Some of our regular customers here at Jim Butler had expressed their
surprise about one very popular element regarding the 2019
Silverado: they were surprised that it was not offered with the incredibly
useful adaptive cruise control. In this day and age that has seen features like
this become more and more common, it was definitely one that buyers of
upper-level trucks such as the Silverado LTZ or High Country would want included.
GM Authority reported this week on the fact that the 2020
Silverado will thankfully and most definitely feature the camera-based adaptive
cruise control system.
It is slated to be offered as an optional extra on
the Silverado LT, LTZ and High Country, and is one of the best additions ever
in terms of maintaining a safe distance in general. A high-mounted camera
behind the rearview mirror scans the road and incorporates algorithms and
proprietary software to maintain safe driving distance to the vehicle ahead. It
also boasts full traffic jam assist capability, which brings the truck to a
complete stop when necessary and accelerates back up to cruising speed. Also
integrated with the truck's stop/start system, it plays a large part in
optimizing fuel efficiency, a big win in the very Eco-conscious state of
everything auto-related.
GM has also recently expanded the availability of
the L87 6.2-Liter V8 engine to the Silverado Custom Trail Boss, LT Trail Boss,
and RST trims for 2020. The 10-speed transmission is now going to be available
with the L83 5.3-liter V8 Equipped trucks, coming standard on the LT Trail Boss
and on the High Country as a new option. Just like standard cruise control,
adaptive cruise control uses the On/Off, Cancel, Set, and Resume buttons on the
steering wheel. While you are following behind a vehicle and steering, you
simply select Far, Medium, or Near, and it will reduce the driver's need to
frequently start and stop, a pet peeve of any urban driver.
If the system does not detect a vehicle ahead,
Adaptive Cruise Control works just like regular cruise control. When the system
detects a vehicle ahead in the driving lane, the Vehicle Ahead Icon appears for
the driver in green. When the vehicle detected ahead is within the selected
following gap, the system has the ability to automatically accelerate or apply
limited braking to maintain the chosen width of the following gap. If the
system is controlling speed and detects that the vehicle may collide with the
one it is following, the driver receives a very urgent Forward Collision Alert
to warn them to quickly take control of the vehicle.
As cars become more autonomous by the year, there
will be amazing new features that allow the driver to pay less and less
attention to the road. In the meantime, the small steps that lead the way will
still leave us amazed by their intensely-honed focus on what is practical for
today's driving standards.