Embarrassing Situation

[Guest]

Well I took the ES to collect the Christmas food from M & S to find the expected chaos, the car park was absolutely rammed with cars facing all directions, people blocking each other in, however I found myself by the only vacant space, by the trolley park and so tight that in a normal situation I would have looked elsewhere. So I started to reverse in, due to the length of the car, the narrow road and the huge turning circle this involved what felt like a 24 point turn before I was lined up, cars were queuing both ways with unimpressed faces in them, then the fun started, at the back of this space was a walkway with a constant flow of pedestrians, every time I reversed the car automatically braked due to the pedestrian detection system, anyone who has experienced this system will know how abrupt it is, i reversed in with the car violently stopping about every 2 feet, it seemed to take ages and god knows what it looked like to the ever growing queues of traffic.

[cruisermark]

Hi Antony

Can this feature not be disabled?

[Guest]

3 minutes ago, cruisermark said:

Hi Antony

Can this feature not be disabled?

I will have a look, to be honest it’s a good thing to have, it was just this particular scenario that caused the embarrassment.

[Rabbers]

The consoling thing about the sort of embarrassment Antony describes is that for most people it becomes a distant memory after a couple of minutes or less.

[Initial P]

At least you reserved in I always see people struggling to get out after going in nose first in car parks, I was taught always reverse in.

[Rabbers]

13 minutes ago, Initial P said:

… I was taught always reverse in.

So was I, and I have habitually done so ever since, even if it sometimes means momentarily blocking other cars - and despite being aware that people’s definitions of “momentarily” are highly variable.

[Herbie]

I don't think it's a matter of being taught to reverse in or otherwise, it's just what is the easiest in any given situation and that, due to physics and geometry, usually means reversing in.

I've always found it much easier to reverse in but since my wife's arthritic knees have made the use of a mobility scooter necesary, I often have to drive in so that it's easier to get the scooter out of the boot.

[Guest]

38 minutes ago, Initial P said:

At least you reserved in I always see people struggling to get out after going in nose first in car parks, I was taught always reverse in.

If I had managed to go straight in nose first ( I reckon impossible due to the length of the car etc) no doubt when I left, due to the volume of cars, the rear cross traffic alert system would have kicked in causing a similar situation, although you can turn that off.

Safety aids, bless ‘em!!!

[Rabbers]

25 minutes ago, Herbie said:

I don't think it's a matter of being taught to reverse in or otherwise, it's just what is the easiest in any given situation and that, due to physics and geometry, usually means reversing in. ….

What’s guaranteed to put me in a good mood, especially when faced with the prospect of heavy-duty shopping, is the chance to drive through the first of two empty vertical spaces and occupy the second as though I’d reversed in.  Of such small things is happiness made.  

[cdmaskell]

Supermarket car parks are horrid places for ES’S, even at the best of times. The majority of the drivers completely ignore all the rules of the road and become kamikazes.  I have yet to see designated Lexus parking bays!  Merry Xmas and a happy New year to all.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, cdmaskell said:

Supermarket car parks are horrid places for ES’S, even at the best of times. The majority of the drivers completely ignore all the rules of the road and become kamikazes.  I have yet to see designated Lexus parking bays!  Merry Xmas and a happy New year to all.

And this wasn’t just any old supermarket car park……it was a M &S car park 

[Cs150]

Such car parks are best avoided in the ES, the tuning circle and size will make it a struggle generally speaking. Multi story car parks that are very tight can also be a problem as on the ramp between floors the turning circle sometimes cannot make it causing a reversal and then forward motion required with lots of wheel work! In countries like the US with lots of space parking it is likely much more of a enjoyable daily experience.

[steve2006]

I think I would have chosen this option 😀

[Initial P]

Does the ES have a worse turning circle than say the GS? as I might have to get one day if staying with Toyota.

[peniole]

12 hours ago, Initial P said:

Does the ES have a worse turning circle than say the GS? as I might have to get one day if staying with Toyota.

By under a meter worse, yes. Your GS 10.8m vs ES 11.4m turning circles. Haven't had much trouble with it myself, but I'm used to bigger and much worse: 14.4m on a 5.95m long F150. Now that was troublesome! This one's a doddle by comparison and not much worse than my MY18 Civic which had an 11m circle. Excellent visibility makes it a pretty easy parallel park, which I do daily, without the 360 degree camera option..

[Alan305]

In my Camaro and Corvette the steering circle was easily reduced. Traction control off, turn steering slightly, light throttle and round you go. Even when you didn’t want to.

[dutchie01]

22 hours ago, Derant said:

I will have a look, to be honest it’s a good thing to have, it was just this particular scenario that caused the embarrassment.

Great system especially whe parked in between 2 cars and moving out when its not possible to see around the corner, system sees more than i can so yes. However i experienced a similar event trying to park with 2 neighbours and a little dog standing and no doubt gossiping about the neighbourhood behind the car on the pavement in a safe distance. Car says no. Just refused to back up. I had to leave the car and politely had to ask them to move ( and of course explain the system) before i could park. This in a Volvo and i cannot switch it off.

[peniole]

1 hour ago, Alan305 said:

In my Camaro and Corvette the steering circle was easily reduced. Traction control off, turn steering slightly, light throttle and round you go. Even when you didn’t want to.

The F150, with no bed load and in RWD mode would do the same 🔁

Done it by accident in a rented Hertz corvette leaving their lot at a 90 degree turn and an over enthusiastic right foot, with TC on!

Wouldn't recommend either, both sphincter tightening, especially in a 2.6 ton pickup that feels like it's on stilts.

[Alan305]

4 minutes ago, peniole said:

The F150, with no bed load and in RWD mode would do the same 🔁

Oh yes, son-in-law had the Harley Davidson F150 for while, what a truck.

[Rabbers]

On 12/24/2022 at 4:51 PM, cdmaskell said:

.... I have yet to see designated Lexus parking bays!  Merry Xmas and a happy New year to all.

During a stay in Venice over the Christmas weekend I was reminded, albeit in a completely different context, of the mention of "designated Lexus parking bays" in the above post.  Chatting with a local resident who liked my RC, I heard how Lexus is allocated several rows of reserved spaces, some of which it annoyingly leaves empty, in one of the city's main access car-parks during the annual Film Festival.  As the official transport sponsor and with the NX and the ES much in evidence last year, Lexus gets a good deal of national media visibility by carrying stars and other VIPs around during this prestigious event.  However, because parking spaces are so extremely scarce even at the best of times, this preferential treatment extending to several days before and after the Festival itself has regrettably but perhaps not wholly unexpectedly made Lexus the marque most hated by the local population.  My reaction on hearing this was to worry for the rest of our stay about my unattended RC being vandalised by some vengeful local citizen, but I'm glad to report that the Yuletide spirit prevailed and it didn't happen.

[steve2006]

I have one of these, designed to simply fit over the standard UK no parking/waiting restriction signs allowing close and convenient parking in town centres usually right outside the shop. 

[cdmaskell]

Excellent!  Happy New Year to all.