I can't remember ever backing into something. Well, there was that motorbike in Mexico a few years back. But that was the owner's fault for parking it behind my '84 Chevy Blazer, where I couldn't see it.
If the Blazer had a backup camera like our Audi A4 Avant, the owner of the motorcycle would have saved his turn signal. And I would have saved the 200 pesos I paid him for the damage. Fortunately, my beater Baja Blazer was none the worse for it.
I was glad the A4 has Audi's Parking System when I backed out of a buddy's long narrow driveway this morning, threading the wagon between the stucco exterior of his house and the cinder block wall of his next-door neighbor.
Call me old fashioned, but I still like to look behind me when backing up rather than forward at an in-dash screen, although in this case the Audi Parking System's orientation lines help keep me on track. And the screen gives the warning: "Look! Safe to Move?"
Even more useful were the ultrasonic sensors in the rear bumper that warned me when I was too close to something with a series of escalating beeps. Without them I may not have noticed that the driver's-side rear corner of the A4 was only inches away from scraping against stucco.
And I'm sure that would have cost much more than 200 pesos to repair.
Doug Newcomb, Senior Editor, Technology, Edmunds.com @ 24,291 miles
felonious says:
03:46 PM, 03/17/10
I love these things about my Flex too. My 05 Audi wagon didn't have them, and I had sometimes wished that it did. Not that I really needed help when backing up, but backing out of a parking place at my kid's preschool would have been less worrisome.
stovt001 says:
04:12 PM, 03/17/10
I generally don't like tech like this in cars, as it is most often unnecessary and adds weight. However, the ability to see small, low-lying objects that might fall below the line of sight granted by the rear window and seat backs put backup cameras on my good list.
newenglandA4 says:
04:23 PM, 03/17/10
I have this car and never thought I would ever use this feature ... but I love it! It is great for city driving and getting in and out of tight parking spaces. I just wish more cars had this and everybody used it ... no more dings in the bumpers!!
hybris says:
08:56 PM, 03/17/10
I would want this in my next truck just makes parking properly between the lines that much easier.
rsholland says:
06:57 AM, 03/18/10
How well do these backup cameras work at night, in an unlit area?
dougnewcomb says:
05:07 PM, 03/18/10
@rsholland: Surprisingly well, I've found in many cases. Reverse lights can be quite bright. But it also depends on such things as ambient lighting, weather, etc.