Parking Sensors

Front (and back) parking sensors will be available as accessories. You can see it in toyota-tech.eu:

tinyurl.com/qenup2

("link" to .pdf file)

 

At least in Japan, "four-corner sensor" is a dealer's option for Gen II and also for Gen III prius, meaning that you can have it installed after you bought the car. Based on my personal experience, I strongly recommend this option (or a third-party equivalent if there is any) even if you have the rear camera. Rear view is substantially poor, probably due to the "aerodynamic" styling.

 

This is something I was unsure about: Does the rear view camera operate like a parking sensor too? So if I have the NAV package and start reversing, will it beep?

Or will I have to get the NAV package AND rear/front parking sensors as an added extra?

 

As standard the rear view cam is just that - a camera. It shows you how close you are, but doesn't have any systems to warn or stop you from biffing into anything You also had the rather annoying "reverse beep" that many of us in the UK wanted to turn off as it was just a beep to warn you were going backwards, it didn't have any funtctionality in respect of telling you how close you were to an object.

Not sure on the functionality of the optional parking sensors on the Gen 2 that Toy ota currently have on offer, or what the Gen 3 will have in store (apart from the sensors at the front that help you identify the size of the space when using IPA)

Hope this sort of helps!

 

Parking sensors are a no-brainer.

First reason: financial. The sensors on my current Prius saved my b*tt at least twice, preventing damage that would have exceeded the purchase price of a few sets of parking sensors.

Second reason: safety. In parking lots/garages, there are small children walking around that you may not be aware of. Since the Prius is so silent, the child may not be aware of you either. Parking sensors will pickup any object (they even pickup weeds!).
(It may seem unlikely, but a toddler was killed exactly like that a few weeks ago near my shopping centre, not by a Prius though)

Third reason: practicality. Since the parking sensors give an audible signal, you have your eyes available to see where the front end of your Prius is going.

 

Sounds like parking sensors are very useful. I see too many people in cities parallel parking by the "Braille method."

 

Oh boo, I had really hoped the parking sensors would be included with the camera. Rear sensors are essential for me, I think, though I've never used a reverse camera before...

I'm torn between the Insight and the Prius, and a fully loaded insight with front and rear sensors, mudguards, bluetooth, nav etc comes to just £19900...

 

heck with it, get the AT pack and let the Pri park for you!

 

I have parking sensors on my X3 and have saved me many times. Not comfortable with drilling holes into my new Prius, so I think I'm going to try Parking Dynamics, No Holes Parking Sensor | Parking Dynamics Reverse Sensor

Will keep people posted on how it goes.

 

Does anyone have any clue if these are going to be available as a dealer-installable option in the U.S.? I still have no idea where the front of my car is!

 

Does the so-called parking assist cover front and rear? What kind of sensors are in the AT pack, and where are they located?

 

I have specified the parking assist sensors on my Itech 2010 Prius due late October.

Looking at the pictures and the Itech in the flesh you can see

four sensors in the rear bumper (dealer fitted I believe)
four sensors in the front bumper (dealer fitted I believe)
2 sensors that are in the fron bumper but point to the sides. These are for the Intelligent parking Assist system. Means the system works for parking on either side of the street. I tried the IPA out on my test drive and can see that once I get used to it it may prove useful.

I specified the extra front and rear parking sensors as I have rear ones on my current Kluger (highlander) and just love the way they make it so easy to jusge how far you have to go in a parking spot. I also test drove a Mercedes B Class which had front sensors as well and was glad to see the dealer fitted ones on the Prius are for front and rear.

Its all very well to have the rear view camera but until I am fully in the habit of using it (include the rest of the family in that) I like the idea of the sensors beeping at me.

Having seen other posts about getting the distances superimposed on the rear view screen I am now wondering how integrated they are on the Prius. Also can I get rid of the annoying reversing beep inside the car so I can concentrate on the sensors beeping? Maybe just find that beeper, extend the wires, and somehow get it outside the car so it warns those pesky pedestrians. If not we can buy reversing light bulbs here that have an inbuilt beeper but I guess their useability will depend upon the type of bulbs in the reversing light (is it LED?)

And yes, the reverse sensors are not fool proof. They did not get sufficient reflection from a tree on our holidays and I managed to make a bit of a mess of my rear bumper. Tree had a funny furry, scribbly bark that must have just absorbed the sonar signals.

David

 

where is the rear view camera physically located on the gen III?

 

Car delivered three weeks ago and rear sensors fitted by dealer but front sensors not available at delivery time.

Front sensors finally fitted yesterday. Controlled by switch down next to mirror switches.

So my Prius has
Parking Assist - 2 sensors looking sideways at front and used in the automated parking system in conjunction with the rear view camera. Have tried it out and practised in the car park at work but I feel it is a bit slow for me. However if you just practice with the different settings for the lines on the screen you do actually have a useful system,
Rear parking sensors - four sensors with the usual beep on engageing reverse and then the beep patterns as you get close to something. Use it all the time and had the dealer set the reverse beep to a single beep rather than having a clash between the sensors beeping and the normal beeping.

Front parking sensors - four sensors in the front bumper, additional to the afore mentioned two facing to the side. The front sensors are switched on/off with a switch, do not have a speed sensitive switching on, are a real pain if left on as when driving at normal spped you seem to get some beeps from the system every now and then. The Mercedes system is only effective if speed low, the Toyota system is not so convenient.

All in all get the rear sensors but give the front ones a big miss.

David