From the owner's manual:
When the shift selector is shifted into the R (Reverse) position, the monitor display shows the view to the rear of the vehicle.This soooo understates what this thing does.
The system is designed as an aid to the driver in detecting large stationary objects to help avoid damaging the vehicle. The system will not detect small objects below the bumper and may not detect objects close to the bumper or on the ground.
I took pictures tonight when I was backing into a parking spot. These pictures were taken with my Blackberry Bold so I apologize that they are not very well focused or framed but you'll get the idea. You'll need to click on the pictures to get the full-sized versions.
In this first picture, I'm just beginning to lineup. Notice that there are two separate boxes in the image. The multi-color box (green, yellow, and red) is where the car will go if you continue with the wheels straight. Green indicates that you have a safe clearance. Yellow indicates that you are getting close and red that you are really close.
The orange box is where the car will go if you continue with the wheels turned as they are now. See how the orange box is curved?
The second picture is as I'm entering the parking space. I'm not straight with the parking space as the orange box still crosses the stripe on the parking lot. The car already parked is still in the green area.
In the third picture I'm getting close to being parked. The parked car is in the yellow area approaching the red area. The orange box is now aligned with the multi-color box indicating my wheels are straight and not too far over the stripe.
Parked! The fourth picture is when I'm done. Look carefully near the crossed white stripes on the ground to the right and you'll see where the multi-color box transitions from yellow to red. There's a red indicator there that indicates that you should stop.
That's amazing. Every car should have this.
Now my wife wants one looking forward!
