We can thank the Lawyers of America for no guide lines. You give someone a guide line and they hit something who do you think they are going to sue? I am fine without them, it's just nice to know there isn't something below your line of sight when backing up.

 

I find the lines annoying. My parents have it in their cars. The back up camera on the 3rd gen has a wider view than the 2nd gen. But I still turn my head to look. Common sense.

 

I just back up until something stops me. Then I know I went far enough
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just kidding of course

 

Regardless of what is right, it happens. Just like using cell phone while driving. The camera is suppose to be used to see if something is directly behind the car! Again, what would you need guidelines for? Use it as reference to back up into a space? Or back up in a straight line?

I wouldn't be surprised drivers are relying on pdc sensors as main means to gauge parking distances as well.

 

I've really grown to like the back-up camera in parking lots. For several reasons, like when a Yukon and Escalade park on each side of you and no matter how you crank your head or use the mirrors you can't see people walking behind them. The camera with the wide angle lens can see behind those tanks. I back into parking spaces to take advantage of wider spaces, curbs or the protection on SUVs with sliding doors to prevent door dings. The camera helps, as does the guidelines.

The moving guidelines are helpful in parking structures when you're trying to move around and among cars and concrete columns. They're another tool in the arsenal of parking electronics.


MX5N, true, unless it's one of those darn trailer hitches on another car/truck...ouch!

 

the camera on my 2012 RX450 gets obscured with water drops if it rained... the backup camera becomes unusable. there was no rain issue with our 2004 RX330... the location on the. ew car is a huge oversight IMO

 

But as an aid not as means to guide you? I wide angle and placement is very helpful.

 

I agree. The backup camera is useless in the rain. My Audi A6 has the "moving" guide lines and the camera is located under the lip where the license plate is mounted -- thus it is shielded for most rainy conditions.

I use the guide lines all the time. I think they are a great tool. I don't use them exclusively when parking/backing but they sure do make the entire process easier. I wish Lexus would include them also. I will probably be replacing the A6 this year, and those lines will be one of the things I will be looking for in whatever vehicle I end up with.

 

Both as an aid and a means. The moving guidelines, in my opinion as a means, very accurately illustrate where you are going to end up depending on steering wheel rotation. If I were a pilot, I would say similar to the gauge(?) that shows horizon. The back-up camera display with or without the static lines is an aid to prevent backing into something or someone. The static lines aid in backing into open parking spaces or pulling through a pair to know when to stop.

 

That would be the attitude indicator.

 

Backup camera is way too distorted to use as an effective aid. It does not show distance to the object very well. When backing up I might glance at it but I visually check the distance and listen for the backup sensor to sound to tell me I am at the max distance.

 

Yes, thank you. Which is absolutely no help when my wife says I need an attitude adjustment.

 

Sounds more like the Toyota bean counters to me. As the posts above stated, Audi, Subaru, and Nissan-among others-have the guidelines. Doubt that big powerful Toyota with it's army of its own lawyers would be afraid to include what many consider a safety feature into their cars. I think they just cheaped out.

JB

 

Hello everyone, this is my first post. I visited here randomly before so I finally signed up last night. I'm happy to read all the comments and hope to contribute as well. I have technical background and would love to see my RX 450h with more features like guidelines to name one. I have other things I would like to do with it that many in the prius community have touched on. As for the guidlines... with the many brilliant minds out there, someone can't come up with a way to either enable or give a definative answer if we can even make it a reality with our own vehicles? One of the most important devices that would be needed would be a fine encoder for wheel position indication. I have a strong feeling that we have some sort of encoder in certain if not all models integrated into the steering system. You may be asking, how the heck would he know? My answer..... the adaptive front lighting system might use an encoder based wheel position or I could be wrong all together while it may use an accelerometer to sense the turns. I tend to think that it would use an encoder. So in short, there may be a possibility to have the guideline feature. Keep your fingers crossed.

With all the snooping around that I've been doing in my RX, I've noticed that from any other vehicle I have seen, there is more wiring, distribution junctions and fuses than a couple of cars put together. I'd like to see a version of the human nervous system for the RXh, if you know what I mean. We apreciate all the beauty on the outside while taking the inside for granted.

Jim Myers, you sure do stand out in my mind when I think of this forum.

Patrick

As for my current avg. MPG, I do most of my driving over the grapevine going to and from Southern California. I'd like to see more stats from everyone here.

 

Patrick, I know the crayon lines I've put on the display screen are very distracting in map mode. They're just temporary until I find the right color Magic Marker.