I’ve never attempted a J-Turn (I’d love to give it a go) but I’d imagine it’s not as easy as it looks. If you’re not aware how a J-Turn works, basically you reverse at high speed, brake and perform a 180 degree spin before driving away forwards – obviously the car will need be taken out of reverse!
Nissan Re-Invents J-Turn
Nissan thought the standard J-Turn was too boring so the Japanese brand decided to spice things up. Stuntman Paul Swift was drafted in and the idea was that he would do it ‘blind’. Well, not completely blind – the car was blacked out, meaning Swift could only rely on the Nissan Juke’s Around View Monitor. This system uses cameras dotted around the vehicle to give the driver an all-round view of what is happening around the car.
Ready To Go
So the stage was set, the Juke was blacked out and Swift was ready to go. Not only was Swift able to complete the test, making this a world first, but he was able to equal the record for a standard J-Turn with the Juke requiring a space just 18 cm longer than its bumper-to-bumper distance to get from moving backwards, spinning around and facing the correct way to move forward again.
Commenting on the world-first stunt, Paul Swift said: “I don’t recommend drivers try to park using AVM and a J-turn like I did, but I can really see how using the AVM technology in everyday driving situations would be a real benefit to Nissan customers.”
Paul Swift added: “Looking at the 360-degree view on the dashboard screen – rather than over my shoulder through the rear window – was strange at first, but I quickly adjusted. The AVM cameras gave me a clear view of the track so I was confident of staying within the lines.”
Stewart Callegari, General Manager for Advanced Planning, Nissan Europe: “This stunt is the perfect demonstration of the Nissan brand promise – Innovation that Excites. That promise is all about developing technology to make drivers’ lives simpler and safer, and Around View Monitor does just that.”
The video of the barmy feat can be found here.
