Consumer Reports agrees with Ars: GM Super Cruise pilot beats Tesla autopilot

Last February, the Cadillac CT6 sedan excited me a lot. He has not managed better than his competitors. It was not faster or better set up. But he came with Super Cruise; a state-of-the-art semi-autonomous driving aid that combines HD mapping with an appropriate driver monitoring system. Super Cruise is geo-fenced, so it only works on divided lanes. And only when he knows you are looking at the road in front of you, thanks to this driver monitoring system. This has made it the best system on the market – yes, even better than the Tesla autopilot – and it seems that Consumer Reports is of the same opinion. On Thursday, she released her first-ever ranking of semi-automated driving systems, placing Super Cruise at the top.

The proliferation of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) in the automotive industry has been a thing to watch for. Some features are there for the convenience of the driver, such as adaptive cruise control and lane maintenance. Other, such as collision warning or emergency braking, are more consciously security features. But deployment can also be a bit confusing, especially with respect to relative performance. The problem is that comparative tests are easier said than done, at least without adequate resources.

The Insurance Institute for Road Safety is one of the few groups that does this with some rigor. Now Consumer reports joins the fray. Like the IIHS, his first results come from a rather limited sample. In this case, he tested Super Cruise on a Cadillac CT6; Autopilot in Tesla S, X and 3 models; ProPilot Assist in an Infiniti QX50 and a Nissan Leaf; and steering assistance in the Volvo XC40 and XC60. (Regarding the software versions, Consumer reports says that he evaluated the systems as they were operating in September 2018.)

"We've been evaluating these systems on a case-by-case basis for a few years, but we're at a critical point where they're becoming more commonplace," says Jake Fisher, director of automated testing at Consumer reports. "If you overlap, you will see real differences. The best balance between systems and capabilities: make driving easier and less stressful in the right situations. Without adequate safeguards, it's all too easy to trust the system, putting drivers at risk. "

Consumer reports indicates that he tested "not only the smooth running of the technology, but also its ability to monitor the commitment of drivers and react if drivers do not respond to warnings." For this reason alone, I'm not surprised that Super Cruise has won, as it remains the only system to take driver monitoring more seriously than using a torque sensor to measure the steering input. He also awarded GM a high score for clearly indicating when it was safe to use the system.

Tesla got good grades for autopilot capabilities, but did not do well in monitoring or alerting his pilot. ProPilot Assist came in third, followed by Volvo, in part because its screens can confuse the modes. I do not do this work for validation, but it's always nice when another august publication comes to the same conclusion as me – and I totally agree with Consumer Reports & # 39; take.

Super cruise East the most comprehensive system on the market, and anyone who really wants to offer this level of driver assistance Needs ensure adequate supervision of the driver. (GM must also hurry up and make it available in a larger number of models.) The autopilot is extremely capable, but does not have the back as does Super Cruise. ProPilot Assist is indeed very effective to avoid any confusion of mode. And Pilot Assist is the only system with which I experienced confusion in the mode, assuming it was activated when it was not. Two times.

As the referee responsible for the information, Consumer reports also emphasizes that these aids are really useful and that their use presents new risks for safety. As we point out every time we approach the subject, no matter what a car calls its combination of adaptive cruise control and lane keeping, it's not responsible for situational awareness: this responsibility lies with the man, sitting in the driver's seat.

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