The Volvo S90 is one of our favourite luxury sedans. It looks and feels extremely premium, but it’s also filled with lots of high-tech systems that make driving it an effortless experience.
Not all brands have semi-autonomous features at this price point, but even the ones that do tend to be a little poorly executed and gimmicky. In the Volvo S90, these systems feel well-thought out and usable. The Park Assist Pilot is the best example of this. You activate it on the touchscreen with a single tap. The button for this can be rearranged and placed where you want it to be, just like apps on a smartphone.
The Park Assist Pilot does two things for you – it measures for a space that the S90 can fit in and turns the steering wheel to ensure a perfect fit. In a vehicle 4.96 metres long, you can imagine how much of a difference this makes!
And while most drivers would avoid parking spaces that look a little too tight for cars like these, the Park Assist Pilot works in lots that are as small as 1.2 times the car’s length. All you need to do is follow the prompts and select the appropriate gear, and control the brakes.
Because the driver is still ultimately responsible for the safe operation of the car, you still have to look out for potential hazards, of course. But the S90 makes this easy thanks to a 360 degree top-down graphical image of the car. This combines the video stream from its surrounding cameras and the ultrasonic sensors to give an accurate idea of where obstacles are in relation to the car.
The Park Assist Pilot works in both parallel and perpendicular parking situations, and can be used to exit parking lots too.
Try the system out for yourself when you go for a test drive at your local Volvo showroom.
