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No hand on the wheel, no problem: Tesla's Autopilot driver assistance system is considered to be comparatively mature - but now had to admit defeat to a competitor in the test.
Photo: Gaetan Bally / dpa
The driver pays attention to the road and traffic, the car stays in lane by itself - what sounded like the future a few years ago is now common technology.
Many manufacturers offer helpers to relieve the occupants.
Tesla's autopilot is considered one of the best of these helpers.
In the test of the US consumer magazine "Consumer Reports" by the organization of the same name, the billionaire Elon Musk's company was now defeated by an established competitor.
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With a total of 69 points, Cadillac's System Supercruise was in the lead.
The tested model CT6 relegated the autopilot of the Tesla Model Y, which achieved a total of 57 points, to second place.
As the best German manufacturer, Audi finished fourth with 48 points.
A total of 17 driver assistance systems were examined.
Infrared camera secures Cadillac top position
Cadillac's Supercruise took victory thanks to an infrared camera.
According to Kelly Funkhouser, head of the test department for autonomous driving at "Consumer Reports", the CT6 checks whether "the driver's eyes are still on the road".
This is where the problem lies with sophisticated driver assistants: They are able to take on simple tasks, but not to drive a car independently.
Nevertheless, many users rely too much on the systems.
Tesla's autopilot made repeated negative headlines here, from drivers sleeping at the wheel to fatal accidents, as the person behind the wheel relied on the system, which did not recognize a danger.
Tesla convinces when it comes to keeping in lane
In this discipline, Cadillac's system differed significantly from its competitors, according to the test.
While with these systems the driver only has to put his hands on the steering wheel at certain intervals, Supercruise not only controls his eyes, it also intervenes in a comparatively brutal manner.
If the person behind the wheel is unable to concentrate, the LEDs on the upper edge of the steering wheel light up red.
If she still does not react, the system slowly brakes the vehicle, if necessary to a standstill, and calls for help.
As soon as the driver is supposed to take control, the system warns him by flashing blue light-emitting diodes, for example of complicated departures that are stored in the vehicle's navigation system.
Cadillac's Supercruise was therefore ahead in three of five categories:
It kept the driver's attention best on the road, where it scored seven out of ten, and Tesla's "Autopilot" got three.
An unresponsive driver scored nine out of ten, while Tesla scored six.
The system was also the best way to show where it should and shouldn't be used, as it only works on fixed routes.
It received eight out of ten points for this, the autopilot only received two here.
However, Tesla was ahead in two important categories.
"Consumer Reports" gave the autopilot the highest rating with nine out of ten points, while Cadillac's Supercruise only received eight points.
Among other things, the testers certified that the autopilot was best able to keep the lane independently.
Assistance systems: This is how German manufacturers performed
At the same time, the system was the easiest to use and achieved seven out of ten points in this category and was thus far ahead of Cadillac's Supercruise, which received only three points.
The helpers from the German manufacturers, on the other hand, performed mediocre:
The Audi e-tron system was behind Cadillac and Tesla.
In the "Skills and Performance" category, however, with eight out of ten points, it was on par with Cadillac's Supercruise.
The Mercedes-Benz GLS450 achieved 46 points.
Daimler managed at least better than its German competitors to keep the driver engaged.
There were four out of ten points in this category for this.
The BMW Active Driving Assistance Pro system in the 330i scored 44 points, but did comparatively well when dealing with an unresponsive driver and received six out of ten points, as many as Tesla's autopilot.
Porsche's Active Safe system in the Taycan electric car achieved only 41 points, but was comparatively easy to use and received six out of ten points.
Volkswagen had to be content with a back seat.
The assistance systems of the Passat tested received only 39 points.
In one category, however, the German manufacturers performed particularly poorly.
Their driver assistants apparently fail to make it clear to the driver when it is better to do without them.
In this discipline, the systems tested by Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW only achieved two out of ten points.
"Consumer Reports" tested the systems on its own test site and on the surrounding streets in 36 disciplines.
In the end, however, the person in the driver's seat is decisive, even with modern assistance systems.
Car manufacturers need to understand that better driver assistants increase the likelihood that drivers will leave the driving to the car and be inattentive, criticized test director Funkhouser.
That is why the monitoring of the person at the wheel is very important and should be "a crucial component of future driver assistance systems".
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