Self parking feature is a joke

When I had a V ATP the auto park worked pretty well. I rarely used it since it took too long to get going and the people behind me would get aggravated.

It takes some practice and does have limitations. But, here is a video of a fellow PC made.

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ol-things-intelligent-park-assist-can-do.html

 

Agreed. I haven't been even able to get a lock on a space using the button on the lower dash. I've spent hours practicing in the mostly empty lot at work and can get the parking assist to mostly work. All that practice has improved my unassisted parking skills but I am not about to let the computer park between 2 parked cars.

Tideland's tutorial is helpful.

It's a good demo when showing off & a useful training aid but as our European friends discovered long ago, not very practical.

 

there is a ford ad showing there's working. i wonder if it's better, worse or the same?

 

Re: Self parking feature is a joke but DRCC makes up for it!!

I've found that, for me, the "wow" factor when I show this feature to friends is the only benefit. When parallel parking, it can only do its thing if it can get your car into a space in one "swoop". For anyone who is used to rocking their car into a tight spot, this feature is not particularly useful.

On the other hand, the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control is worth every penny I paid for the AT package over and above the baseline V with a GPS. I find it uncanny how it tracks even the smallest speed changes of the car in front of me that I likely wouldn't even notice if I was driving without it. I hop onto I-66 in the morning and, unless the traffic slows to something less than 25, I never have to touch the brake or accellerator as I drive from Fairfax to Rosslyn. The Lane Keep Assist is subtle but does help a bit on long drives.

 

I don't have a 3rd gen and thus don't have the feature but I posted my experience w/lack of dealer knowledge about IPA at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...lligent-park-assist-can-do-2.html#post1125416.

I was able to get it to park after ignoring what the sales droid said.

That said, I do feel that one has to pay WAY too much get IPA and the advanced technology package (needing to go model V + $4500 MSRP).

 

The actual cost increment for the AT package (assuming one already has chosen the GPS and JBL Audio options at $2480) is an additional $2700, not $4500. (According to the Toyota web site, the MSRP for the GPS/JBL package is $2,480 and the AT package is $5,180.) Admittedly it brings the cost of the car well north of $35,000 but it's not quite accurate to view the AT package as being a $5,180 option.

Having driven mine for slightly over a year, I remain more than satisfied with the DRCC. I have only used the parking assist once or twice when I was showing how it works. I've never used it "for real."

Stu

 

The IPA is easy to use...i used it without the owner's manual. I am not sure why you or your salesman/mechanic is having trouble with it. As noted above, the radar cruise and pre-collision is what made me buy ATP and the IPA is just a nice added bonus.

 

BTW, here is Toyota's youtube video on IPA:

 

I had no problem with mine the first time I tried it... no manual needed. However you do need a situation that closely resembles the diagram given when you hit the button.

You can't get the car to parallel park between nothing or cars so far apart you could park a bus in the space. The computer needs to read something. Just like the LKA needs stripes on the road...

 

The examples of the video are really cases where you don't need any assist at all - you are not getting a driver's license in EU if you cannot park by yourself in such huge spaces. IPA would be helpful if it could help you in parking the car in more extreme cases. Even back parking, I don't really understand what IPA is for.
If I were older maybe it could help, but even in that case, if I cannot park in such big parking spaces, I better stay home or get the parking sensors installed - those are really useful, especially on the Prius, or the backing camera, to see something since rear view is not the best on the Prius.

PS: nice blue Prius!

 

I spent a few hours practising with it when I first got the car but unless you use it regularly or practice regularly then it is not much use.

On the Oz version we get the park assist lines on the screen, turned on by the touch buttons on the screen when you engage reverse. Cannot remember which setting as I turned it on 6 months ago and have never changed it since. Gives a box that moves with the steering wheel turns and another set of lines that indicate the "swing" you will go through. I find that so good, combined with front and rear sonar sensors, that I park so easily and without swivelling my head between side and centre mirrors. Screen does it all now.

I have heard from some that the guidelines are not available in other countries. Starting to wonder how many variations of the software there are for the Prius.

I would put the parking guides up there with the DCC, auto headlights and auto wipers. Also becoming rather partial to the seat heaters.

David

 

An utterly spurious gimmick.

If you can't reverse park a car, you shouldn't be behind the wheel of one.

 

I enjoy using it whenever i get the chance. It is really not hard to use.

 

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I agree with your sentiment and have no trouble wiggling into the tightest parking space but you have no idea how many people simply can't parallel park unless the space is large enough for a limousine. And even then, they have no sense of "space" or "place" when they are attempting to maneuver into that large space. Unfortunately, and as far as I know, reverse parking is not part of the driver's license test anywhere in the U.S.A.

Stu

 

It's a standard part of the test in Michigan. You have to do it in one pass. Pulling up to reposition costs you points.

Tom

 

Ditto that in Wisconsin. I managed to fail that part of the test when I first got my license, though. Some combination of nerves and not practicing it enough in the car I tested in, probably; my first try, I was more than a foot from the curb, so I tried again but overcorrected from before and bumped the curb on the way back. Still passed the test overall though, as I performed excellently on all the other parts of the test.