The Latest Self-Driving Tech Is Mind-Blowing, But Also a Little Boring

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As I merge onto the highway, a dashboard icon appears to tell me it's time. I press a button and drop my hands to my lap as the wheel begins to move itself. The car navigates the highway on its own, slowing down and speeding up as needed, and changing lanes independently. I wonder if the drivers around me notice I'm going 70mph without touching the wheel.

Autonomous driving tech has become more commonplace than some might realize. There's a good chance you've been driving alongside a self-driving vehicle from Tesla, Ford, General Motors, BMW, or Mercedes. Most qualify as Level 2, "supervised" autonomous driving. Mercedes offers the lone Level 3 system.

I recently tried out Ford Blue Cruise and GM's Super Cruise, on a Mustang Mach-E and Chevrolet Equinox EV. The systems are quite similar; both gave me the out-of-body experience of using a Level 2 system for the first time. It's an amazing technological advancement, like a promotion from low-level operator to remote supervisor.

It's also boring. You're stuck in a liminal state: half driving, half trying to enjoy not driving. The system tracks your retinas to ensure your eyes are fixed on the road, so watching a TV show or texting, texting, or emailing isn't an option (yes, this is a good thing). It'll only let you glance away for about five seconds before flashing an alert, and eventually disengaging if you disobey.

I found myself stuck looking at the road ahead, my eyes darting back to the navigation system, wishing the remaining miles would go down faster. Forty miles more meant 40 minutes of staring into space, but maintaining enough of an edge to intervene at any moment. At least there was less tension in my shoulders from not gripping the steering wheel.

Boredom turned to adrenaline at times. My blood pressure rose as I watched other cars merge onto the highway and into my lane, within feet of my vehicle. How would the self-driving system react if the other car swerved a little too close? I never found out, deciding the risk wasn't worth my life or the vehicle. I snapped my hands back on the wheel every time.

Disengage: Reengage

These systems do not work on all roads, only highways and main thoroughfares with double-yellow lane separation. The same road can be eligible for one stretch but disengage the next. If traffic lights or toll booths crop up, the system turns off. If the lines become unclear, or you're in a construction zone, it disengages.

Ford's Blue Cruise transitioned more smoothly from eligible to non-eligible areas. Instead of cutting off abruptly, like GM's Super Cruise, the screen asks you to put your hands back on the wheel and continues behaving largely the same—lane keeping, smart cruise control, rounding curves on its own—but won't perform lane changes.

Once you're back on an eligible road, the small icon reappears on the instrument panel. It's blue on Ford's system and green for GM. You can then press a button on the steering wheel to turn on self-driving. You know Ford's system is on when the instrument panel turns from white to blue and says "hands-free." For GM, a green bar illuminates the top of the steering wheel. I preferred GM's more explicit, light-up bar approach.

If you press the button while you're going 60mph, for example, it maintains that speed going forward, while speeding up or slowing down based on the car in front. Both systems can also perform lane changes at the flick of the turn signal. The car waits until there's an opening, and confidently makes the switch. I realized merging might not be as hard as I've made it out to be.

GM Super Cruise can make automatic lane changes, which Ford is introducing on its 2025 models with the Blue Cruise 1.5 update. That said, I turned off Super Cruise's automatic lane changes. I found it to move around too often, and sometimes put me in the wrong lane for my turn. Neither system syncs to the car's built-in route planner, so you have to remember to pay attention and not miss a turn.

GM also beats Ford in another area: Trailering. It "can recognize when you’re pulling a trailer, and it will automatically lengthen the gap to the next vehicle ahead in traffic," GM says. "This gives you extra stopping distance just in case." I wasn't able to test it out.

Pricing: Worth it for Commuting or Road Trips?

Yes, Level 2 self-driving can be a little "boring," but that's a major step up from a stressful daily commute or exhausting road trip. Solutions from Ford and GM are also more affordable than Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD), though I haven't tried out FSD for a full comparison.

Ford Blue Cruise:

• Free 90-day trial, after which you can purchase the following:

  • $49.99/month subscription

  • $495 for a 1-year plan

  • $2,495 for a one-time purchase for the life of the vehicle

General Motors Super Cruise:

• Upfront fee of $2,200 to $2,700 (depending on vehicle), which covers 3 years

• $25/month or $250 per year after that

Tesla Full Self-Driving:

• $8,000 one-time purchase or $99/month

GM also recently started shipping the 2025 Equinox EV LT, which starts around $35,000. The 2025 Mustang Mach-E starts at $36,000. Both offer some of the highest value among EVs, with awesome self-driving software to boot. Would you try it out?