Newbie... I had non-genuine sensors fitted by the Toyota dealer on their recommendation at the time of purchase. The back sensors auto-activate when selecting "Reverse", and do not function whilst driving. The front sensors are always on, unless you decide to manually deactive the unit (easily done / press of a button). I have a little sensor indicator next to my mirror (again, will provide photo's when I have a chance), that provides a graphical representation of which sensor is picking up the object and it provides distance from approx 1.5m onwards. Pro's: The car is definately big, Even after having the car for close to a month now I find it actually quite difficult to tell where the car ends, so I do really depend on the sensors when parking. I have checked the accuracy of the sensors, and it is pretty much spot on. Con's I am yet to have my first service (complimentary 1000kms - I am already closer to 2K, but apparently you have until 5K to get it done). My *ONLY* gripe with this wonderful car is about the sensor kit - and I cant blame Toyota as it is not genuine. The problem is that the sensor kit picks up ghosts even at high speed. I often switch the sensor unit off when this happens, and then it is dead until you happen to either re-activate manually or it will reactive when next you decide to reverse. I make a point of keeping the car clean, and especially the area around the sensors clean - so really hoping they will get this sorted @ first service.... I suppose the two front / side on sensors have their place when you are parking, but the unit beeps when objects <50cm and the unit will therefore almost certainly detect your garage walls & hedges - not fun when the kids are sleeping / annoying preiodd.. In regard to the front side sensors I find myself unsure of the value... I think one of the benefits of having sensors is to 1) avoid parking issues, and 2) avoiding crashing into a car in front of you for whatever reason. The front sensors only start beeping when you are about <1m away from the object. No matter what speed you are travelling at, you cover 1m pretty fast - so the lack of being able to configure the unit to say * beep once if an object is 3m away when travelling faster than 30kms * effectively voids scenario (2), leaving me to wonder why bother having the unit on whilst driving at all. Considerations: Toyota original tow kit sticks out quite a bit - measure this - the length will surprise you and keep this in mind when parking... Overall, as annoying as the side beeps may be, I still recommend having the sensor kit - you need it for parking, and I am hesitant to rely on the camera for judging distance. Based on my experience, I would not include the side sensors if given a choice - more of a annoyance than a help. I called the dealer about "detecting ghosts", and he assured me they will have it sorted at service. I will ask a couple of questions about being able to configure scenarios on the unit, but dont believe I am going to like the answer. I would be interested in how the orignal sensor kits cope with above scenarios...
