The thing with the parking sensors
11/10/2021
Do you remember your first car with parking sensors? That was probably a while ago, I suspect. Toyota introduced ultrasonic sensors back in 1982 with the Toyota Corona, and other manufacturers soon followed suit.
So it's quite possible that classic cars are already driving around with these round things in the bumpers. I probably bought my first car with parking sensors much later, sometime in the 1990s. Initially, the useful sensors were only fitted at the rear.
I can also remember that my new Mazda RX-8 was retrofitted with the rear device (in body color) by the delivering dealer.
At Mercedes, the system was known as Parktronic and soon came with practical displays that showed the distance graphically in addition to the beep tones.
We found the sensors a pleasant feature at the time, but there were only two or four of them at the rear and none at the side.
For tight parking spaces and narrow driveways, the systems at that time were completely sufficient and they were also mostly restrained and only warned when something was really in the way (and you weren't driving too fast when parking).
Today, the sensors have much more to do and they seem to be much more alert. The distance is now also displayed on the large LCD monitor and in more expensive cars there are also various camera projection images and Bird View.
However, the modern parking assistance system doesn't seem to have become any clearer, especially as modern cars are much more confusing. But maybe I'm just too old-fashioned and don't adapt enough to technical progress ...
