GM's Super Cruise Hands-Free Driving Feature Coming to the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali

author: Vineeth Joel Patel   

For what it's worth, Super Cruise is one of the better and more high-tech driver-assist systems currently available on the market. General Motors, unfortunately, has limited the system to only be offered on Cadillacs. Originally, the system was only available on the CT6, but it's now offered on the CT5, CT4, and Escalade. Additionally, it will also be offered on the GMC Hummer EV. By 2023, GM wants the system to be on 22 different models. Now, we know that there's another vehicle that Super Cruise will be available on, the 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali.


First GM Pickup With Super Cruise


It shouldn't as a surprise to hear that GMC will be saving Super Cruise for the range-topping Denali trim. Super Cruise is bundled together as an expensive package on higher trim levels on other vehicles, and with GMC being one of the luxury brands in GM's arsenal, only offering the system on the most expensive version of the pickup truck makes sense.


The one murky part of offering Super Cruise on a capable pickup truck like the Sierra 1500 brings up a lot of questions on towing. When properly equipped, the current Sierra 1500 can tow up to 11,800 pounds. Taking your hands off the road with that kind of weight behind your truck requires a lot of trust.


GMC claims that the version of Super Cruise on the 2022 Sierra 1500 will introduce the "ability to trailer while driving hands free." We're not sure what kind of changes GM had to make to the system to allow Super Cruise to be able to keep a trailer in a straight line without any input from the driver, but we're definitely excited to see it used in this application.


New Tech To Be Competitive


Super Cruise, according to GM, is "the industry's first true hands-free driver assistance system." Using a variety of onboard radars, sensors, cameras, and LiDAR, Super Cruise allows drivers to take their hands off the wheel when driving on a compatible highway. In North America, GM has mapped approximately 200,000 miles of road where Super Cruise can be used on.


The decision to offer Super Cruise on the 2022 Sierra 1500 isn't a coincidence. Ford recently introduced its Active Drive Assist system, which is awfully similar to Super Cruise, on the all-new 2021 Ford F-150. Automakers continually try to one-up another in the pickup truck segment, as it's the most popular one in the U.S. If a competitor comes out with a feature, you can almost guarantee that others are looking for a way to come out with something similar.


GM's Super Cruise and Tesla's Autopilot system are two of the most popular and capable semi-autonomous driver-assist systems on the market. While both systems have their positives and negatives, Super Cruise is generally regarded as the safer system that has a better method of tracking drivers. 

Vineeth Joel Patel

Joel Patel has been covering all aspects of the automotive industry for four years as an editor and freelance writer for various websites. When it comes to cars, he enjoys covering the merger between technology and cars. In his spare time, Joel likes to watch baseball, work on his car, and try new foods