Yeah, my complaint is image quality, the distortion created by the lens they used that's not sorted out by software, and then the contrast/dynamic range resulting in a very washed out image to boot.
The camera system we had on our X5M was similar - cameras on rear, sides, maybe front? - Can't remember - but the fidelity was amazing and the image stitching it did for the 360 view made Toyota's implementation look like a middle schooler's project.
Even my Cadillac's backup cam is higher fidelity and far easier to made out depth and detail (and let's be honest - 00s GM isn't known for their amazing in-car electronics,) which when you're glancing at it for but a moment while also checking mirrors and other moving objects, the less my brain has to process the better.
So with that said, here's a shot with snow today for added difficulty:
If I had a Rotopax or a basket on the driver's side rack the left-third of the image would definitely also be obscured. I may think about how to experiment with the camera at a later date if my wife complains.
Ps, for comparison, I went and found an image of the BMW's rear view & 360 degree view:
Note the lack of distortion (corrected by software) in the top-down view:
Some of the newer models even stitch together a front view:
There's also some of their models that even have fender-level cameras, which for rock crawling or trail riding (lol at the idea in a BMW) would be amazing:
Versus this unhelpful mess we get:
I realize Toyota's also trying to show you what's on your rockers but the image quality is so poor as to be useless. Better have a passenger that can stick their head out the window instead. It's not like I don't love the truck, but this system wasn't even market-competitive upon the '08 launch, much less the 2013 update.
Would love for this community to find a way to upgrade our camera system!
