The GMC Sierra became one of the most requested truck models the brand has ever made, with much of the fan-love being a direct result of the truck's ruggedness. Rugged as it may be, the Sierra still has a slew of features. One of the more desired features for luxury truck lines is adaptive cruise control. But, does the GMC Sierra line actually offer this perk? We did the research for you.
GMC Sierras manufactured prior to 2020 will not have adaptive cruise control. However, the company's stance on providing adaptive cruise control has recently changed. Starting with their 2020 line, GMC Sierras in the 1500, 2500, and 3500 lines have it available in their Denali, AT4, and SLT trims. The new 2021 line also included the SLE trim as an adaptive cruise control-friendly choice.
Adaptive cruise control is one of the hottest new drivers' assistance features in the truck world. If you're curious about this feature and why it's now getting to be a common sight, keep reading.
What Is Adaptive Cruise Control?
Adaptive cruise control is a feature that helps maintain your truck's speed, all while adapting to your car's spacing from other vehicles. In other words, adaptive cruise control is a safety feature that helps prevent tailgating, tickets, and rear-ending accidents. This is why most safety-oriented individuals seek out adaptive cruise control for trucks they want to buy.
For more information on pickup trucks with adaptive cruise control, check out our article "Adaptive Cruise Control For Pickup Trucks: What You Need To Know."
Can Adaptive Cruise Control Bring Your Car To A Complete Stop?
With the GMC Sierra's adaptive cruise control, your truck will be able to slow down to a complete stop if a car is detected at a standstill in front of you. This leads to more efficient driving and the ability to take your time to recover from issues like "road hypnosis."
However, it's worth noting that this cruise control will not always be able to stop easily. If you have a suddenly stopped car in front of you, your cruise control will send a noise alert that signals you to press the brakes. This will help bring your car to a halt faster and potentially avoid an accident.
It's important to note that cruise control won't always kick back on once your car is stopped. If the stop is very long, your cruise control will reset. Once the stop is complete, you will need to push the accelerator to get your car moving again.
Does Cruise Control Save Gas?
Though most people think of using cruise control as a way to make sure that you don't have to have your foot on the gas all the time, this feature comes with a secondary perk. Using cruise control over long stretches of road will help you save gas. This is because cruise control keeps your truck's speed steady, which in turn, reduces the need to increase gasoline use due to acceleration.
How Do You Use Cruise Control On A GMC Sierra?
Working your cruise control on a GMC Sierra is fairly easy. Here's what you need to do in order to give this feature a shot, at least for the most basic of functions:
- Press the cruise control button to turn it on. You will be able to find it on your steering wheel.
- Drive the speed that you want to set it to keep, then press "SET." You will notice your adaptive cruise control light turn white on your overhead. This denotes that you can now set the gap you want to have between cars.
- To set the gap between cars, press "GAP SETTING" repeatedly to cycle through your options. Once you choose one, the setting will trigger your adaptive cruise control light to turn green. When it's green, your adaptive cruise control is in full use.
- To stop cruise control or cancel your set speed, press the cruise control button again.
Why Did It Take So Long For The GMC Sierra Line To Get Adaptive Cruise Control?
With a price tag that rests upwards of $29,000 for a new basic model, it's pretty clear that the GMC Sierra line is supposed to be a luxury truck line. It's surprising to hear, then, that this line has experienced so many delays when it comes to their driver assistance features and safety features.
The company never really gave an honest answer as to why delays happened, but many speculate that it was partially due to the desire to perfect the technology before its unveiling. Regardless of the reason for the delays, GMC made a noble attempt to add new features to the Sierra line in order to make it more competitive with top sellers like the Chevy Silverado or Ford F-150.
Do All GMC Sierra Trims Have Adaptive Cruise Control?
While GMC is very vocal about its new inclusion of adaptive cruise control, not all trims have this feature available. The basic Sierra model does not have adaptive cruise control available, nor does the Elevation. The SLE and SLT have it available, but it is not standard, so you will need to pay a higher rate for it.
Can You Get Adaptive Cruise Control Added To An Old GMC Sierra Model?
Though it technically could be done (possibly!), it's not a good idea in the least. This would take several thousand dollars' worth of parts to do, not to mention tons of labor. Since it would be so prohibitively expensive, most mechanics wouldn't touch this type of project. It's better to just wait until you get a new truck to get adaptive cruise control.
How Much Extra Is Adaptive Cruise Control As A GMC Sierra Add-On?
Since this is not considered to be a standard feature for GMC trims, you are going to have to pay additional money in order to get adaptive cruise control as part of your truck's kit. How much this costs on top of your regular price may vary, but it isn't going to be cheap.
In order to get the cheapest package for your adaptive cruise control, you will need to shell out at least $1,045 in addition to your basic model price.
If you were hoping to get adaptive cruise control all on its own, your hopes will be pretty heavily dashed. Adaptive cruise control is only sold on Sierras as a part of a package, primarily because it takes extra items to actually make this cruise control work properly.
What Is The GMC Sierra Technology Package?
If you're not a fan of having to shell out tons of money for all your tech add-ons, GMC made a special deal for you. Their technology package is an add-on package that offers a bundle of options together, at a lower price. The GMC Sierra Technology Package offers you:
- Adaptive cruise control
- HD surround vision with dual cameras for trailer viewing
- 15-Inch color heads-up display
- Rear camera mirror
- A bed view camera
- 8-Inch digital driver information center on the SLT and AT4 models
The entire package is only available on certain trims, such as the Denali, SLT, SLE, and AT4. If you choose to get this package, you can expect your car's price tag to rise by at least $1,875. That price tag doesn't include any additional parts that will be needed in order to properly install the package, such as wiring.
In Closing
GMC took its time to add adaptive cruise control to its arsenal of truck features, and truth be told, the company still only has a handful of trucks in its Sierra line capable of it. Thankfully, times are changing and it's possible to get a GMC Sierra from 2020 or later with this feature. However, if you want adaptable cruise control, you will need to make sure that you pick the right truck trim.
As of right now, the only trims that have this option available are the Denali, the SLE, the SLT, and the AT4. If you want to get one of those trims, you will need to choose one of two packages that include the feature. Otherwise, it may still be a while before you're able to enjoy driving with adaptive cruise control in your GMC Sierra.
For more information on GMC Sierras, check out these articles: