Nissan QASHQAI Black-Out Test

There are good reasons why our vehicles are surrounded by glass and are equipped with side and rear view mirrors. Equally there are reasons why our eyesight needs to be up to a certain standard either with or without corrective lenses. We need to be aware about what is occurring inside and in the immediate surroundings of our vehicle when out on the road.

Our autonomous driving future (and therefore perhaps a glass-free car design) is still a way off, so it is with the good old human peepers that we need to rely on for some time to come.

However, there is nothing wrong with technology augmenting that sense, and so the advent of reverse camera technology has made its way into vehicles across all manufacturers and generally all model offerings.

But if the endless cycle of smartphones has taught us something, technology ideas can be iterated upon, and in so doing improved.

With the reversing camera, features have been added such as guiding lines, on-screen proximity sensor graphics, front and side mounted (under the side mirrors) cameras as well as advancement in night vision and resolution as time has gone on.

As with many automotive technological strides, the innovative features often begin at the expensive end of the market and trickle down.

The Nissan QASHQAI TI is currently the cheapest vehicle (a smidge under $40,000) to feature 360-degree camera technology, represented in this case via the model's 7.0-inch infotainment screen, as if a camera hovered about five metres above the car.

Split screen with the traditional rear, or forward facing screen view, what more could a manoeuvring driver need?

Well here at motoring.com.au, we thought we would find out. Could we find our way through a tight course of witches hats with our senses of the outside world deprived, relying purely on the camera (and proximity detection) technology of the QASHQAI alone?

We spent an hour blacking out the windows with black vinyl, and set up a challenging course of witches-hats, our cardboard volunteer test dog Fido, and his obligatory fire hydrant.

Contact with a witches hat imparts a two-second penalty, hitting Fido or his hydrant costs the driver not only a five second penalty, but the derision of all those present.

We would do both reverse as well as forward runs to really test the Nissan 360 degree AVM (All View Monitor) camera system.

"It's quite disconcerting when you close the driver's door and are faced only with your gauges and a seven-inch screen," said Road Test Editor, Matt Brogan.

"The lack of lateral reference is particularly confusing, as the fish-eye lens of the camera conspires to 'speed up' objects as they near the car."

That initial confusion and learning curve is evident in the difference from the early runs versus the general improvement in both times and penalties as both Brogan and Consumer Editor, Nadine Armstrong, racked up the runs.

"The split-screen view is great and provides a comprehensive picture of your surroundings from multiple view points," said Armstrong.

"After a few runs, I developed a greater level of trust in the cameras. Like any technology, I found that practice and patience delivered a better experience."

Both drivers found the aid of the predictive on-screen guidelines invaluable.

"I found the forward and rearward facing cameras – and their guidelines – most useful in navigating the car through the course, relying on the bird's eye view only when manoeuvring in close confines," said Brogan.

This was echoed by Armstrong.

"I found the guidelines very useful, particularly when negotiating long corners, while the 360-view was best for tight manoeuvres," she said.

The side cameras on the QASHQAI are a differentiator from competitor vehicles. Located under the wing mirrors, however, the on-screen view displayed as if the camera is above the car. This could be somewhat deceiving, great for picking up objects below mirror level, but the driver would still need to be aware of taller obstacles in real-world situations – never rely on the camera alone!

An unexpected side note during our testing was a feeling of motion sickness. Despite the camera system, the lack of a broader outside aspect played havoc with the more sensitive stomachs during the blacked-out runs.

It is possible this may be an oversight for those designing the self-driving cars of the future; perhaps these vehicles will need an automatic sick-bag option.

Brogan summed up this observation neatly.

"It's pretty amazing that you can pilot the car at speeds of around 10km/h using only the vehicle's camera system," he said.

"Though personally the sensation of motion sickness is a little hard to deal with; I don't think I'd like to rely on the screen in everyday driving."

Having the (forward) camera system automatically cut-out at speeds over 10 km/h also resulted in a quick jump on the brakes when there was no other way to see what the car was about to hit.

The consensus for those involved was as you would expect. The human brain is an amazingly fast computer system; it takes input from everywhere, doing calculations and diagnostics both consciously and sub-consciously at a rate faster than anything constructed by man.

The continued improvement of technology supplements the brain, filtering and enhancing the data required to successfully pilot a vehicle safely through what we call day-to-day driving, but when broken down to its constituent calculations is a highly complex task.

Distraction and degradation will hinder how well the brain performs this task, anything vehicle manufactures can do to minimise these issues is to be applauded. We all want driving to be as safe as possible, for the protection of ourselves, loved ones and the cardboard Fidos of this world.

Forward Runs