Reversing cameras. What new cars do it best?
Rear view cameras are like mobile phones - only with smaller brains and lower resolution screens - because these days it's hard to imagine how we ever survived or at least didn't kill other people without them.
Some enthusiastic websites go so far as to describe the area directly behind and under a reversing vehicle as a "death zone", which may sound a bit dramatic, but in a world where so many of us drive huge hulking SUVs, this rear The blind spot only got bigger and therefore more dangerous.
In the US, "reverse" crashes, as they call them, result in nearly 300 deaths and over 18,000 injuries per year, and 44 percent of those deaths are in children under the age of five.
In response to these appalling numbers, a national law was passed in America in May 2018 requiring every new car sold to be equipped with a rearview camera.
This is not yet the case in Australia, although road safety experts are calling for similar legislation to allow all cars sold with a rearview camera, including Driver Safety Australia managing director Russell White.
“It is important that new safety systems are implemented to support the driver, reduce human factor risks and reduce road traffic injuries in general,” said Mr. White.
“Unfortunately, in this country, almost every week, a child gets hit in the driveway. Therefore, it is highly desirable to have systems that help reduce these blind spots and warn drivers of potential risks.
“Despite the fact that many cars are now equipped with rear-view cameras and sensors, it is important not to rely on them too much ... as a driver, it is important to remain alert and fully aware of your surroundings when reversing any vehicle.”
Driving instructors often tell you that there is no substitute for turning your head and looking.
Rear view cameras were first introduced to the mass market nearly 20 years ago in the Infiniti Q45 sold in the US, and in 2002 the Nissan Primera spread the idea around the world. It wasn't until 2005 that the Ford Territory became the first Australian built car to offer one.
Early attempts were so blurry that it looked like a mixture of Vaseline and dirt was smeared on the lens - and rear view cameras tend to look weird anyway because their output is flipped so that they look like a mirror image (easier for our brains). , because otherwise your left side would be on the right when reversing, etc.).
Luckily, modern reversing cameras have really high-resolution displays (the BMW 7 Series even lets you adjust image quality), as well as parking lines that guide you to the right spot, and even night vision.
And although of course we are not yet at the stage of mandatory configuration, there are a huge number of cars with parking cameras.
The best rear view cameras in the business
The best cars with rear view cameras tend to have one thing in common - a fairly large screen. Using one of those tiny, weird-looking squares hidden in your rearview mirror as a rearview camera could theoretically work, but it's not convenient or easy to use.
One of the best reversing cameras is currently running in the luxurious interior of the Audi Q8 via a high-resolution 12.3-inch display.
Not only does the screen look lush and precise, with parking lines and a "God view" that seems to show you a huge car from above, compared to things like gutters, it also has an incredible 360-degree feature that lets you capture a graphic image of your car on the screen and rotate it in any direction, allowing you to check your clearances.
To be honest, all Audis have pretty fantastic reversing cameras and screens, but the Q8 is the next level.
An even bigger and more impressive screen can be found on the Tesla Model 3 (or any other Tesla, Musk really loves the huge touch screen). Its 15.4-inch coffee table iPad screen gives you a wide view of what's behind you and, as a bonus, tells you exactly how many inches (or inches) you're behind the car when you reverse towards it. Conveniently.
At a slightly more affordable level than the Q8, one German relative that also offers a reasonably large screen is the Volkswagen Touareg, where the (optional) 15-inch display seems to take up most of the middle of the car. Again, its rearview camera provides a wide view of the world behind you.
The Range Rover Evoque is a car that takes a slightly new approach to rearview cameras, with what it calls a ClearSight rearview mirror that uses a camera and an in-mirror display. While it looks very smart, early reports suggest that it can be a little buggy and weird to use.
With so many cars and so many options, we decided to poll professionals who drive hundreds of different cars every year - the CarsGuide team - to find out who makes the best rear view cameras. The names that came to everyone's mind were the Mazda 3, which does have a swanky new screen in its latest model and a sharp camera image, the Ford Ranger - the best car to date - and Mercedes-Benz; All of them.
BMW deserves a special mention, not only because of its screens and cameras, but also because of its unique and ingenious reverse assistant, which can remember the last 50m you drove and give you hands-free reverse. If you have a long and complex driveway, this (optional) system will be a real boon. As well as rear view cameras in general.
