselves. What General Motors offers is an advanced suite of driver assistance software – or a partially automated driving system – called Super Cruise.
Super Cruise cannot navigate dirt roads, intersections or highway changes. It can keep your truck centered in the lane with your hands off the steering wheel. Super Cruise can also slow down your tuned cruise control to match ambient traffic or match speed limits.
You can not turn on the Super Cruise and then lean back the chair and take a nap. You can also not give your truck directions and send it off to do errands without you. Super Cruise only works when 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 Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate.
What is Super Cruise technology?
Super Cruise is General Motors’ name for its hands-free driver assistance software, available in some Cadillac, GMC and Chevrolet vehicles. With lane centering and stop / go cruise control, these cars and trucks can usually navigate pre-mapped highways without driver input. But you have to take the wheel on side streets and at traffic junctions.
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General Motor’s new Super Cruise technology merges two older, proven technologies. These are adaptive cruise control and lane centering. So even though Sierra and Denali are not real self-driving trucks, they do offer a lot of driver assistance.
For example, you can simply set a cruising speed and Super Cruise maintains this speed whenever possible, but matches ambient traffic when needed. Super Cruise also detects the lines on either side of your lane and keeps your truck in the middle without you touching the steering wheel.
The car manufacturer has mapped over 200,000 miles of roads in advance. Super Cruise uses this data to run smoother. For example, when a curve on the highway comes up, Super Cruise slows down to better navigate the curve.
Currently, you can allow the Super Cruise to pass a slow-moving vehicle by pressing the turn signal lever, but you do not have to take the steering wheel. Forbes reports that Super Cruise will soon be able to complete passes without any driver input at all.
Super Cruise review
Consumer reports rank Super Cruise as the most advanced driver assistance software available in 2022. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving is proving problematic at the moment, and Ford’s Blue Cruise is still catching up.
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According to Consumer Reports, Super Cruise is a superior partially automated driving system compared to Tesla’s autopilot, Ford’s Blue Cruise (also known as Lincoln ActiveGlide), Volvo’s Pilot Assist and Nissan’s ProPilot Assist. At the moment, Ram and Toyota Tundra offer adaptive cruise control, but no partially automated driving system. Nobody builds a real self-driving truck.
One big difference is Super Cruises’ use of map data to slow down curves. Another is how well Super Cruise communicates with the driver: when the system is engaged, a light bar in the steering wheel turns green and you can release the steering wheel. A third difference is that Super Cruise works while towing. The Ford F-150’s Blue Cruise does not.
Watch TFL Truck test a GMC Sierra 1500’s Super Cruise towing in the video below:
▶“src =” https://www.youtube.com/embed/mWLBD6NJMFQ?feature=oembed “frameborder =” 0 “allow =” accelerometer; autospela; clip-writing; encrypted media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture “allow full screen>
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