You Can Tow With Super Cruise Trailering

Lost in all the discussion about hands-free, automated, or self-driving vehicles is something GM figured out. Automated, hands-free driving makes the most sense on an open highway. There, you have the condition of a limited number of vehicles entering the road, few, if any, cross streets, no people on the road, and few are even near it. In short, almost none of the constant random hazards you have in the city will be there to confuse the most sophisticated algorithm. There simply is far less to process. By coincidence, that reduced processing is actually what makes long-distance driving tedious and where you wouldn’t mind the vehicle taking over for a while.

That was surely the thinking behind GM’s Super Cruise system, which will have mapped out 750,000 miles of highway in North America by this year for potential hands-free driving. That’s great, you say, but what if you do most of your long-distance driving while towing a trailer? Super Cruise can still work. Motor1 was curious about how well it worked, and this blog post by McFarland Chevrolet tells you what they found. 

The Super Cruise Trailering System

Super Cruise works when towing when you have the Super Cruise Trailering system. It isn’t on all models with Super Cruise, but you will find it on the upper grades of model lines frequently used for towing, such as the Suburban, Tahoe, Silverado 1500, and HD models.  The system will be compatible with each model’s maximum towing capacity. Motor1.com conducted their test with a 2024 Silverado 1500 High Country with an enclosed 22-foot trailer weighing about 3,500 pounds. Though the most common use for the system is on the open highway between cities, Motor1 chose to challenge the system by using it on the Los Angeles 105 freeway.  Like most interstates and related freeways, this one has been mapped by GM. But far from the wide open spaces, this relatively short freeway runs right alongside Los Angeles International Airport, includes three freeway interchanges in close proximity, carpool lanes, occasional lane closures, and, being L.A., congestion. Their summary of findings was simple:  “The Silverado came through it without a single hiccup.”

Engaging Super Cruise

It is not elaborate, but there are a few steps to activating Super Cruise. When the vehicle enters a highway mapped by the system, a gray steering wheel icon will appear on the instrument cluster. Your only action is to press the Super Cruise button on the steering wheel. The dash light and the LEDs on the top of the steering wheel will turn blue while the system prepares to engage. When both the dash light and steering wheel lights turn green, you are free to remove your hands and feet from the controls. 

The process works similarly when a trailer is in tow, but there are some distinctions. Super Cruise Trailering includes sensors to detect the trailer’s weight. It uses this information to help determine proper brake-safe distances from a vehicle ahead. A primary difference between Super Cruise and Super Cruise Trailering is that the latter will not automatically change lanes to pass a car ahead on a multiple-lane highway. Instead, when you flick the turn signal, models with the surround-view camera (which is often on the same spec as a vehicle with Super Cruise Trailering) will display a blind spot view of the intended lane on the center screen and overlay a red area over 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 Work

The system works for speeds up to 85 mpg, which is likely as fast as you should go when towing. The driver is still expected to pay attention, and the system will prompt the driver to take over when needed. This can occur in situations such as in current or recent construction zones when lane markings can become confusing or, in the case of the Motor1.com test, when a driver abruptly cuts in front of the vehicle. Heavy rain or snow, snow-covered roads, or anything else that obscures lane markings will also have the system defer to the driver. 

So, the answer is yes, you can tow while using Super Cruise if the model has Super Cruise Trailering. If you like this idea, remember that with our own Valley RV Supercenter, no dealer knows towing like McFarland Chevrolet. Ask one of our sales professionals to show you the models with the Super Cruise Trailering system. Happy Towing!