Autopilot is slowly becoming the norm in the transportation industry. It’s no longer just limited to Teslas, as you can find this feature in BMW, Cadillac, Ford, and Mercedes-Benz cars. So if you’re debating about which car has the best Autopilot, this article will help you figure out what cars have the best Autopilot.
Here are cars that have the best Autopilot:
- Tesla Model S Autopilot
- Tesla Model X Autopilot
- Cadillac CT6 Super Cruise
- Mercedes-Benz E-Class Drive Pilot
- Volvo XC90 Pilot Assist
- Nissan Pro Pilot Assist
- BMW 5 Traffic Jam Assist & Active Lane Keeping
Let’s take a closer look at each of these cars and the autopilot features that make them extraordinary.
1.Tesla Model S Autopilot
Tesla’s flagship Model S sedan doesn’t just have the best electric car range and tech. It also has the most advanced autopilot system in production. The Model S Autopilot is a software suite that can:
- Operate the vehicle on highways.
- Drive itself to the desired location.
- Park autonomously.
Entirely autonomous cars aren’t legal yet, but you can use Tesla Autopilot to cruise down highways with minimal intervention.
Like other semi-autonomous systems, autopilot uses cameras and sensors to steer the car and keep it centered in its lane while maintaining a safe distance from other vehicles. The system will also accelerate and decelerate in traffic and change lanes.
But Tesla’s Autopilot is more advanced than other systems because it can operate without steering input from the driver for extended periods.
Drivers are expected to keep their hands on the wheel at all times, but if drivers take their hands off for too long, the car will sound an alarm and eventually stop driving until it detects hands on the wheel again.
All Tesla’s cars can receive software updates wirelessly, which means that all the models sold so far are eligible to receive the autopilot feature through an update. Every Tesla Model S and Model X car owner will get this feature for free.
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2. Tesla Model X Autopilot
The autopilot feature on the Model X is quite literally a lifesaver, as it can bring your vehicle to a complete stop without you touching a pedal or taking your hands off the wheel.
It may seem like a minor thing, but when you are stuck in traffic on a busy highway and everyone around you is freaking out, it comes in handy to take a load off. However, if you don’t enjoy not having complete control over your vehicle, then you won’t like this feature very much.
The autopilot feature also comes with an auto-steering system that keeps you in your lane, as well as sensors that automatically brake if something gets in your way.
This is not a new technology but one that Tesla has been refining for over a decade now. The Autopilot also uses the same sensors used to detect obstacles to steer around them, giving you more control over your vehicle than ever before.
This is especially useful when it comes time for parallel parking or backing out of tight spaces such as driveways or parking garages where there are cars everywhere.
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3. Cadillac CT6 Super Cruise
The Cadillac CT6 Super Cruise is one of the most advanced autonomous driving systems globally.
The CT6 Super Cruise lets you take your hands off the wheel for an indefinite period, but it requires that certain conditions be met. The car must be on a divided highway, and it must be able to track the lane markings with its cameras and sensors.
If Super Cruise senses that the driver isn’t paying attention, it will activate a light bar on the steering column and sound a chime. If there’s no response, it will display a louder chime and safely bring the car to a stop.
Super Cruise is safer than other systems because it uses LiDAR (light detection and ranging) mapping data to make sure it knows exactly where it is on the road at all times. However, the driver must remain alert and engaged because it cannot independently change lanes or respond to traffic signals.
It also includes a camera located in the top center of the steering wheel that monitors eye movement and issues alerts if it detects that attention has wandered away from the road. After multiple warnings, OnStar will be notified automatically if no response is received.
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4. Mercedes-Benz E-Class Drive Pilot
While the Mercedes-Benz E-Class Drive Pilot doesn’t entirely take the driver out of the equation, it does come pretty close. It’ll keep you in your lane and steer for you, but it also follows traffic at speeds that can be reached on the autobahn.
The Drive Pilot relies on a mix of radar and stereo cameras to monitor the road around you and make driving decisions. It works on some highways with no lane markers, though you need to pay attention.
This is a semi-autonomous driving system that can use the car’s adaptive cruise control, active lane keep assist, and dynamic steering assist systems to automatically follow traffic and stay in your lane for up to 130 mph (210 km/h).
All you have to do is set the speed with the cruise control stalk and then press and hold the Drive Pilot button on the steering wheel. The car will then follow traffic at whatever pace you set, accelerating and braking alongside other vehicles.
As long as there are clear lane markers on both sides of the road, such as white lines or reflective posts, it will even follow corners around automatically. If a car gets between you and another vehicle ahead of you, it will break until it can safely switch lanes back behind that car.
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5. Volvo XC90 Pilot Assist
The XC90 is one of the safest and best-driving SUVs you can buy.
The Pilot Assist system takes things even further by combining adaptive cruise control, lane centering, and traffic jam assist functions in steering, accelerating, and braking in low-speed traffic.
The system can take over steering duties at speeds up to 80 mph (130 km/h), but it’s not self-driving or autonomous. The driver must keep their hands on the wheel at all times, but they don’t need to apply any steering input.
Semi-autonomous systems like this are an essential step in the evolution of autonomous cars. They reduce driver fatigue and help make driving safer for everyone on the road by removing redundancy from highway driving and reducing human error that often leads to accidents.
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6. Nissan Pro Pilot Assist
The Nissan ProPilot is a single-lane autonomous driving technology with adaptive cruise control (ACC) and steering assistance. It is designed to work in stop-and-go highway traffic, starting at 37 mph (60 km/h) and driving up to 90 mph (145 km/h).
Nissan uses a driver monitoring system to help drivers stay alert when using the ProPilot autopilot system. It checks the driver’s attention level by watching for head movement and checking the pressure on the steering wheel.
ProPilot Assist is designed to assist the driver under certain highway driving conditions, but it is not intended to turn your Nissan into a self-driving car. As such, it is less capable than some other systems that have been available for a while, such as Tesla’s Autopilot.
7. BMW 5 Traffic Jam Assist & Active Lane Keeping
The active cruise control system on the BMW 5 Series is one of the best systems out there, making it very easy to use hands-free in stop-and-go traffic. BMW has taken it a step further by adding Traffic Jam Assist, which can take over steering as well as acceleration and braking.
Like most modern semi-autonomous systems, Traffic Jam Assist uses a combination of radar sensors and cameras to track the position of vehicles around the BMW 5 Series.
In most cases, it can steer the car, too.
However, unlike Tesla’s Autopilot or Nissan’s ProPilot Assist, you’ll have to keep your hands on the wheel at all times. That’s because BMW doesn’t trust its system enough to let drivers take their hands off yet.
As long as you keep your hands on the steering wheel, Traffic Jam Assist will follow another vehicle at speeds below 37 mph (60 km/h) and will automatically come to a complete stop if necessary. Just like regular adaptive cruise control, though, it won’t steer around other cars. You’ll still have to do that yourself.
