Is park assist a must-have on my car?

Park assist is not a must-have feature for most drivers. It’s more like a nice little extra. However, if you frequently park on the street in an urban area or in other tight spaces it’ll make parking a lot easier.

Some mid- to high-priced new vehicles include park assist at no extra charge. For example, the 2011 Ford Edge costs about $30,000 and rear park assist is standard even on the SEL model which is one step up from the base SE version. Even when park assist is an option, it’s not very expensive. On some vehicles where it’s a stand-alone option, the cost is about $350. The 2011 Buick LaCrosse offers rear park assist as part of a driver convenience package that also includes automatic-dimming mirrors, power heated mirrors with integrated turn signals and memory linked to the power driver's-seat memory. Even so, the package adds only an extra $550 to the price of the 2011 LaCrosse. Park assist has been around in passenger cars for more than a decade so you’ll find many moderately priced used cars equipped with it, too.

Ultrasonic park assist is the lowest cost system and what you’ll find on most new cars and trucks. It does have limitations, though. Because of the cone shaped pattern in which the sound waves are sent out, an ultrasonic system may miss small objects or those that are very low on the ground. Radar-based systems do basically the same job as ultrasonic setups but are more accurate -- and more expensive. For example, the 2011 Mercedes Benz E350 has optional front and rear parking sensors that incorporate radar as part of the system. It’s included in a $2,650 option package that also features adaptive cruise control.

Carmakers often pair park assist with other parking aids, such as a rearview camera. This uses a video camera to display on a dashboard monitor or a portion of the inside rearview mirror an image of what’s immediately behind your car. Some cars also have front-view cameras that serve the same purpose. These camera systems can also employ the warning beeps of park assist as an extra layer of safety. Park assist is not the same thing as a rearview camera. And park assist is different than automatic parking system that essentially helps the car park itself.
The bottom line of course is that no matter how much technology automakers stuff into the modern automobile, many of the old principles still apply.

When backing up, turn and look over your right shoulder, and when pulling into a parking spot, always take the last few feet slow enough so that if you do hit something, it won’t do any real damage. Park assist can be a big help when parking in tight spaces. But it’s just that, a help in judging the available space between your car and another object.