No matter how impressive a vehicle may be to look at, there’s no substitute for a hands on experience. This year’s Adelaide Motor Show gives you the opportunity to explore and experiment with a number of interactive displays and activities from manufacturers and motoring related organisations.

When you’re at this year’s Adelaide Motor Show, keep an eye out for your opportunity to experience the following interactive displays and activities:

4WD TEST TRACK

It’s one thing to test drive a new 4WD on city streets, but nothing can replace the sensation of taking it off-road to see how it behaves when the bitumen is far behind you. This year’s Adelaide Motor Show features a rough terrain test track where 4WDs can be put through their paces in a full simulation of off-road conditions.

BOSCH ESP SIMULATOR –
RAA & ROAD ACCIDENT BOARD

The brainchild of Bosch Automotive Chassis Systems, ESP (Electronic Stability Program) offers life saving benefits when fitted to cars and vans.

ESP is an active vehicle safety system, which helps prevent a vehicle from skidding, significantly increasing safety for drivers and passengers. The multiple-award winning ESP system assists the driver in just about every critical driving situation. That includes emergency and partial braking manoeuvres and incipient skidding incidents, which the system rapidly identifies and reduces in severity by timely, targeted braking of individual wheels. Driving safety is significantly increased by this active support of the driver during tricky manoeuvres where there is risk of skidding. Additionally, ESP also stabilises the vehicle during normal braking, starting off and accelerating, since it also includes the functions of the ABS anti-lock braking system and the TCS traction control system.

To highlight the benefits of the ESP system, Bosch commissioned the design of a series of ESP simulators that allow a ‘virtual’ experience of the benefits of ESP – one of which will be at this year’s Adelaide Motor Show.

LEXUS IPA DEMONSTRATION

The IPA system, featured on the recently released LS 600hL luxury hybrid saloon, is designed to assist drivers in entering parallel or series parking spaces*.

Using a rear camera and front mounted ultrasonic sensors to identify parking spaces, the system calculates the appropriate steering angle to guide the vehicle into the chosen space. The system controls the steering automatically to guide the vehicle into the parking position identified by the driver via a navigation screen. The driver only needs to control vehicle speed (to a maximum of 4km/h) using the brake pedal.

For parallel parking, the driver slowly drives past the intended parking space, allowing the system’s sonar sensors to detect the available space, before stopping just beyond the space in a normal manner. After the driver shifts into reverse gear and selects the parallel parking option, the IPA control unit determines the target parking position.

It calculates both the parking trajectory and required steering angle, while a view of the target parking position is projected onto the centre console’s Electro Multi-Vision (EMV) touch-screen. The driver then confirms acceptance of the target position and activates the system.

The driver then releases the brake pedal and the vehicle begins reversing at a slow speed. The system monitors vehicle speed and automatically controls the electric power steering to guide the vehicle into the targeted parking position.

The IPA system will also help execute series parking manoeuvres in a similar fashion.

While the IPA system automatically controls the steering during either manoeuvre, the driver is responsible for both controlling the speed and stopping the vehicle using the brake pedal. The driver can deactivate the IPA at any time through either throttle or steering input or cancelling it via the EMV touch-screen.

*Intelligent Park Assist is designed as a driver-assist device only and should not be used as a substitute for skilled driving and safe parking practices. The driver should watch the area into which the vehicle is to be reversed, react appropriately and ensure compliance with all road rules. Intelligent Park Assist requires driver brake control.

New vehicle demonstrator drive program

The real test of any vehicle is how it suits you. A number of manufacturers are making available demonstrator models at this year’s Adelaide Motor Show so you can get a feel for what could be your new car by taking it for a test drive.