‘A car that parks for you?
Parking in a tight spot is often a problem for Prima’s Joanne Finney, so could the Renault Clio’s hands-free parking function help her?
Yes, please!’ We put it to the test
The challenge
I’ve always hated parking. Multistoreys, with their concrete columns and tight turns, give me the heebie-jeebies. It doesn’t help that I live on a narrow street, where there’s rarely any empty parking spaces – and when you do find a spot, you have to manoeuvre two wheels on to the kerb. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I sometimes avoid taking the car out if I know it’s going to be tricky to park when I get back!
Hands-free parking
The Clio’s Easy Park Assist can handle any type of parking scenario – car parks, parallel parking and even parking at an angle. Press the parking button and the car’s 360° cameras search for parking spaces. Just pick the one you want on the touchscreen and the car takes over, turning the steering wheel for you and telling you when to accelerate and brake. Even without this feature, parking is made easier by the 360° camera, which means you can see exactly what’s behind you and how close you are to the kerb as you reverse into a spot. Really useful!
How I got on
After a bit of a practice getting used to driving an automatic (easier than I thought!), it was time for the ultimate challenge: the supermarket car park. At 11am on a Sunday, it was at full capacity. I needn’t have worried. After a quick drive around, I saw an empty spot, pulled to a stop and pressed Park Assist. Taking my hands off the steering wheel as I’d been instructed, I watched in amazement as the wheel began moving by itself and the car started to manoeuvre backwards into the space. It was like magic – the car carefully and smoothly reversed with no danger of me getting too close to the cars on either side. Once it was in the bay, as the screen indicated, all I had to do was brake. The car was perfectly positioned – truly my most seamless parking ever!
Extras I liked
Both the interior and the 390L boot of the Clio feel spacious
– and the finish is stylish. The
USB socket and wireless charging pad are godsends.