Impressive, but only remotely useful
The first time I witnessed BMW’s remote parking feature in action it was definitely impressive. A BMW exec climbed out of the car and then, at the touch of the remote key, drove the car into its parking space. Yes, it seemed a little gimmicky, but we like things like that and surely it has a use for someone?
We finally got to put it through its paces in SA and the only person who is going to need it is someone who has a tiny little garage in a Chelsea mews in London. We have much bigger garages in SA.
There is another time when it could be useful, though, and that is when you get back to your car in the car park and another car is parked inches from the driver’s door. It has happened to us all. Gone are the days of climbing in through the passenger door and contorting your body to get into the driver’s seat.
Now you can calmly remove the key from your pocket, swipe through the menus to the remote parking feature and select it. Once it has connected to the car, you push the parking button on the side, push another button to start the engine and select the direction arrow. Keep your finger on the arrow and the car will glide effortlessly out of the space.
How long will this take? About as long as it takes for a queue of irate motorists to form before you sheepishly get back into the car. To put it another way, it will take at least twice as long as it will take you to get into the driver’s seat and reverse out of the space yourself.
GIMMICK
Is it cool? Yes. I tried it in a relatively quiet part of a shopping centre car park and people watched in awe of the fact that there was no one in the car.
Is it a gimmick though? Also a yes. Once the initial thrill of using the remote to navigate it in and out of your garage has worn off, you will use it rarely — unless you regularly park in one of those old underground car parks that was designed only to accommodate rows of Citi Golfs and Tazzes.