OH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL AND SO ARE THE PARKING LOTS!
The holiday season is upon us which means parking lot mania is also here. It’s a busy time for families. Anyone else dread going out to the store this time of year simply because of how intense parking can be? Anxiety can start with just the thought of it all.
We recently had the opportunity to put the Active Park Assist to use in a 2017 Ford Escape while getting some holiday shopping and family activities done. Could we figure out how to let our vehicle park for us in a packed parking lot? Would we trust the vehicle to parallel park? Bring it on small parking spaces, we’ve got this!
We try to make the most of the shopping trips we go on and cram as many places into one outing as possible. This means braving multiple parking lots in a day. One of the lots Tamara fears the most is the hardware store. Large trucks taking up multiple spots. It’s always busy, there’s no such thing as “slow time” when there this time of year. We needed to get in and find what we needed. This is the first year we’ll be going and cutting down a Christmas tree, but we had no base to put it in.
Off we went to join all the others who were out in the hustle and bustle of the weekend mania. Thankfully the girls were great and enjoyed being along for the ride in a different vehicle. The panoramic moonroof was a hit with them. They loved being able to look up and out the window just above them. This became a favourite when we went on our next family adventure together.
Jason is much braver when it comes to parking a very tech-savvy vehicle. He got accustomed to the Active Park Assist in no time. He had it figured out for how to put it to use in no time at all. It took myself a few more tries to get used to it. Plus the trust in letting the vehicle park for you took some time for me to get used to. We did a few parking lot tests without many vehicles around to get used to how it worked.
Who would have thought that you could press a button for assistance with parking? It’s definitely a unique experience having a vehicle reverse stall park and parallel park. All you have to do is help with braking and moving into drive and reverse as directed by the vehicle on the control panel.
We had one big adventure we wanted to test this vehicle out on. We headed up to one of our local mountains because the girls kept asking to see snow. How can you say no to that with Christmas right around the corner? Plus, we all know Tamara is a major fan of all things snow related.
Seems we weren’t the only ones with this idea of going to the mountain, everyone else in the Lower Mainland did too. The parking lots were packed there too. Between Active Park Assist and the sensing systems, there were no issues for us. We’ve actually come to really like the sensor systems too for the warnings they give of things being near the vehicle.
The girls had a blast climbing the little hills of snow and it was wonderful seeing them smiling and having fun. It was just the family outing we needed. Nothing to stress and worry about, not even the fear of finding parking during the busy season.
HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN A VEHICLE WITH ACTIVE PARK ASSIST?
This post has been done in collaboration with Ford and Talk Shop Media.
All views and opinions about this vehicle are our own.
I had no idea this was a thing lol
I desperately need park assist LOL winter or not
What! That is TOO COOL! These photos are adorable 🙂
Wow! We live in Arizona so it looks nothing like this outside! My daughter would be so jealous of all the snow!
I just moved back to Chicago, and totally need Park Assist hahah! Plus driving in the upcoming snow.. Not looking forward to it. Also your photos make snow look SO beautiful and fun.
sounds like that detail on a car would be great for any driver. Girls so much fun.
I hear you this time of year can be so crazy especially in parking lots! I would be nervous about a car moving on its own but sounds so cool! My girls had this same Old Navy sweater, always a fav of mine too. Happy Holidays mama.
xo, Nicole