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Detroit 2009: Ford demos Park Assist system
Lexus introduced the first parallel parking system in a production vehicle when it launched the 2007 Lexus LS460. Ford will be second to the game with its new Park Assist system, though the Blue Oval would argue that their system is easier to operate. To use Park Assist, all you need to do is find a spot where you want to park, hit the park assist button behind the shifter, and keep driving until you're prompted to stop and shift into reverse. From there, apply the gas and the brakes while the system steers for you. That's it.
We were able to demo Park Assist in an MKS with Ecoboost, and you can see the motion picture for yourself by clicking play on the video above. The system is smack you on the forehead easy, and it'll be available first on the MKS and MKT this summer.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Kyle 6:05PM (1/12/2009)
how lazier can we get? im 19 years old and i can parallel park better than my mom.
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henrykrinkle 6:25PM (1/12/2009)
Your mom sounds hot.
Nude Love 6:29PM (1/12/2009)
That is because she is a woman.
happy_penguin 9:41PM (1/12/2009)
I horizontal parked your mom last night.
Randy 1:25PM (1/13/2009)
Prove it in a YouTube video!
MOM -vs- SON Parking Competition!
ha ..
Christian Aviles 6:05PM (1/12/2009)
With a huge parking spot like that...why do you need parking assistance? I want to see one of these systems work in a tight spot. The where you have to tell your friend to get out and help you.
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Rich 6:38PM (1/12/2009)
They didn't show the bit where the driver had to get out to help the parking assist. Sheesh, it does a lot of back & forth and scrubbing those fat tyres down with the steering on the spot!
Yaroukh 3:19AM (1/13/2009)
@Rich
> They didn't show the bit where the driver had to get out to help the parking assist.
ROFLMAO
Cash 4:49AM (1/13/2009)
I'll be impressed when they release this system for the F-150. Till then, people in coupes and sedans have no room to bitch when it comes to parallel parking.
wef 6:20PM (1/12/2009)
i don't know how this compares to that of lexus, but it looks like the system can turn steering wheel very fast, so it looks to be pretty responsive. however i don't understand why it was necessary to go back and forth so many times. theres way too much space that even most woman can park in one reverse...
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tkosoccer03 6:33PM (1/12/2009)
While I agree that if you can't park a car, you shouldn't drive, but some people are not the best drivers, and that's okay .. doesn't make them bad people.
But here's where I stand. If I buy a $50K car, I'm not going to want to take any risks when it comes to parking. I drive an '05 Jetta, and while it's not an expensive car, I would still be irate if I scathed it because I was being stupid and careless.
Compared to the Lexus' system, this is much better. Has everyone seen the video of the Lexus trying to do it? Some guys were testing it, and it actually ran into a van because it was supposed to brake, but it didn't.
lnclnmk8 6:37PM (1/12/2009)
"...theres way too much space that even most woman can park in one reverse."
Wow, this is the type of people that Autoblog attracts? I think its time that you crawl back into the cave you came out of.
l-train0318 10:12PM (1/12/2009)
top gear test the lexus version heres the video
http://www.livevideo.com/video/dudewheresmycar/AC25ECE4512A429BA65ED5F72526B1C0/top-gear-lexus-park-assist.aspx
wef 7:17PM (1/12/2009)
@lnclnmk8
woah. i can see why you are so pissed, but no need to attack me here. while i realize that not all woman are bad drivers(that's why i said *most* woman in my comment) and i certainly DO respect woman drivers, i wouldn't deny that men are almost always better at parking(i didn't say driving) than women. if you don't agree with this, then you must be either a feminist or never driven a car, or both, which means you are in the minority. but don't take this as a sexist comment as i am not a sexist. so what if women can't park? there are many other things they do better at than men.
the point i was trying to make in my earlier comment wasn't that i hate women, but rather the system needs a refinement.
Judy Zik 11:40PM (1/12/2009)
You should have made it easier on us all and just made the sexist comment first. Then you wouldn't need to tell us that you don't know how a Lexus drives.
Back to the car.
I would also like to see this system trying to park in a much smaller space. Considering the fact that it had to make what appeared to be a correction in a space that would have fit a bus I am not impressed.
skipper 3:16AM (1/13/2009)
TK...
You sound like a woman who can't park.
torpeau 6:31PM (1/12/2009)
I hope Ford didn't spend much more than $200 developing this system. If they did, they sure could have spent it elsewhere more productively.
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Revhed 6:37PM (1/12/2009)
You forgot to mention that Volkswagen and Audi also offer basically the same system in many markets
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Bjoern Rauhut 1:44PM (1/13/2009)
True, my VW Passat has it, and it works great. Better than in Lexus´ and most other makes, and the system is more than one year old already. Similar system in the VW Tiguan, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Izr52lpFw&feature=related
steveo391 6:46PM (1/12/2009)
I wonder what would happen if you floored it while it was parking? Seriously though, it looks like a pretty invovative system, I bet most manufaturers will come out with something like it soon.
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