According to a recent hands-free driving test conducted by Consumer Reports, Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assistance system came in “a distant second” to GM’s Super Cruise.
A total of 17 vehicles equipped with active driving assistance systems (ADAS) were tested, with Autopilot present on a Tesla Model Y and Super Cruise on a Cadillac CT6. You can see the rankings by different categories for these systems right here.
Super Cruise will be available on more than 20 GM vehicles within the next three years, including on the new Hummer EV truck.
Read Also: GM Rolling Out Super Cruise Self-Driving Tech To 22 Models Across The Board By 2023
This isn’t the first time Super Cruise got the better of Autopilot during a CR test. Back in 2018, another Cadillac CT6 managed to score better than a Tesla Model 3 during a four car ADAS test.
In this latest test, which took place this summer on both public roads as well as a track, the Caddy scored 69 points out of a possible 100, while the Tesla managed 57. A Lincoln Corsair equipped with Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 system finished third with 52 points, Audi‘s Pre Sense took fourth-spot overall with 48, while Hyundai’s Smart Sense / Kia Drive Wise, Mercedes‘ Driver Assistance and Subaru’s Eyesight all tied for fifth with 46 points.
CR’s head of connected and automated vehicle testing, Kelly Funkhouser, said that the reason why Super Cruise came out on top was its driver-facing infrared camera, which monitors the person behind the wheel, making sure he or she is ready to take over manual control at a moment’s notice.
Funkhouser added that “the best systems allow drivers to activate the steering and speed control independently so that drivers can decide exactly how much assistance they want to use, and only have a single lane keeping system that performs consistently.”
The test also concluded that Autopilot will shut off abruptly in some instances, while Super Cruise did a better job of notifying the driver when the system is disengaging.
On a related note, Tesla released a beta version of their brand new full self-driving tech last week, and road tests have so far looked very promising.
