For a layman, autonomous technology is Autopilot. That’s how synonymous Musk has made it; so naturally, one would assume it to be the best one. However, according to Consumer Reports, it’s not Tesla’s autopilot, but Cadillac’s Super Cruise that’s the best system in the market today. Surprised?

And The Winner Is...

Consumer Reports’ first rankings of semi-autonomous driving technology awarded Cadillac’s Super Cruise as the winner and deemed the system to be fairly capable, and one of the most aggressive in ensuring the driver is paying attention. The reason for this could also be because General Motors, Cadillac’s parent company, owns Cruise automation – an entity whose market value is capped at $14 billion. They have no dearth of investments and investors. In fact, Honda will be investing $2.75 billion in Cruise over the next 12 years.

The Parameters For Testing

The criteria for the study included stuff like how well the cars stayed centered in their lane, how often they touched lane lines, how many times they crossed those lines, etc. Testers also looked at how well the cars were able to control their speed and how they dealt with stop-and-go traffic.

Which System Is An Attention-Seeker?

Drivers tend to completely devoid themselves from controlling the vehicle once the system is engaged. So, a lot of attention was given to how well the systems kept the drivers engaged. It’s important that semi-autonomous driving systems ensure drivers remain alert. And, Cadillac’s Super Cruise won this hands-down, thanks to the system which uses a camera to monitor the driver’s eye movements. If the system detects the driver isn’t paying attention, it can alert them by flashing red lights, sounding audible alerts and vibrating the seat.

Whose Focus Is The Best?

Nissan’s ProPilot Assist and Volvo’s Pilot Assist didn’t do nearly as well as these systems had problems on curving and hilly roads. They even suffered from lane departures.

Autopilot was deemed the easiest to use, while Super Cruise was the best at identifying when the system can be used safely. This could be because Super Cruise can only be used on highways that have been mapped by General Motors.

Conclusion

To sum up the rankings, Volvo’s Pilot Assist was ranked last, Nissan’s ProPilot Assist came in third, Tesla’s autopilot bagged the second place, and Super Cruise won the trophy. Pilot Assist was even criticized for having poor capacity and performance, poor ease of use and relatively poor safety in regards to monitoring the driver.

Have you tried any of the autonomous systems? If yes, which one in your opinion is the best? Let us know in the comments section below.

Further Reading

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