Driving hands-free with Enhanced Super Cruise in the 2021 Cadillac Escalade

By Juan Garcia Published April 25, 2023

In 2017, Cadillac went from being just a luxury car brand to setting an industry technology benchmark with Super Cruise, a hands-free driving system to rival Tesla’s Autopilot. Now, the company has set that bar even higher with the release of Enhanced Super Cruise, a new version that allows automated lane changes and easier operation. We had a chance to try it out in the all-new 2021 Escalade.

Recommended Videos

Super Cruise offers a simple yet powerful interface that controls both the acceleration and the braking of the vehicle on compatible roads in the United States and Canada. Cadillac mapped these roads in advance using lidar (it’s like radar, with light) to detect their curves, intersections, and exits in minute detail. To operate with greater precision, the system also uses real-time location, cameras, and other sensors.

Activating Super Cruise is simple: Just press the Adaptive Cruise Control button located on the steering wheel. When you drive on a compatible road and the driving conditions are optimal (visible lane markings, GPS available, and up-to-date signs), the Super Cruise symbol will light up.

Ready to start driving with no hands? Press the Super Cruise button located on the steering wheel and a green light on it will inform you that you can now remove your hands to place them on your legs, for instance, or by your sides.

The system also works to change lanes; you just have to activate the turn signal and Super Cruise will look for a suitable opening in the next lane, in addition to alerting other vehicles of the movement that the car is about to make.

To turn Super Cruise off, press the button again, or press the brake pedal.

Autonomous driving systems are here, and Cadillac’s Super Cruise is proof of that. Enhanced Super Cruise will make its first appearance in the 2021 Cadillac CT5, CT4, and all-new 2021 Cadillac Escalade.

This piece was produced in collaboration with our Spanish-language partners at Digital Trends Español.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Cars

Rivian, VW venture kicks off next-gen platform for R1, Scout EVs

Rivian R2, R3, and R3X

The big challenge for Rivian, the EV maker known for its innovative electric and software systems, has long been how to reach the next stage of growth.

That stage came within reach in June, when the California-based company and Volkswagen announced a joint venture involving a $5 billion injection from the German automaker.

Cars

Kia EV3: everything we know so far

White Kia EV3

Kia is on a roll. Hot on the heels of the success of the Kia EV6 and EV9, the company is now expanding its lineup even further, with the new EV3.

The EV3 was announced some time ago, but it's now rolling out in Europe with a solid range and a relatively low price tag. That low price tag, however, thankfully doesn't mean that the EV3 is a low-end vehicle -- on the contrary, it still offers everything you know and love about modern Kia vehicles.

Mobile

I reviewed an electric car like it was a phone, and I came to a shocking conclusion

The front of the Cupra Born VZ.

The Cupra Born VZ is not a smartphone — it’s an electric car. Yet, during my time driving it over the last five days, it has reminded me more than once about the device I spend most of my time using and reviewing.

This is not a put-down, nor is it a comment on electric versus combustion-engine vehicles, but more about how I, someone who doesn’t professionally review cars, can still easily recognize what’s good and bad about it. What’s more, the categories I usually break phone reviews down into, and the language I regularly use to talk about them, also neatly applies to the Born VZ.