Subaru Side View Monitor means perfect parallel parks every time

Parallel parks can be tricky, and when there’s a line of traffic waiting for you to slot into that tight spot they’re undeniably stressful. Worst of all, just when you think you’ve got the park nailed you hear a horrendous sound; a sound that can be caused by only one thing – alloy wheel against concrete kerb. Ouch.

Subaru knows your pain, and its engineers have come to your rescue. The new WRX Premium and WRX STI Premium now include a package of innovative systems, or ‘proactive safety technologies’, that Subaru calls Vision Assist.

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We reckon the coolest part of Vision Assist is a thing called Side View Monitor. Take a look at the video above to get a better idea of what it is and how it works.

To sum it up, Subaru has placed a video camera in the bottom of the kerb-side rear vision mirror. When you select reverse gear, or tap the SVM button on the dashboard, the view from that camera is shown on a screen allowing you to see exactly where the front wheel is in relation to the kerb. You’ll never ‘gutter rash’ a wheel again.

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Other manufacturers have introduced similar systems like the bird’s-eye view parking cameras found in several new vehicles. Subaru has taken a different approach with Side View Monitor and we think it has the potential to be even more helpful.

The other technologies featured in Vision Assist are Blind Spot Monitoring, Lane Change Assist and Rear Cross Traffic Alert.

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