[midster]

Parking Assistant is a mandatory feature X3. Is it better to upgrade it or leave it as what it is?

[Slalom]

I like the surround view that comes with Parking Assistant Plus. It really helps in tight spaces.

[nosnoop]

Originally Posted by Slalom

I like the surround view that comes with Parking Assistant Plus. It really helps in tight spaces.

And the front and rear camera 180 degree panoramic view is great, so much better than the old side cameras. You can now see everything even if two big trucks sandwiched you in the parking lot.

[JSY]

The top view of you car with the varying red/amber/green bars surrounding your vehicle make me think I'm in a space ship with a force field surrounding the car. I agree with the folks above - you'll find a lot of utility in it!

[FastMarkA]

Originally Posted by nosnoop

And the front and rear camera 180 degree panoramic view is great, so much better than the old side cameras. You can now see everything even if two big trucks sandwiched you in the parking lot.

In the spirit of the thread, I agree surround view is a great technology, especially if you parallel park regularly and don't want to suffer curb rash.

BUT, I actually prefer the side cameras mounted in the front bumpers over the single front camera. My garage leads out to an alley, so when I had side cameras, I would just creep out a foot or so and have a perfect view in both directions of any traffic. While the front camera does have some side angle, it's not nearly as good as the old school side cameras. First world problem, though.

[ando]

I live in a condo building where three cars park in a 24 foot wide garage. This is my first BMW with surround view cameras and it's very helpful for parking and when I'm bored too.

[midster]

Those surrounding camera lenses do not look durable to me at all. i wondered if i could get some kind of protectors/shields to keep it away from the road chips.