AutoConnect_Magazine February 2016 | Page 22

How to...

Park assist

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Park assist could well be the most useful of all the advanced driver assistance systems that are available, but perhaps the least used. That's because while most other technologies are automatically on, you have to chose to use this one. But it's simple.

The first thing you need to do is press the park assist button. Typically it's indicated by a capital 'P' with what looks like a radio wave coming from. Once you've hit it, you're ready to go, (just don't hit until you're in the general area of where you want to park.

You'll receive a warning that the car has found a space and that the system is ready to begin parking. The first time is a little nervous, but you won't look back after you've done it a handful of times.

The car will now take over control of the steering, and you need to keep an eye on your accelerator inputs and speed. Keep it slow.

It's perhaps easier to complete a park assist manoeuvrer in an automatic, but if you're comfortable on the clutch you won't have any problems.

Once you've pressed the button, the screen in the instrument cluster will change to show a graphic of parked cars. This is when the car will use the onboard sensors to 'read' its surroundings and looks for a suitable space for the car.

The systems used in most cars mean that it should be possible to fit into even the smallest of spaces - those that you'd probably have a second thought about attempting to squeeze into. So when it finds a space, trust it.

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