spwolf

there is a very good video outlining the benefits, of which there are many

spwolf

likely because it is latest new model and tech just became available (and legislated).

BippuLexus

Its not broke - don't fix it. I feel like this technology will cause more problems than benefits. I don't feel like having another screen (especially a screen that is right besides the driver) is safe. We already in this era where big screen is everything and more screens is everything. Secondly - what about the reliability of this thing? Sure - it seems cool. But how does it work in harsh weather conditions? How will it age? I'm asking this because what if bad weather conditions and older age cause the system to lag as it projects an on-coming car. The cost to repair this thing might be insane too.

At the end of the day - this technology might not even get mass market.

Lexmex

I wish they would just stick to mirrors.

mmarshall

Another useless and over-complex gimmick waiting to fail. Ford, IMO, does it correctly...convex-inserts on the mirror that expand the field of vision. The inserts can also be bought aftermarket and manually stuck on the mirror.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

^ I despise those secondary convex mirrors. I find them incredibly distracting trying to focus my eyes between the two.

Vladi

I do not understand at all why do they have to shove screens in the corners of the cabin, Audi's been doing the same thing. What is the point of the camera when you still have to turn your head left to right?

mmarshall

I'll respect your opinion on that, but every time I have reviewed or test-driven a recent Ford product, I have found it to be a very useful feature. Small stick-on round ones are available aftermarket, but the rectangular ones Ford uses at the factory cover a little more area....and they won't loosen and fall off.

mmarshall

Where else are they going to put it? Wherever you put it reasonably in line with the driver's vision, you are going to block at least some of the view out the windshield itself.

LeX2K

The solution to every problem is more microprocessors. MOAR.

signdetres

On the plus side, with this, you'd never have to worry about adjusting your mirrors incorrectly. Or even worry about adjusting them at all. Considering how many people out there don't know how to set their mirrors properly in the first place, I can see this being a safety improvement in a lot of ways.

corradoMR2

The video shows the benefit when the car is on and in motion, namely zoom capability and a wider field of view than a mirror. However, car off (to not drain battery), driver or passenger waiting in car in a parking lot, driveway, etc - how does one see at the side back, especially for a passenger?

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

If it works for someone else, then good for them. I don't personally like them. Give me a regular mirror and a BSM light and I'm good.

Sulu

I find the narrow vertical convex strip on the outside edge of my wife's 2013 Honda Accord to be incredibly and annoyingly distracting. I guess it is because it widens the angle only in one dimension -- only horizontally but not vertically -- and because there is only a thin black line (that is barely visible in a quick glance) as a border between the regular mirror and the wide-angle portion. So, as the view of the car in the next lane moves from one portion of the mirror to the other, it changes from regular view to this horribly-distorted, headache-inducing, horror-house mirror view.

I guess my wife has gotten used to it. But she has also installed the small, round, after-market convex mirrors on the lower, outside corner of both mirrors, as I have on my car, so she does not have to rely on it. I like these after-market ones much better, because they change the viewing angle equally in all dimensions, and with the obvious border between the regular mirror and the convex mirror, I can choose to focus on one mirror or the other.

BippuLexus

Nice point. +1

I also want to add onto this. Does the Lexus ES feature the tech that warns you if an oncoming biker/car/runner is coming when the Lexus ES is off and parked? So you don't open the door and hit someone or get hit? A lot of people use the mirrors on the side to check for oncoming traffic before opening the door.
For this tech to work - you have to have this feature. Or it'll be a pain to get out of your car.