Despite my personal preference for Ford vehicles, I've found the BlueCruise feature on my 2025 Expedition to be less than impressive. On the other hand, the GM Super Cruise on my company truck performs remarkably well on highways and even back roads.
Ford's BlueCruise and General Motors' Super Cruise are two cutting-edge hands-free driving technologies designed to provide semi-autonomous operation on mapped highways. While both systems share similarities, they differ in coverage, features, and user experience.
Coverage and Mapped Roads
GM's Super Cruise leads in coverage area with over three times the mapped miles compared to BlueCruise. Super Cruise covers more than 400,000 miles of pre-mapped highways and secondary roads nationwide, offering a significantly larger area than BlueCruise's coverage of over 130,000 miles, known as "Blue Zones," across North America.
Performance
Both systems perform steering, braking, accelerating, and offer automated lane changes. Ford's BlueCruise, praised for practical highway driving in vehicles like the Ford F-150 and Explorer, has recently added Lane Change Assist that actively manages lane positioning based on traffic. On the other hand, Super Cruise is known for its smooth, refined semi-autonomous driving primarily in Cadillac and other GM vehicles, well-rated for safety and reliability.
User Experience
In terms of user experience, both systems require a subscription. BlueCruise emphasizes simplicity and ease of use, while Super Cruise incorporates more extensive driver monitoring and is often noted for a luxury feel due to its Cadillac lineage.
Real-World Performance and User Concerns
However, some users have expressed concerns about the limited road coverage of BlueCruise, making it feel more like a marketing bullet point than a genuinely transformative tool. Additionally, the gap between Ford's marketing of BlueCruise and its real-world performance is a concern for some buyers. For instance, Leroy Kirkland had a negative experience with BlueCruise, almost driving into a concrete barrier, which he attributes to the poor quality of roads in certain areas.
Similar frustrations have been reported by users of other advanced tech features, including Tesla's FSD. Many buyers of advanced tech features find that the real-world limitations of these systems do not always meet their expectations.
Updates and Driver Monitoring
GM updates Super Cruise more frequently, adding new road segments and refining behaviors multiple times a year. Ford, on the other hand, updates BlueCruise at a slower pace, with a focus on smaller refinements rather than substantial coverage expansions. This difference in update frequency can lead to more frequent alerts in Ford's driver monitoring system, creating unnecessary interruptions in the hands-free experience.
Steering and Lane Positioning
Ford's BlueCruise makes subtle steering adjustments that some drivers find unsettling. In comparison, Super Cruise feels smoother and more confident in lane positioning.
In conclusion, while both systems offer advanced hands-free driving experiences, Super Cruise leads in coverage area and offers a more extensive driver monitoring system. Ford's BlueCruise provides a practical, user-friendly hands-free driving experience that continues to improve, especially attractive for everyday driving in Ford's popular vehicles. Owners of vehicles with hands-free systems are encouraged to research coverage maps before relying on them.
[1] Ford BlueCruise: https://www.ford.com/technology/bluecruise/ [4] GM Super Cruise: https://www.gm.com/supercruise/ [5] Cadillac Super Cruise: https://www.cadillac.com/technology/supercruise/index.html
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