Super Cruise Is Great for Towing

For all the talk about hands-free, automated self-driving vehicles and driverless taxis and such, it seems that GM has the right idea: the best role for hands-free driving is on the open highway. This is an environment with limited entering and exiting of vehicles, infrequent stops, and few, if any, pedestrians are about. In short, there is far less to process and much more predictability. That lack of processing can make long-distance driving tedious for drivers, and hours-long eventless driving is precisely when you wouldn’t mind the vehicle taking over for a while.

That was surely the idea behind GM’s Super Cruise system, which thus far has mapped out over 400,000 miles for potential hands-free driving in North America. Those who spend much of their cross-country driving towing a travel trailer or some other kind of trailer must wonder if Super Cruise works when towing. The answer is yes, and it does it quite well. Chevrolet of Spring Valley is here to tell you about it with a little help from the Motor1.com automotive enthusiast site.

Trailering with Super Cruise 

Not every model equipped with Super Cruise includes the Super Cruise Trailering system. You will find it as part of the Super Cruise system on models known for towing, such as the Suburban, Tahoe, and Silverado 1500 & HD. The system will be compatible with each model’s maximum towing capacity. Motor1.com tested Super Cruise Trailering with a 2024 Silverado 1500 High Country towing an enclosed 22-foot trailer weighing about 3,500 pounds. While the most common use for the system would be out on the open highway between cities, for a more challenging test, they headed for the Los Angeles 105.  This is 17 miles of very urban freeway in densely populated areas that takes you to the Los Angeles International Airport. Along the way are three freeway interchanges, carpool lanes, occasional lane closures, and, of course, periodic congestion. In their words: “The Silverado came through it without a single hiccup.”

How to Super Cruise

Activating Super Cruise is easy, but there are a couple of steps. When you enter a highway that the Super Cruise system has mapped, the vehicle will let you know by engaging a gray steering wheel icon on the instrument cluster. You press the Super Cruise button on the steering wheel, and that light and a line of LEDs on the top of the steering wheel will turn blue while the system prepares to engage. When both the dash and steering wheel lights turn green, the system is active, and you are free to remove your hands from the wheel and your right foot from the pedal. This process works no differently when a trailer is in tow, but once active, there are some differences. 

Super Cruise Trailering includes sensors to detect the trailer’s weight, which it takes into account when maintaining a proper distance from a vehicle ahead. Motor1.com reports that the system is likely better than human drivers at remaining centered in the lane. 

When not trailering, Super Cruise will automatically change lanes and pass a vehicle with just your engagement of the turn signal. Super Cruise Trailering will not do automatic lane changes, but it does make the task easier. After you engage the turn signal, models with the surround-view camera (which is often present on models with Super Cruise) will display a blind spot view of the intended lane on the center screen and overlay a red area on the lane representing the length of both the truck and trailer. This helps you know when it is safe to enter the lane. 

When Super Cruise Will Not Engage

The system works for speeds up to 85 mph, which is probably as fast as you want to go when trailer towing. The driver must pay attention as the system will prompt the driver to take over when need be, which can occur if lane markings become confusing or, in the case of the Motor1.com test, when a driver abruptly cuts in front of the vehicle. Heavy rain, snow, or snow-covered roads will also have the system defer to the driver. 

When a Chevrolet model is equipped with Super Cruise Trailering, it will work quite well when towing. If this appeals to you, visit Chevrolet of Spring Valley and have one of our sales professionals show you vehicles with the Super Cruise Trailering system. May all your cruises be super.