Cadillac enhances Super Cruise, adds lane change on demand

Enlarge / The updated Super Cruise has a new UI. (credit: Cadillac)

General Motors’ Super Cruise is widely recognized to be the best of the so-called “Level 2+” driver assists. It combines adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping with a geofence—so it only operates on divided-lane highways—plus an infrared driver monitoring system that only allows for hands-free operation when it knows the person behind the wheel has their eyes on the road ahead. On Tuesday morning, Cadillac announced that it’s rolling out an enhanced version this year that includes the ability to change lanes on demand.

“This is our most extensive update we’ve made to Super Cruise since its debut,” said Mario Maiorana, Super Cruise chief engineer. “We have made a number of improvements to make Super Cruise more intuitive, better performing and more accessible for our customers. In addition to the automated lane change functionality, we’ve made improvements to the user interface and hands-free driving dynamics.”

Currently, if you’re Super Cruising along one of the 200,000 miles (321,868km) of lidar-mapped highways in a Cadillac CT6 and you want to change lanes, it’s all down to you to execute the maneuver. You check there’s a gap, indicate (please remember to use your turn signal), and as you begin applying torque to the wheel the system temporarily disengages, giving you full control. You know you’re in charge because the strip of LEDs in the steering wheel go from green to blue. Once you’re traveling straight and true again, the system can re-engage, the LEDs turn green, and you can go back to vogueing, doing ‘big fish little fish cardboard box,” or even jazz hands, while all around you everyone else has to keep their mitts on the rim.