wcbwcb

I've read a few reviews mentioning Parking Assist feature (in addition to back up camera). My sales guy tells me it's not available on the ES350. Is this only applicable to Canadian cars? Why would Lexus not offer it to us north of the border?

wanderer99

I don't think Park Assist is available on the Canadian cars. We don't get the laser cruise control or PCS system either as options. The rear parking sensors are available as an "add on" dealer installed option, but I believe these are effectively aftermarket sensors, and not the ones that can come with a US type car. The park assist uses the sensors to help with the parking I think. If I'm wrong, somebody please correct me.

In the US even the Sienna can come with laser cruise control, as well as the Avalon, RX, etc. I don't think there is a single model on sale in Canada from Toyota\Lexus that even has the laser cruise, including the new LS!!

wcbwcb

What the @#%&*!!! WHY wouldn't these options be avail for Canada? Esp since laser cruise and PCS are safety related and therefore to me more critical.

My sales guy told me about the aftermarket park assist sensor install but said I'd have to do arrange it directly with the installers, not through the dealership.

I really don't get it. If options are available for the American market, wouldn't it be just as easy to offer it to the Cdn market? Does Lexus not want to take more of my money? Oh wait... I don't think they'll get a penny from me. At this rate, I'm turning sour on ever giving Lexus any money on any car.

I gotta say, guys, I feel like I've missed the boat with Lexus. Should have joined the Relentless Pursuit of Perfection when Perfection meant something

wanderer99

I know what you mean. I think we may have missed the great Lexus experience that was. What you've been told about the parking sensors matches what I knew. I think it was around $700CA from memory for them.

You could go to Washington state and buy the ES for less money than here and get all the options including park assist, laser cruise control and PCS (pre collision system). But as soon as you announce that you're from BC they will tell you they are not allowed to sell a new vehicle to you as Lexus USA won't let them! Been there, done that.

Gojirra99

Milli-wave Radar Cruise System is available with the Technology package & the Executive Package for the new LS.

wanderer99

Thanks - you are correct. It is in now included in that package on the new LS.

dreyfus

I agree with you 100%. Unless Canada has some burdensome regulations concerning these features you should be able to get them.

Apparently the only option (if you're not going third party) is to purchase your Canadian ES350 and then have it retrofitted by a dealer in the US.

You could also buy a loaded US ES350 via a straw man, that is, a US citizen purchases the car for you and then you buy it "used" from them. This would make financing more difficult as the car wouldn't be new and then there's the depreciation to consider.

A stupid Lexus policy, if you ask me.

2007es350

I think it would be hard to duplicate the factory park assist feature on the es350 with an aftermarket system. The factory park assist feature is integrated wtih the Nav (if you have Nav) and automatically displays a graphic (on both your Nav screen and center cluster instrument display) showing how close you are to the object as well as what direction the object is coming from. The factory park assist feature monitors objects both in front and behind you. When backing up, the backup camera display (on the Nav screen) is shared with the back up graphic only when you get within the proximity of the object behind your car. Using my Nav screen, I can also program whether I want the audio notification and how close (the sensativity of the sensors) I want the sensors to detect an object either in front or behind my car.

Sorry that this feature may not be currently available to all of you. However, if you can purchase this system with your Nav, I think it is useful if it helps you avoid even 1 minor bump with your painted bumpers. I find this useful when I pull into my very tight garage space and have trouble judging the exact location of the passenger side front corner of my car when I swing into my space.

LexBob2

Maybe Lexus figures Canadians are better at parking and don't need aids/assistance??

amf1932

Don't feel too bad about not being able to get the Park Assist option.
It seems that this option on the ES350's is missing 2 sensors in the center of the front bumper.......all it has is 2 sensors in the left and right corners of the front bumper. This means that it won't give you a warning when you're close to an object directly in front of you.....like another car or a wall!!!

The GS and LS versions of the Park Assist has 4 sensors in the front and 4 sensors in the back. The rear bumper of the ES350 has 4 sensors.......so how come they left out these important 2 sensors in the front?? The only thing I can think of it's a cheaper version on the ES.

2007es350

I'm sure they made the ES version cheaper with 2 fewer sensors on the front bumper. But I can tell you from personal experience, it DOES work really well at sensing a single object directly in front of your car. I have my Shop Vac sticking out from the back wall of my garage directly in front of my car and the park assist does sense the Shop Vac. So if it picks up my Shop Vac, it WILL definitely pick up a wall or another car. In fact, the park assist picks up the other car in front of mine when I park my car at work.

amf1932

It might work with 2 sensors on the front, but it doesn't compare to the accuracy of the GS or LS that I tried this test on. Also, the illustration on the nav screen only shows you the left and right corners of the front of the car, not the center section, as it does when you're close to an object in the rear of the car.

LexBob2

Anyone know what the park assist option costs on the GS and LS vs. the ES? I don't have it so am not familiar with the costs. That info might reveal whether or not costs were cut on the ES system.

2007es350

It definitely works for me, because I can tell how far away I am from the object in front of my car based on either left or right corner.

Compared to other options on this car, the extra cost of $400 is more than worth it to me. A bumper re-paint to fix a scratched bumper is about $500.

The cost of this system is the same whether on the GS, LS or ES.

LexBob2

Good point. I wish I had it, as rear visibility is not good at all with the steeply raked rear window.