Today I used for the first time....

Parking assist...how fantastic is it watching a car steer itself!

I sat there amazed afterwards - maybe I'm easily impressed

You'll be less impressed by how quickly it can wear out your tyres as it turns the wheels without the car rolling! I've never used it on my current car but hopefully when my new Evoque turns up I might use the new Perpendicular parking version of it more

I have visions of you Tim in a 'regular' bay with half the car nosed into the road

99.9999999% of the parking I do is in multistorey car parks so it's even possible that I can park the car faster than letting a computer can do it - the cam and sensors are pretty good aids (until you find a safety barrier end on........... )

What about parallel parking on the main road? Does the traffic grind to a halt having to wait?

Had a Monaro with no parking aids at all before. With only rear sensor, I find the Evoque 10 times easier to parallel park

I also find the Evoque to be really quick & easy to parallel park. With it's short length (and always back it in), i somehow find i do many many short and perfect 1 in / 1 slight adjust forward park - at the most,1 more adjust back....then i get out and generally see a around a perfect 2 inches from the curb.
I've always taken pride in my reverse parallel parking, and now the Evoque has taken it another level, cause it helps you nail a perfect park much more often then not, and that makes you feel good, and undoubtably look good to those that may be watching.

I hope it will remain easy to park with the new small mirrors that come with 2014MY.

Just set that passenger side mirror to dip on reverse and you'll be right Tim. I'm going to be jealous of those smaller mirrors for that viewing gap they will provide when looking forward down and gunning a precise pin point around a curb.

I already have them set up to dip on reverse - I will miss the big mirrors when the new car arrives and will probably have to rely on the BLIS much more, might even see if I can get a set of the big ones retro fitted, they are one thing I find helps make the car so easy to drive and reverse without reverting to gizmos. I appreciate that some people have a problem with seat height and seeing over the cowls is difficult, I'm 5ft 7" and don't find them an issue. As far as I can see from the 2014 literature I have the new design have a larger gap between the A pillar and the mirror cowling and they stick out just as far as the old design.