Does the mirror have a backup camera?

[Freewilley]

I know that the 2010 has a backup camera with the NAV system, but a rview seemed to say that the level 2 model has a camera that works with the rearview mirror....is this right? Is this standard?

thanks

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by Freewilley

I know that the 2010 has a backup camera with the NAV system, but a rview seemed to say that the level 2 model has a camera that works with the rearview mirror....is this right? Is this standard?

thanks

In Canada, a backup camera will be available on all models except the base. It'll be displayed in the rearview mirror except for the Technology Package, in which case it'll be displayed in the navigation screen.

[zenMachine]

Is there a compass in the rear view mirror or anywhere on the dash?

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by zenMachine

Is there a compass in the rear view mirror or anywhere on the dash?

Navigation screen only.

[Dr_Prius]

Any one got a picture of that rear view mirror with screen?

[Tideland Prius]

Originally Posted by Dr_Prius

Any one got a picture of that rear view mirror with screen?

Nope but the RAV4 has one so you can check it out at your local dealer.

[qbee42]

Originally Posted by Tideland Prius

Navigation screen only.

And it's not a real compass, but a compass display of GPS heading. For those that don't understand the difference, a real compass tells you which direction the car is pointing. The GPS compass tells you which direction the car has moved. If you don't move a little ways, the GPS has no idea what direction you are pointing. For example, if you are driving north and the GPS shows you pointing north, and you stop and have a bunch of strong guys pick up your Prius and turn it around so that it points south, the GPS will still say that you are pointing north. GPS only knows where you are and where you were. Everything else is calculated from that.

Here is another, more dramatic example. Let's say you take your Prius and load it onto a railroad flatcar. On this flatcar you have a giant lazy susan, so you can freely rotate the Prius. With the Prius pointing to the front of the train, the train pulls out of the station and heads due north. The GPS display in the Prius shows that you are pointing north. Now you rotate the Prius 90° so that it is pointing east. The GPS still shows the Prius pointing north. You rotate the Prius south. It still shows north. Finally you give the Prius a big spin so that it goes round and round. The GPS still shows that you are pointing north. GPS has no idea what direction you are pointing. GPS knows where you are, and knows that a second ago you were a little farther south than you are now, so you must be going north. If you are going north, you must be pointing north. It's all assumptions.

Most of the time it doesn't make any difference, but there are some gotchas. The most common is making a tight turn in a parking lot and then looking at the GPS for directional information. The GPS thinks you are pointing one direction but you are actually pointing somewhere else. It can be confusing if you don't understand it.

Tom

[pdhenry]

FWIW, my '08 Prius has some dead reckoning capability that allows it to estimate where it's facing and where it is even when there is no GPS reception (in an underground parking structure, for example). It's not perfect but it doesn't just stop at the entrance to the garage like my Garmin does.

[zenMachine]

With all the high-tech doo-dahs, I'm surprised Toyota didn't think to add a compass to the homelink rearview mirror.

Had we not purchased our 07 with the package that already included the homelink mirror, I would have bought the aftermarket version mirror with a compass in it.

I'm a man, damnit! I need my compass!

[ceric]

Here is one picture of it.
Mazda shares lots of part sources with Toyota.
I think there is a version with a digital compass at the top right corner.

http://mazdagear.com/images/view.asp...ystemlarge.jpg

The compass direction is based on magnetic field of earth, which slightly varies depending on which states you are in. The direction of GPS is the true north (map north), which is more in-line with what people expect as far as direction is concerned.