GM’s Super Cruise Is An Impressive Hands-Free Driver Assist, But It’s Not For Everyone – SlashGear

Having relinquished back control, I wondered who this system was for exactly. There is certainly a case for those who have hours-long drives across interstates either for work or vacation (Super Cruise can work in some cases while also towing), but I didn’t see it as something I could get comfortable with through average highway commuting. For one, GM’s system doesn’t drive like me, and this will be true for anyone who uses it. Regardless of how safe or good of a driver you think you are, the subtle choices and habits that you have behind the wheel are different than the commands hard-wired into Super Cruise, and thus it will always feel off, even if it’s performing in a safer way.

The other thing is, again, the unpredictability of other drivers. I see their choices defy logic on a daily basis and am constantly kept on my toes because of this, and until Super Cruise has some sort of adaptive AI learning this behavior, it’s always going to be hard to “trust” it. Even then, I’d like to compare notes.

For me, it was a neat spectacle that I a momentary kick out of, but I never felt relaxed. It was quite the opposite, in fact, since I was almost always hovering over the controls and constantly keeping my head on a swivel like a driving school instructor with a new student at the helm.

To be fair, there were some positive takeaways. In the moments where traffic was thin enough for me to ease back a bit, it was admittedly cool to put my hands on my knees and pretend I was Professor X steering the Escalade with my mind. The following day, Super Cruise made the 14-mile drive into Manhattan more interesting, if not slightly easier to deal with, while it dealt with the stop-and-go traffic. As a paid feature — spreading not only through Cadillac’s line-up but those of GMC and Chevrolet, too — it’s something that really needs to be tried out before throwing it on the option list. It may be a huge assist for long drives or it may be a panic-inducing nightmare. Your mileage may vary.