Photo: Cadillac
A semi-autonomous driving system, Super Cruise meets Level 2 requirements but doesn’t excel in the same vein as the Autopilot from Tesla. In development since 2013, Super Cruise will be available with a few enhancements for the 2021 model year in three nameplates: the CT4 and CT5 sedans as well as the all-new Escalade utility vehicle.
“This is our most extensive update we’ve made to Super Cruise,” commented chief engineer Mario Maiorana. “In addition to the automated lane change functionality, we’ve made improvements to the user interface and hands-free driving dynamics.” These upgrades were made possible by the all-new digital vehicle platform, providing more data processing power and more electrical bandwidth to digest all that information.
Lane Change On Demand is arguably the highlight of the 2021 update, and it’s pretty simple to engage it. The driver needs to tap or latch the turn signal, prompting Super Cruise to analyze the road for an opening in the traffic. If all conditions are met and the sensors agree that the merge can be performed safely, then that’s that.
Enhancements further include improved software for steering and speed control, a more intuitive interface, and more map information for improved functionality through turns and highway interchanges. More than 200,000 miles of highways in the United States and Canada are compatible with Super Cruise, which launched in 2017 in the CT6 full-size sedan.
Enhanced Super Cruise, as Cadillac calls the latest update, will roll out in the second half of 2021 as an optional extra in the nameplates mentioned in the opening paragraph. Pricing information isn’t available yet, but last time we’ve checked, Cadillac was charging $5,000 for the outgoing version of Super Cruise.
Taking a look through the U.S. configurator, Super Cruise is no longer listed regardless of trim level or nameplate. It’s possible that Cadillac has temporarily taken out the option as it prepares to roll out Enhanced Super Cruise, which should keep the $5,000 price point of the previous version. For reference, Full Self-Driving Capability for the Autopilot of the Tesla Model 3 costs $7,000 at the time of this writing.
Lane Change On Demand is arguably the highlight of the 2021 update, and it’s pretty simple to engage it. The driver needs to tap or latch the turn signal, prompting Super Cruise to analyze the road for an opening in the traffic. If all conditions are met and the sensors agree that the merge can be performed safely, then that’s that.
Enhancements further include improved software for steering and speed control, a more intuitive interface, and more map information for improved functionality through turns and highway interchanges. More than 200,000 miles of highways in the United States and Canada are compatible with Super Cruise, which launched in 2017 in the CT6 full-size sedan.
Enhanced Super Cruise, as Cadillac calls the latest update, will roll out in the second half of 2021 as an optional extra in the nameplates mentioned in the opening paragraph. Pricing information isn’t available yet, but last time we’ve checked, Cadillac was charging $5,000 for the outgoing version of Super Cruise.
Taking a look through the U.S. configurator, Super Cruise is no longer listed regardless of trim level or nameplate. It’s possible that Cadillac has temporarily taken out the option as it prepares to roll out Enhanced Super Cruise, which should keep the $5,000 price point of the previous version. For reference, Full Self-Driving Capability for the Autopilot of the Tesla Model 3 costs $7,000 at the time of this writing.
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