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Hey now Andy, I switched all my vehicles from GM to Ford. I was loyal to GM for twenty plus years, but now in my opinion ford currently does a all around better job. But that is just me.I'm old fashioned and have the "practice makes perfect" mindset. Being able to properly back up a trailer (without computer assistance) used to be a badge of honor. I'm sure there will be still be plenty of weekend warriors botching up their launches still! I guess this technology is similar to the parallel parking features ford introduced a while back. I'm starting to worry about Ford drivers if they need all this assistance on the roads....
That's me. I can back a trailer about as fast and accurate as I can pull one forward. Would have been great for my dad. He used to have to get out and let me back our camper when I was 11 and 12 years old. He never got a hold of the concept.I also have no issues backing, I also think I am pretty proficient at it. But I still think it is a good option for the ones who struggle.
Its an interesting technology...
My son really wanted it when he bought a 23' RV trailer but, although he'd never towed anything before, he turned out to be a natural at it. Now he's glad he didn't spend the money.
After 11 years of towing our 30' Airstream trailer, I've gotten comfortable with backing up using the two side mirrors... no turning around (well, maybe occasionally), and the extended side mirrors help me see around the trailer.
This brings up an interesting point. A central rear camera isn't going to show where the back corners of the trailer are. Are there additional cameras that give a more panoramic view? Even so, what could those camera views offer that two good towing mirrors could not? Towing mirrors don't get obscured by dirt, haze, water...
If its dark when I'm backing up, I need to use the side mirrors because the tail lights illuminate the ground, showing me where the back corners of the trailer are. I don't think this camera system could do that... the tailgate camera on my 2012 F150 doesn't do very well in the dark.
I could go on, but I'll finish with this. Many (many, many) years ago, I got my Third Mate's License for any tonnage on any ocean. While satellite navigation was in its infancy, our instructors urged us to maintain our sextant/stellar-navigation skills because sextants never blow a fuse!
Just my two bits...