Parking assist

I'm looking at buying a Prius with IPA but my wife took one for a test drive and did not like the feature. She felt like the time it took to setup the IPA would make her nervous on a busy street when there are cars waiting behind you.

So, I'm wondering if anyone who has this feature actually uses it in real world situations? Does it get easier to use after a while? Any real feedback would be very much appreciated.

Cheers,
T

Most people consider it a novelty. It's fun for impressing your friends, but not all that useful in everyday life.

Tom

I forget if Canada gets the full AT package. Nobody seriously uses IPA, but precollision system (PCS) and ACC (adaptive cruise control) are great. Most people also like the lane keep warnings and assist (LKW & LKA).

Just had to post this.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HgBbv3uSvc]YouTube - Lexus Auto Park Feature Test[/ame]

Haven't tried my IPA yet, but I never would have bought it as a stand alone option. I have it only because it is bundled with the other safety options. It is just a bonus because the radar, camera, and steering assist is already present for DRCC and LKA. The rest is just software so why not bundle it.

LOL, this is exactly what happened when a group of us Houston priuschatters tried this with my car. The parallel parking went much better, but is still slower than a human driver and more trouble than it's worth.

I occasionally use it if there is no traffic around. It does take way longer than parking it yourself and if you can't do just as good a job of parking without it I wonder how you got a driver's license. Like others have said, it is a toy. Don't make it your make or break feature. And, as the video above says, it doesn't work uphill. If you touch the gas it cancels itself.

Canada does get this feature and most of the others. The only one we don't get is the Lane Keep Assist (as far as I can tell). I use the radar cruise all the time. It's great.

IPA is a crock of baloney. Sensors in the front and back that warn you when you are too close to an object makes more sense and can actually help you park.

As others have said, it's great for impressing your friends. However, keep in mind that it can only park your car if it can get from the street into the parking space in one "swoop". If you have no trouble rocking yourself into a tight parking space, you'll find this to be absolutely useless in real life.
Stu

I disagree, sure its a little slow, but to be honest, I use it a lot.
If you do it often enough you learn what setup the car tends to recognize well, and it works great. It puts a smile on my face when I do it too.

I have tried the IPA and found it to be something to impress people (i.e. "see how the car can park itself") when demonstrating the features of the car.

Living here in Austin, I have very few opportunities to parallel park. When I park in a parking lot (i.e. perpendicular parking), I pull in forwards - I rarely need to back in. The few times I needed to back in I would have loved to have the IPA to guide me, but that was when I had the 2004 Prius.

I am not sure I would want to use it to parallel park on a busy street. It might be useful in a residential neighborhood where there is little traffic.

I don't ever use it because it takes too long.

I'd bet that you could parallel park a Prius in many perpendicular spots in the midwest. All the parking lots are designed for gigantic american trucks and SUVs.

I use it all the time. The success of it depend a lot on the lighting condition of the parking space. When park out door, its mostly waste of time. When park indoor, its work 90%.

I always let it move into the opening of the spot and finish the job manually if need. Save me a lot of neck turning.