Lexus Makes Parallel Parking Simple

Parallel parking is a notoriously tricky maneuver, but the 2007 Lexus LS 460L can do it for you. That's right, the car can practically park itself. What once seemed like science fiction is now a reality. Read on to find out how this parallel parking Lexus works.

Toyota, which makes Lexus, calls it "Intelligent Parking Assist." The system uses a total of ten sonar sensors, four in the rear and six in the front, to detect and measure a parking spot. To operate it, you first pull up past the spot, hold the brake, and shift into reverse, activating the backup camera. Touch the parking icon on the camera's display, and slowly back up. The car will turn the wheels to guide you into the spot.

Reports indicate that the system works well enough, but there are some drawbacks. The system can be somewhat finicky. For instance, if you hit the gas, let go of the brake, or let the car go over 2.5 mph, the system will disengage. Also, the pre-park positioning must be precise. If you're too close or too far away, or if your wheels are turned too much, the system will not engage. And forget about using parking assist to squeeze into a really tight spot; it will only work on spots that you can smoothly back into that are 6.5 feet longer than the car. Tighter, trickier parking spots must still be entered manually.

There are also safety considerations. While the sonar sensors can detect objects, there's no actual artificial intelligence to stop you from running over objects.

Intelligent Parking Assist might be an invaluable feature if you live in a big city, but it'll cost you. The LS 460 starts at $61,000, without the guidance system. The least expensive package that includes it costs $9,530, so you can expect to pay at least $70,000 for easy parking. However, it could be far less expensive if Toyota decides to bring the feature to its mid-level vehicles. The Toyota Prius has had Intelligent Parking Assist bundled in a $2,200 option package in Japan since 2004.

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