Our Terrain has one of those rear view cameras with the guidance lines that bend in proportion to the amount the driver turns the steering wheel. I've always wondered if those line correspond to where the car actually goes so I did little non-scientific experimenting this morning.
Video after the jump.
Forgive the camera shake. It's difficult to hold the camera steady with one hand and turn the wheel with the other. All this video shows is what the guidance lines do as the wheel is cranked lock to lock.
Furthermore, I discovered after a few trials that with the wheel cranked to the lock the Terrain actually ends up far inside where the lines show it going. Not that it really matters. I use these tools only as additional insurance when reversing. It's good in my cul-de-sac to avoid the many children who like to sneak behind a reversing car.
The take away? Use the guidance lines as an indication of which direction the Terrain will turn, not where it will actually go. And if you didn't already know that, well, you shouldn't be driving anyway.
Josh Jacquot, Senior editor
mrb5091 says:
12:25 PM, 12/ 8/10
How useful do you all really find rear view cameras? You still have to turn your head around and look, so why good does it really do?
mjp16 says:
12:37 PM, 12/ 8/10
My aunt's got an R-class (long story) and still turns her head to back in to parking spaces/back out of the driveway. She said she only uses the camera to quickly check that there's nothing there in the blind zone before backing up (toys/small children/pets).
misterfusion says:
12:44 PM, 12/ 8/10
^ What he said. I really wish I had a backup camera. I can stare out the back window all I want, but I will never see a person or object that is shorter than the window. In that respect a backup camera is more of a safety feature for those outside the vehicle than those inside.
Other than that, I wouldn't need it; I've always been able to maneuver my cars just fine by turning my head or using the mirrors.
tmathes says:
12:54 PM, 12/ 8/10
I find it odd that the back-up image in these Theta twins is in different locations depending on if you do/don't have the NAV system. In my wife's Equinox the image is the left third of the rear-view mirror; I'm not 100% sure but I think having the larger display like this is unique to the Terrain with NAV.
While the image is smaller in the mirror, I think it's a better design than the large image in the center of the dash. What's nice is when it's dark outside that camera's CCD coupled with the bright back-up lights makes the image quite usable. I thought the same thing as others here, that's not that useful but it is after you've lived with it for a short while.
fadetoblackii says:
01:02 PM, 12/ 8/10
I'd be curious to see a write up comparing the different reverse camera systems in use today.
For my money, after working in a service dept featuring BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, and Lincoln, the Lincolns still produce one of the best I've ever seen. It's a crisp, clear image with distance lines that do not move (similar to your back bumper which also remains stationary). In my experience, Mercedes tends to have a very blurry somewhat fisheyed image, while BMW generally goes crazy with lines all over the place bending in all sorts of directions that muddy up the actual view of what's behind you. Thoughts?
felonious says:
03:15 PM, 12/ 8/10
The back-up camera in my Flex was a must-have item, and it works flawlessly. The lines - while static - are amazingly accurate. I love the double-safety of having both the camera and the beepers.
firstwagon says:
04:07 PM, 12/ 8/10
I still worry about people staring at the little screen while backing up instead of looking around. Good drivers will use it only as an additional tool but good drivers aren't who I'm worried about.
Overall I can see this increasing accidents.
eugene22n says:
06:52 PM, 12/ 8/10
Works perfectly on my 07 S550. I have to back my car into a space around a pole everyday and without the bending line it would be much harder. It's so good that I only look at the display while doing it. This system combined with the radar distance warnings are a godsend.
bimmerjay says:
02:04 PM, 12/ 9/10
"Overall I can see this increasing accidents."
How would this increase accidents? Why are people afraid of technology? If you turn around and look behind you, that's an inherently compromised view. You are at the front of the vehicle looking back, with seats, pillars, and a probably high beltline to deal with. You may even have passengers. The camera gives you a DIRECT view of what's behind the car. I can't think of a better tool to enhance reversing visibility, especially in close parallel-parking situations where idiots otherwise just back up until they bash into the car behind them.
Bad drivers will always be bad drivers. If they couldn't back up without a camera before, I fail to see why having this tool would be worse. If anything, at least they see what they are about to hit while at the same time remain facing forward so they can see in their peripheral vision where the front of the car is swinging.
misterfusion says:
03:41 PM, 12/ 9/10
As to fadetoblackii's question of which is the "best" -- Although I've never used it personally, the bird's-eye-view system used by Infiniti looks incredibly useful.
toxic_science says:
03:29 PM, 12/10/10
My A6Q has the back-up camera as well. I use it all the time as I need to parallel park quite often at my condo complex. I have the bendy lines as well but the Audi system goes one better and you hit the mode button and you have criss-crossing lines that correspond to where your rear tires will be. I tell you what, with this system I get into some pretty tight parallel parking spaces and I'm less than < 1 ft from the curb like you're supposed to be. I also use it in parking lots when I've driven through a parking spot to see if I've crossed the rear-line or not.
legacygt says:
11:34 AM, 12/16/10
Isn't the wheel in your hands supposed to 'give an indication of which way the car will turn.' If the lines on the screen don't tell you where the car will actually wind up then they add no value.