2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali gets Super Cruise and an upgraded interior
GMC teases a totally redesigned dashboard with a digital instrument cluster
The 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 is getting Super Cruise! Exclamation point required, because this is exciting news. Cadillac has been the sole owner of Super Cruise at GM from the start, and though we knew it was coming to the Hummer EV, we didn’t know a fast-selling full-size pickup would be getting the technology.
GMC says it will launch Super Cruise on the 1500 Denali, which is the most expensive and luxurious trim of the Sierra. It’s scheduled to arrive for the 2022 model year, but GMC qualifies that by saying “late model year 2022.” That means it’s probably coming right toward the end, with 2023 scheduled as the first full year of Super Cruise in the Sierra 1500.
GM also claims that the version of Super Cruise coming to the Sierra is capable of towing. Yes, hands-free towing, folks. We’re a little antsy, too. The tech is the same as the newest generation of Super Cruise coming in the Cadillac CT5 and CT4. It’s an improved version with more capability than the first-gen system that won Autoblog’s Technology of the Year award a couple of years ago.
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Watch Toyota cut the roof out of a new Supra for a ‘SEMA’ build
Plus, Toyota repurposes a Tacoma truck bed as a trailer to tow behind a Tacoma
t’s not often that we see behind the scenes of SEMA builds, but Toyota is taking us there right now. Two builds are in progress, but the Supra project has the majority of our attention.
The main appeal is watching the roof be cut out of the brand-new Toyota GR Supra. You can see it happen in the video at the top of this post. Of course, the joy of removing the roof from the new Supra stems from the targa top option of the previous Supra. The fifth-gen Supra is only available in hardtop coupe form, but if you really want a Supra convertible, just buy a BMW Z4.
SEMA is the place for outrageous and interesting things, though, and cutting the roof out of a fifth-gen Supra falls into the category of the latter. Toyota dropped a rendering of what the finished project would look like a short time ago, but seeing the roof off in the flesh makes it all that more real. Unfortunately, the video ends before Toyota gives us any true glamour shots. It’s still a lot rough around the edges in the shots that we do see, so we’re looking forward to the finished product.
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2021 Ford F-150 Tremor is a J.V. Raptor
It’s shaping up to be a solid mainstream alternative to Ford’s halo truck
The Tremor will slot in between the FX4 off-road package and the forthcoming Raptor. With this hierarchy, Ford is working toward being able to sell an F-150 to the off-pavement traveler on just about any new-truck budget. In other words, think of the Tremor as a minor-league version of the outgoing Raptor.
That may sound generous, but bear with us. Like the old Raptor, it’s powered by the 3.5-liter version of Ford’s EcoBoost V6 series. For 2021, there’s just one version of this engine, and it produces a nice, round 400 horsepower; that’s 50 fewer ponies than the Raptor variant of the engine made last year, but it’s still respectable.
By all accounts, Ford is aiming for the buyer who wants some Raptor capability without the accompanying compromises (or price tag). Think of it as the Mustang Mach 1 of the F-150 lineup: more than a GT, but way less than a GT500.
“All the added capability comes without ignoring the core duties of a truck – outstanding towing and payload performance with a level of integration and technology only Ford can offer,” the company said in its announcement.