My group of friends were recently considering using a private car on a trip from Los Angeles ARRIVE Yosemite when we were saved from that logistical nightmare by the big Pearl Beige metallic GMC Yukon Ultimate Denali. This Yukon It’s called the Ultimate for a reason; it has been equipped GM’s super yacht, entertainment system for the rear seats, massage for the heated and cooled front seats, sliding doors Panoramic sunroof, and a 6.2-liter V8 under the giant hood. This truck made our trip so much smoother and more comfortable than loading up multiple cars and traveling the 600 mile round trip from LA to Yosemite. What really made a difference on our hike into the woods was the Yukon’s Super Cruise Level 2 hands-free driving technology, which greatly reduced our long-distance driving fatigue.
I have a lot of experience with ADAS technology; I served as a field validation test driver for Mercedes-Benz Research and Development’s ADAS team for two years, so I’m very critical of ADAS technology. It’s worth mentioning that General Motors’ Super Cruise is one Level 2 system, Therefore, the driver is responsible for everything the vehicle does while the system is operating. It is important for consumers to understand that these vehicles are not self-driving, driver assistance systems only help reduce the stress of long-distance driving.
Full disclosure: GMC loaned me a fully loaded Yukon Denali Ultimate with Super Cruise so I could ferry my friends from Los Angeles to Yosemite National Park. It made our trips possible, kept us safe and entertained on the drive.
Super yacht is one the best Level 2 hands-free driving system on the market but it is still susceptible to uneducated owners placing too much trust in it. While driving from Los Angeles to Yosemite, Super yacht did a great job navigating open highways, but two-lane roads were much less consistent. The Super Cruise handled the 5 freeway well, but continued operations through construction zones with lane shifts were sketchy. The system will alert the driver with a message on the silent gauge cluster indicating Super yacht is operating in a construction zone and drivers should remain alert but the system will stop working. If Super yacht is a hands-free driving mode, which then turns off when the driver needs to steer.
automatic change lanes This function is more annoying than beneficial, but it is easily disabled. When the automatic lane change feature is activated, the Yukon will merge right and then immediately merge left back into the original lane when it realizes that the new lane is not moving any faster. This happened several times and caused me stress as a driver so I turned it off. It still allows the driver to initiate lane changes while Super yacht is activated by pressing the turn signal and this function works perfectly.
Most of the trip went smoothly, but towards the end of my return leg, Super yacht develop a habit of randomly accelerating toward vehicles ahead, then slamming on the brakes when the vehicle gets too close. The sky was clear, the lead car didn’t drift or merge, and this happened on a straight highway so I don’t see any explanation for the behavior.
When the system stops working and requires the driver to take control, Super yacht won’t release reliably when I press the steering wheel button. Sometimes I press the release button and wiggle the steering wheel and Super yacht will not let go. A few times it even started slowing down in the lane because it didn’t think I was responding to the withdrawal message despite pressing the button.
The Yukon is the perfect vehicle for this trip; Me, four friends and all our luggage could sit comfortably in it. My friends loved the rear-seat entertainment screen and onboard wifi hotspot, and front-seat occupants enjoyed the massaging seats and excellent stereo system. Road noise is unaffected on cement roads and is almost imperceptible on smooth asphalt. Fuel economy remains high, which isn’t great but with of the Yukon In large numbers it makes sense. However, the front seat lumbar controls are annoying. Front-seat occupants must use controls on the side of the seat to navigate the pop-up menu on the infotainment screen because it does not allow touchscreen selection of seat adjustment options or massage functions. The menu freezes frequently and is unresponsive to chair control inputs, but when it does work it’s appreciated.
Yukon Denali Ultimate with Super yacht is a behemoth with plenty of passenger space and an epic retractable panoramic sunroof. It safely took me and my friends through one of the most beautiful regions in the country, and Super Cruise made the monotonous parts of the trip much more enjoyable. For most of the drive, Super Cruise performed very well, but I recommend keeping the steering wheel fairly tight. I recommend this for all Level 2 systems and that includes so-called hands-free systems such as Ford’s green yacht And Tesla is erroneously named Autopilot. The days of napping while an automated car takes you somewhere are yet to come, unless your friend is an auto journalist who takes press cars and takes you on road trips, then you’re basically There are self-driving cars. Until then, Super Cruise is a great way to reduce driver fatigue a bit, just keep your hands close to the steering wheel.
