Ford SYNC 3 confirmed for 2017 SA launch date

Papi Mabele — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 18:31:52 +0000

Remember earlier this year when we told you Ford is bringing its SYNC 3 system to Mzansi sometime soon? Well, that soon is now. Not now now, but end-of-the-year now.

According to the press release issued by the manufacturer earlier today, the voice-activated 8-inch infotainment center that can easily find establishments for you – all you need to do is press a button and say “I need a coffee” or “I need petrol” will be launched locally in the first quarter of 2017. And since the automaker baked both Android Auto and Apple Car Play support into the system, you can pair it with either an iPhone or an Android device.

The company has also installed localized versions of Emergency Assistance, so drivers and passengers can initiate emergency calls in our own languages; Zulu, English and Afrikaans. Sync 3 will initially be available in SA aboard the new Everest, the Kuga, Mustang and Ranger.

Ford’s 2015 Focus ST brings touchscreen Sync technology to SA

Papi Mabele — Thu, 09 Jul 2015 08:52:24 +0000

Ford wants you to know that it’s more than just commercial vehicles and cars. It wants to be seen as a technology innovator too. Of course, the Detroit automaker has long had a friendly relationship with technology, what with its Sync infotainment platform, its support for third-party apps and, obviously, its investment in autonomous vehicles, its certainly heading in the right direction.

Earlier today, a handful of prominent influencers and media – myself included – were whisked off to the less traveled but scenic routes of Durban, towards Port Shepstone, to experience the all new Ford Focus ST as it launches. While we at SA VIBE play more emphasis onto the technology that these beasty cars are made off, its evident that Ford’s new Research and Innovation Center in Palo Alto must be doing well.

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On the same breath while we (South Africa) regularly get Ford’s latest cars, we haven’t been so lucky with Sync. South Africans typically have to make do with the basic version rather that is MyFord Touch. At today’s launch event I was glad to notice that locals won’t have to settle when the 2015 Focus ST rolls out on dealership floors this week, though. The sporty, redesigned car will bring Sync 2, which is effectively MyFord Touch under a new name; drivers get a similar 8-inch touchscreen interface with sophisticated control over the climate system, media playback and helpful browsing through your smartphone’s message and call logs. The 2015 refresh brings a few welcome tech upgrades no matter where you live, including optional blind-spot detection and lane warnings.

As previously mentioned, the Sync 2 features a much brighter touchscreen with sharper graphics and other multi-touch functions. It also sports larger onscreen buttons and high-contrast fonts to minimize driver futzing. The interface has been completely redesigned with three zone choices on the home screen: navigation (not available in SA), audio and phone. To streamline all of this Ford has redesigned the new Focus ST interior for a more intuitive layout that is also simpler, with a clearer visual connection between the key components and significantly fewer buttons in the cabin,

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The system was designed to be used primarily with voice control, however, and now accepts much more conversational commands. For example, a driver can just say “Play ‘Coffee'” to hear the Miguel song off his latest album, without having to enter more specific info as before.

When conceiving its second-gen Sync system, Ford polled customers who said the most urgently needed improvement was (yep) more speed, though we could’ve saved them the trouble. As such, it added a much faster processor and other improved hardware. Kuda Takura, Ford’s Brand Manager told me that it wanted the Sync 2 to have benchmarked performance, “so that the system could be as fast as a tablet or smartphone, especially in terms of touch and voice responsiveness.”

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From my brief, hour long experience with the Sync 2 system as passenger and driver its evident Ford has been putting a lot of time to make this a centralised system that users – not only the driver but the passengers as well – can use with ease and fosters concentration onto whats more important; the road. First time users are urged to at least spend a good quality of time familiarising themselves with the system and its controls before hitting the road. While we’re yet to get our full detailed review of the system, it comes standard on the Focus ST3 model which retails for R421 900. If that doesn’t sit well in your pocket, the Focus ST1 is set at R381 900 – minus the Sync 2 features.

2015 Ford Ranger gets smarter Sync voice commands

Papi Mabele — Mon, 16 Feb 2015 14:06:39 +0000

For all of Ford’s emphasis on Sync, it’s hard to deny that Ranger drivers usually sit on the bottom rung of the automaker’s technology ladder when they’re denied Voice commands and the related perks of smaller vehicles. Pick up the keys to a ~~higher-spec~~ XLS+ 2015 Ranger, however, and you’ll be in for a treat. The family abode will stuff a 4.5-inch LCD into the center stack, with a few software upgrades over what we’ve already seen in cars like the Fiesta, Focus and Fusion. The highlight is undoubtedly the more direct voice command system — the Nuance-driven recognition no longer demands that we specify music categories or radio formats to start playing tunes.

Bluetooth smartphone pairing and navigation by address should be streamlined at the same time. Motorists will have to get their hands on the Ranger models to reap the rewards.

ford sync – TWFLD

Ford SYNC 3 confirmed for 2017 SA launch date

Ford’s 2015 Focus ST brings touchscreen Sync technology to SA

2015 Ford Ranger gets smarter Sync voice commands