VIDEO: Ford reverse camera in action
With safety becoming more and more of a priority in buyers' purchase decisions, automaker are striving for as many IIHS top scores and five-star ratings as they can collect. One technology that hit the ground running a few years back is the backup camera, which gives drivers of large SUVs, pickups, and minivans a clearer view of what's going on beyond the bumper. Ford designed its own camera technology for 2008 model year vehicles, with the image being shown in the rear view mirror.
The video screen only shows up when you're in reverse, and it gives you both video of what's behind you and the approximate distance you can travel before hitting something. Then the folks from Dearborn, MI threw in the beep sensor as a redundant measure. The technology works remarkably well, and the video screen is even visible in extremely bright sunlight. We got video of the camera tech during Ford's 2008 vehicle review event, so hit the jump to see how close we got to some little girl's bike with the new 2008 King Ranch Expedition. It was incredibly accurate.
Gallery: Ford reverse camera
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Hamud 1:17PM (7/01/2007)
Wow, nice feature, I thought it would only be an option with the Nav system, never thought it could be show in the center mirror. Wish I had this on my VW Polo...
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Will 1:28PM (7/01/2007)
You can have this installed with aftermarket parts for any car. You can either port the video signal into your video-capable head unit, or purchase an LCD-equipped rearview mirror with the camera.
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AMGoff 1:35PM (7/01/2007)
I'll give this one to Ford, that's actually a really nice execution on the system. The rearview mirror is the most logical place for a rearview display opposed to a dashmounted setup. Since the technology for this is not that expensive Ford should make this standard on all of it's trucks/utes.
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alex 2:24PM (7/01/2007)
i watched the video.... doesn't the guy back right into the bike?
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Infinihertz 3:00PM (7/01/2007)
It's hard for me to tell if he hit it or not, but it's very close either way. The fact that he's trying to narrate the whole thing while doing it might have been a part of it.
I think the important takeaway isn't whether or not he barely hit the bike, but the fact that he could tell it was there with the technology, and that seemed to work well. Most of the time when you're in reverse, you'd rather only barely brush something without leaving a scratch than hit it at 10mph because you didn't see it. Obviously not hitting something is best.
Driver 2:29PM (7/01/2007)
I think the guy is better off turning back... he hit the objects.. lol
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Keith Griffin 7:00PM (7/01/2007)
Actually, the backup sensor (or "beeping") is independent of the rearview camera. You can have one without the other according to a Ford marketing guy present at the Dearborn event on Friday. Give Ford credit for catching up to the aftermarket and not requiring that this be tied into a nav system.
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dakota 9:07PM (7/01/2007)
This is also a feature that's being offered on some Chrysler group vehicles, commonly known as ParkView.
matthew 4:21PM (7/01/2007)
I remember when you could look out the back window of a pickup truck and see what was behind you. Why have these vehicles become so huge? It isn't like the beds have gotten any larger.
Oh yes. John American needs to make up for the lack of something else that is small and useless.
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That One Person 8:10PM (7/01/2007)
Yeah but every type of vehicle has gotten bigger. Remember how small the Civic used to be? Now it's the size of what the Accord used to be. I mean, mid size FWD cars are the size of what FWD large cars used to be. Everything is growing. Not because guys have problems but because the government mandates all this safety crap and they need to package it. Plus, a lot of these new trucks have frames and suspensions that are a lot more advanced than they used to be.
To be honest, I am in the same boat as you. I have driven older Ford and Chevy trucks and could back them out like they were an Escort. But now, you need guys swinging their arms around like they do at airports. Heck, I went from an Escort to a Focus and I had some issues getting used to the size.
FAB 4:52PM (7/01/2007)
Wow! Amazing!
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Bryan 9:37PM (7/01/2007)
Nice! Wish I would have had that in 04 when I backed into an old Camry too tiny to see.
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ES 1:27PM (7/02/2007)
Kind of late to the game Ford, my '06 Nissan Armada has the rearview camera as many other SUVs. Also having the camera in the rear view mirror would only make the screen size 2 or 3 inches. If the screen was in the Nav it would be at least 7 inches.
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hotstreak 4:17AM (7/02/2007)
Unlike many other Trucks and SUVs, the Ford back-up camera is viewable from the rearview mirror so that you can easily focus between the display and the reflection from the mirror instead of looking down, directing all of your attention to a display on your dash. You have to remember that without this technology, in a large vehicle you wouldn't be able to view objects lower then your rear window. Ford has already used the other systems in Land Rover's, Mazda's, Volvo's, and Jaguar's. So in reality, Ford is not "late to the game", they're introducing a newer, more convenient type of technology.
ES 4:29PM (7/02/2007)
As mentioned before, hotstreak, I have this system in my Armada (part of a Tech package) and know exactly how it works. My nephew has an aftermarket (rearview mirror) one in his car like the Ford and I can tell you it is not as effective as the ones with the Nav. systems. And when I speak of Ford, I mean Ford and not the other auto companies they own. You also say they are introducing a newer, more convenient type of technology, but how is this new when this was the original type of rear view screens first introduced. This isn't new technology, it's been around forever. How is a 3 inch screen (if that is what it is) better than a 7 inch screen?
... 12:29AM (7/02/2007)
Is backup camera technology really that new? Its available on so many other cars, who cares if it is in the rear view mirror?
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nextstep 9:41AM (7/02/2007)
Cars are not getting any bigger. The civic is the same size it always was. Care are being built to look more bulky and bigger though.
For example, comparison between 1996 Corolla and 2007 Corolla:
Passenger Volume (1996): 89 cu.feet
Passenger Volume (2007): 89 cu.feet
Luggage Volume (1996): 13 cu.feet
Luggage Volume (2007): 14 cu.feet
Cars look more bulky these days. It's the trend. They're not any bigger, they just create a fake sense of being bigger. Just like penis pills.
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Fabulo 12:23PM (7/02/2007)
All in inches.
1996 corola: 172.0 L, 66.3 W, 53.5 H, 97 WB
2007 corola: 178.3 L, 66.9 W, 58.5 H, 102 WB
Car size interior volume.
Cars do get bigger with time. This is why Honda can fit the Fit under the Civic, that's where the civic was 20 years ago.
Cars also "look" bigger because they are designed to have higher belt lines, higher hoods and higher trunks. All for space (bigger engine compartment, bigger trunk...)
Park a Camry from 15 years ago next to a current one and notice the hood of the new one is a good 5-8 inches higher.
This is also driven by safety standard, where current truck hoods are as high as a sedan's roof line.
Fabulo 12:32PM (7/02/2007)
The comment filter thingy ate my angle brackets.
It should read:
car size *is not the same as* interior volume