I first noticed ParkSense technology in the RAM 2500 Rebel truck after going on a couples date with my wife. We had just watched a movie and stopped to grab something at the store.
I was sitting in the truck when my wife came back to the vehicle, just as I was about to go looking for her and drive up to the curb by the store. The vehicle started chiming at me and showed a display that someone was walking too close to the vehicle — it was her, of course.
ParkSense runs all around the vehicle and helps with parking and object detection, something that has improved in recent years and is now more accurate and sensitive. It wasn’t a dangerous situation at all, since I noticed her right away, but it did alert me in a way that makes sense in the age of distraction driving and constant interruptions.
Ford describes the technology this way on their site: “ParkSense Front and Rear Park Assist integrates sensors within the front bumper and rear lower valance and displays a graphic in the instrument cluster to help notify the driver of nearby objects.”
I also noticed how you can disable it using really obvious switches in the center console. You can disable the front sensor or the rear sensor. That makes sense if you are in a construction site or on a work crew, and you know people will be loading up the rear bed or if you’re already parked and you know people will be passing in front of the vehicle.
The real benefit here, though, is related to parking. Trucks are difficult to park in general, and the Rebel is a bit bigger than normal. Some people have a hard time judging exactly how close you are to other vehicles, lamp-posts and pillars, and other people. It can feel like you are trying to maneuver a boat into a slip at the river or on a lake, not parking a vehicle.
Fortunately, the sensors can help if you get close to just about anything. That date night with my wife is just one example for my test period of one week. Many times, I was able to use the sensors to guide me and listen if the beeps and alerts in the dash were telling me to avoid something.
This even helped with parking in my own garage, especially since it can be dark as you drive in and there are a lot of things to look out for in there. I avoided a snowblower, my lawn tractor, and my personal car parked in the next stall.
Since it’s hard to see over and around the vehicle, these sensors help when it comes to seeing people the most. Several times, when someone was going to pile into the truck, the sensors would tell me that there was someone approaching.
I could see this technology helping someone who is constantly in busy traffic areas, but it also helps just with everyday parking at the mall. It’s a smart addition to an oversized truck.
