It started as a simple video intended to help Toyota owners use an often-overlooked bit of technology made to help them back up more easily. But a TikTok video from a Canadian car salesman wound up launching a low-grade flame war among automaker loyalists arguing over who’s leading the way in useful innovations for motorists.
The argument started innocuously enough, with a Toyota Tundra’s side mirrors tilting downward in reverse to help keep an eye on the truck’s tires while operating in reverse. Creator Scott Hutchinson (@goseescott), a Toyota salesman in British Columbia, intended the video he posted, which has been viewed almost 100,000 times, to offer a quick moment of appreciation for one of the lesser-known ways modern vehicles aim to make driving as easy and accommodating as possible.
"If I preset this in reverse, I can have my mirrors automatically reorient and show me the back tires," he explains as the side view mirrors pivot down to help back up as elegantly as possible. "I know it's just a simple little thing, but it's one of those little details that help us to love our vehicles just a little bit more."
New Technology Sparks Heated Debate
It didn’t take long for viewers to flood into the comment section, trying to figure out whether their own Toyotas had been hiding the same feature for years. Some discovered it instantly.
