INFINITI Q30
Self-parking system shows that autonomous tech still has a way to go
THE Q30 IS LOADED with technology. When parking, there are all-round sensors, a reversing camera and a surround-view monitor to make it pretty easy to slip into a tight spot in a multi-storey.
It’s just as well, because the car’s Intelligent Park Assist can be a liability. In the right circumstances, when parallel parking, it’s a dream. You spot a space, indicate and the system takes over. All you have to do is brake when necessary and make sure you don’t run anyone over.
But the system struggles with bay parking. Attempt to park in a bay on your right and five times out of 10 it works a treat. The other times, you drift past the space in the hope the car will spot it and the little arrow prompt will appear, only for it never to show. Mildly embarrassed, you then find another space, and, after another missed opportunity by the parking system, park in it yourself.
Bay parking on the left? The success rate drops to around one in 10. Here’s what can happen. After selecting a perfect spot in the middle of three empty bays, the system offers its assistance. The notifications appear, the process begins, and the steering wheel spins away, until you realise that you’re perpendicular to the other cars. The system has parallel parked you across three spaces, and you’re left looking a little silly and a whole lot less dignified than you should do in a £33,500 car.