Lexus is continuing its commitment to making advanced technologies available to its customers for even higher levels of safety and convenience with the introduction of Digital Side-view Monitors for its ES 300h luxury hybrid saloon. The new feature is available to order now in the UK as an option on the ES Takumi model.
Initially introduced in Japan in 2018 as a world-first for a high-volume production car, the system replaces conventional door mirrors with compact, external, high-resolution cameras linked to in-car monitors. These provide an enhanced view of the area behind and immediately alongside the vehicle in all driving conditions, reducing or eliminating the driver’s blind spots and adapting automatically to give an extended view when the car is turning or reversing.
Ergonomic design
The ergonomic design of the system allows the driver to check the view around the car with less left-right head movement, in line with Lexus’s aim of reducing the driver’s workload. The two five-inch colour monitors are positioned at the base of the front pillars, closely aligned to the door mirror height, so they fall within the driver’s intuitive line of sight. This means the driver doesn’t have to significantly change their natural mirror-checking action.
The cameras are housed in slim, aerodynamic casings that complement the elegant lines of the ES and, being smaller than the door mirrors, reduce wind noise and intrude less in the driver’s forward diagonal view.
The units have built-in heaters to avoid freezing or misting, and are located so they are not vulnerable to being obscured by raindrops or snow. If necessary, the driver can activate the demister using a dashboard switch to ensure clear view at any time.
The system has a luminescence sensor which automatically reduces glare from the headlights of following vehicles during night-time driving, giving the driver a much clearer rearward view.