Self park is officially now my best feature

[Leagle]

Hi all. Sorry for this post - it is almost a blog. Anyway... just wanted to share with you my experience of my new CC, now that I am nearing 3 months of ownership.

Still enjoying my new CC (can't you tell, still lurking in these forums lol?)

I am still constantly amazed at the little things that I discover about my CC every day.

Having ordered just about every option - adaptive cruise and pana roof aside - I am very much enjoying each of the gadgets and toys that make life easier in the CC.

The cooling seats are great, particularly on a hot day. I have been using them quite a bit with our recent warm and muggy weather.

I am still blown away by the dynaudio system (my previous favourite option) and the RNS 510 in general. GPS, reverse camera, well integrated BT, having all my tunes on the hard disc... it really does make motoring pleasant and easy.

I am still annoyed for not having ticked the adaptive cruise option, though I must say the standard cruise is great and I actually love driving (rather than simply cruising in) the CC. Particularly now that I have discovered sports mode

But - given that I do a lot of city travelling - the gadget that I have actually (gasp) found most useful is the one I initially ticked for the novelty, gimmick factor: yep its the self park unit.

Initially, I was reluctant to use it (who wants to relegate control to a computer?) And I don't blame people for thinking that its the option for people who can't drive.

But you know what? Now that I have used it a fair few times, it actually has become a very handy feature. Whilst I actually can reverse park (!), self park really comes into its own for reducing the speed in which to scope out a parking space and reverse park. Though I sometimes think it is about to wipe out the car in front, it actually does a reasonable job of parking just about every time. Combined with having the mirror dip on selecting reverse and seeing the car behind through the RVC just makes parking a ridiculously easy proposition despite the initially intimidating length of the CC.

And the cool factor, the sense of disbelief from passengers when they realise that the car is parking itself, is quite satisfying.

(I wonder what Mr. J Clarkson would make of all of this lol?)

[neil]

So Question is, with all the gadgets do you get time to drive.

Can the park assist fail in anyway.

[Leagle]

So Question is, with all the gadgets do you get time to drive.

Can the park assist fail in anyway.

It really is a Jeckyl n Hyde car.

Stuck in traffic, in comfort mode, with all those gadgets, it feels like my lounge room.

But yea, stick the DSG in sports, Adaptive chassis in sports and it actually IS a decent sportscar. Surprisingly so (and thats from someone who has come from a WRX!)

I have used the park assist at least 15 times now, including tight spots that I have a hard time trying to get out of lol! So far, it has not failed. It did bump a tyre (but not the wheel) to the curb once. But still parked perfectly.

Ironically, I believe the key limitation of the system is how the car in front has parked!

The other key limitation is still (ahem) the driver. You still have to control throttle and brake application, so I guess if you bump it, it is still (arguably) your fault.

[Rocket36]

The goal is to be able to get out, "lock" the car and walk away while it parks itself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QrpbzK9sf0

[Rocket36]

Just watching some more clips of the VW CC self parking. Decided I'm not a fan of a sytem that cranks 2 or 3 full revolutions of the steering while the car's not moving at all. It's BAD for the power steering and BAD for the tyres. It should be re-programmed to turn only while moving....

[J-P]

Just watching some more clips of the VW CC self parking. Decided I'm not a fan of a sytem that cranks 2 or 3 full revolutions of the steering while the car's not moving at all. It's BAD for the power steering and BAD for the tyres. It should be re-programmed to turn only while moving....

I was thinking maybe that was just because it looked like a prototype advanced park assist (as far as I know it only does reverse parking) but looking at some other demos it does seem to do a full straightening of the wheels when you switch back to forward gear. Maybe the op can confirm this.

Park assist is just about the only option I didn't pick (along with sat nav) as the dealer talked me out of it. Perhaps it was a good call even if I'll miss the wow factor. I do wish I'd taken the rear view camera though. I thought it only came with sat nav I think it's possible to take on it's own now. I wonder if it's not too late to add. I imagine the camera comes in handy for visibility since I'll have 65% tint on the wagon.

Btw before you ask, I didn't pick sat nav because 1) you look CD stacker (perhaps not so bad since you gain 30GB hard drive), and 2) I just feel technology wise this is what ages the quickest - I can imagine in the not too distant future these will be much more powerful with satalite imagery, higher quality screens, with a very smooth framerate. But that's another topic.

[KWICKS]

The goal is to be able to get out, "lock" the car and walk away while it parks itself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QrpbzK9sf0

Cool, buit that makes no account for the nitwits parking and driving around carparks near you. And can it select the space next to the pole or preferably next to nobody...

[Leagle]

I was thinking maybe that was just because it looked like a prototype advanced park assist (as far as I know it only does reverse parking) but looking at some other demos it does seem to do a full straightening of the wheels when you switch back to forward gear. Maybe the op can confirm this.

To my surprise, park assist is fully automatic in steering. The radar finds a spot that fits, you move forward until it tells you to start reversing. It steers into the space as you reverse. Reverse sensors at rear (and the RVC) check for obstacles behind. When you put the DSG into drive, it then straightens out the car for you.

Look, at the end of the day, you can certainly live without this option (as you could live without just about any other option). But I guess what surprised me the most is how practical it is.

As for the RVC, it is actually quite a high tech item. It has guidance lines too which make reversing into a parking bay very easy. The only problem I have found with the RVC is that it is a little sluggish when engaging reverse and sometimes it refuses to work without a "reboot" (ie restarting the car). Anyone else have this experience?

[Hooligan]

i think its a great feature for my wife when she is parking since she has scratched rims on a few occasions which is costly to repair.
She should have no excuse with park assist lol

[vossy]

How old are you guys?. Seriously Learn to drive.

Ps: every one should learn to drive a truck with no rear view mirror. Oh and also don't get an Asian driving instructor.