Quote Originally Posted by OakLeaf View Post
Funny, that's one of the handful of things I really hate about the Prius. I know I could just ignore it, but I find that it's a huge temptation to NOT look where I'm going, and rely on the stupid screen instead. Danger, Will Robinson. Even if I start off looking where I'm going, if I want to turn my head to look over the other shoulder or out the side window, the screen is there distracting me...

It would be nice if it defaulted to off, so I could turn it on when I knew there were, say, stanchions or stuff like that nearby. But I honestly think that screen really increases the likelihood that I'm going to back into something someday, because it tempts me not to pay attention. Or worse, back into some*one,* because looking at that screen makes it impossible for me to see people walking toward the car from the side, as so often happens when I'm backing out of a parking space.

Anyway enjoy your shopping!
Every car we've looked at has had the backup camera thing. I guess it's pretty standard when you are basically picking the highest trim level for these vehicles. I assume the BMW will not have one since we won't be putting a lot of options on it.

I didn't mind it. I actually used it on the Mazda to get close to the curb when I was parking it and it was pretty cool. The Mazda has a nice feature (or potentially annoying feature) with a blind spot monitor. The car has sensors all around it so if you go to move in the direction of something (be it a tree, a person, another car) it will beep at you. I'm not sure I like that for every day use, but it sure was helpful when passing on the highway with that big ole dealer sticker on the window blocking my view!

Personally, the less fancy electronics, the better as far as I'm concerned. Unfortunately, my H feels differently.