Ford CEO: We Won’t Take A Back Seat to Google And Apple

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I guess this falls into the ol' "if you want something done right, you better do it yourself" category.

“We want to make sure you are not pushed into a decision on a $40,000 car based on your $200 smartphone,” Nair said. Ford, like the other car makers, also sees its infotainment system, known as SYNC, as a key selling point. “The data shows SYNC has been a significant draw in the showroom,” Nair said.
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And then their ugly dashes push everyone out of the showroom.
 
I don't think that any American car maker has built an interior that I find aesthetically pleasing since the 70's. Every other aspect of American cars since then is likewise unappealing to me. Tech, performance (handling and road sensitivity), ergonomics, longevity and reliability all seem to be much better in imports from my perspective. I can only imagine what their current technology is like. But I'm not going to try to hard because I have better things to use my precious hours on.
 
EndlessRed said:
Did they forget SYNC is powered by Microsoft?
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Developed by, but not exclusive to Microsoft devices. Try connecting a Galaxy S6 to an Apple carplay system. You can't. SYNC works with everything.

Android Auto is only compatible with Android devices running the latest version of the operating system. Apple CarPlay has the same criteria and is specifically available for iPhones. Automakers also have to choose to support the systems.
 
Came in to read about sync and find people talking about terrible interiors like it's 1992. The whole anti american car thing is getting old and no longer valid, especially with Ford.

Worse tech? Handling? Reliability? Where have you been for the last ten years?

Ford Sync is pretty legit. In car infotainment is the future. I can see Sync possibly becoming something that companies license in the future instead of making their own half added setups.
 
Tengis said:
Came in to read about sync and find people talking about terrible interiors like it's 1992. The whole anti american car thing is getting old and no longer valid, especially with Ford.

Worse tech? Handling? Reliability? Where have you been for the last ten years?

Ford Sync is pretty legit. In car infotainment is the future. I can see Sync possibly becoming something that companies license in the future instead of making their own half added setups.
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If only the terrible interiors had been fixed in 1992 we might not have to talk about it. I was driving a new Taurus the other day and there's acres of wasted space in that interior. They have started using slightly nicer looking plastics/finishes in the last 5-7 years, but it still feels chintzy. I think they'll finally get it right one generation before they go to a full glass cockpit self-driving vehicle.
 
Tengis said:
Came in to read about sync and find people talking about terrible interiors like it's 1992. The whole anti american car thing is getting old and no longer valid, especially with Ford.

Worse tech? Handling? Reliability? Where have you been for the last ten years?

Ford Sync is pretty legit. In car infotainment is the future. I can see Sync possibly becoming something that companies license in the future instead of making their own half added setups.
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I like tech, and I like vehicles, but I hate them mixed so much.

I guess I am a contradiction. I enjoy working with my quarter million dollar mass spectrometers at work and playing with tech gadgets at home, but I drive a 96 F150 and an 85 Jeep Cherokee, some of the least tech enabled vehicles around. Give me a vehicle that is simple, durable and easy to work on over these new ones any day. Infotainment belongs at home or in the office, there are far too many distractions during driving already, and any system that has a touch screen to control vehicle functions instead of tactile buttons or knobs is a terrible idea, it causes you to look away to even adjust temperature or fan speed instead of being able to do it by feel.

It is also more fun to take a $500 vehicle thrashing through the mud and trees than a $50,000 one :)
 
Don't they already take a back seat to Toyota? For that matter, Toyota, GM, Volkswagen, Nissan, and finally Hyunda. This is in the entire world so.
 
Tengis said:
Came in to read about sync and find people talking about terrible interiors like it's 1992. The whole anti american car thing is getting old and no longer valid, especially with Ford.

Worse tech? Handling? Reliability? Where have you been for the last ten years?

Ford Sync is pretty legit. In car infotainment is the future. I can see Sync possibly becoming something that companies license in the future instead of making their own half added setups.
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Just a bunch of nerds who haven't driven a car later model than 1992. My MKZ has a fantastic interior... much nicer than my mom's much more expensive BMW SUV... oh and I drove a Maxima, Sonata Turbo, and V6 Accord before settling on the MKZ which blew them all away (all late model 2013+)...

And Sync works fantastically.
 
I love the plastic interior argument. I live in Japan and have seen all kinds of Toyota and Honda interiors that none of you will ever see; import interiors are just as much plastic as any domestics.
 
Mercedes interiors are just as bad as the Fords lately. The mid/high models have actually gotten worse in the last decade. My local dealer had about 30 brand new E classes on his lot, and all had vinyl seats.
 
I still enjoy the cockpit feel and ergonomics of my 2004 Grand Prix. It's a damn shame GM closed down Pontiac, as I always thought they were among the better of their brands... :(
 
wtburnette said:
I still enjoy the cockpit feel and ergonomics of my 2004 Grand Prix. It's a damn shame GM closed down Pontiac, as I always thought they were among the better of their brands... :(
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GM has a couple of problems with me. The cars look god awful. This is their cheap end of cars from Chevy but they look too cheap. Minus the volt which isn't cheap and I would never consider buying. Wasn't the Volt suppose to be 100% electric?

chevrolet-passenger-vehicles-august-2012jpg-c77afa1844fa84af.jpg


Then you have the engine issues which most of their "cars" come with 2.0L or 2.5L Ecotec engines. Now they have the optional 3.6L 300hp V6 which gets 28 mpg highway. Yet the 500hp V8 Corvette gets 29 highway? Might have something to do with weight as the Impala is 3,600 lbs while the Corvette is 3,200 lbs. Why are we still making cars out of sheet metal? Why haven't we moved to fiber glass or some sort of plastic?
 
Kueller said:
If only the terrible interiors had been fixed in 1992 we might not have to talk about it. I was driving a new Taurus the other day and there's acres of wasted space in that interior. They have started using slightly nicer looking plastics/finishes in the last 5-7 years, but it still feels chintzy. I think they'll finally get it right one generation before they go to a full glass cockpit self-driving vehicle.
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I would take a Ford anyday over a Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai or Kia interior. Also, I have a 2013 Dodge Avenger, the interior is very nice and the uconnect system is good. However, I think the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 interiors are some of the best.
 
Anyone that follows infotainment software knows that QNX is pretty much the future of it. BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Volvo, Chevy, Toyota, Nissan, etc all use systems based on QNX.

That being said, Chrysler's uConnect system is probably the most reliable, easy to use system on the market with the most frequent software updates.

Ford's SYNC is a decent system, but they're the only ones using it. And from what I understand don't count on them using the Microsoft OS based system much longer. They're already developing a QNX based system.

Simply put QNX is better, but uConnect has the best interface and integration.
 
Wrecked Em said:
Mercedes interiors are just as bad as the Fords lately. The mid/high models have actually gotten worse in the last decade. My local dealer had about 30 brand new E classes on his lot, and all had vinyl seats.
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Sooo ... the lesson you learned is to either order one with with leather seats or find a different dealer that has them?
 
I LOVE the interior of my Dart!

I love UConnect, except for the horrid phone texting support.

SiriusXM not having travel link support in Canada (except maybe in Toronto, kinda sucks too) but that's not Dodge's fault.
 
Volt IS all electric. There is a generator on board... the gasoline engine is not connected to the drive train in anyway.
 
Ford and even Dodge are really pretty good these days interior wise. My Mustang's interior is better than the one in my Honda. And the current crop of Ford and Dodge interiors is a whole different ball game than it was even one product generation ago. At the Texas State Fair auto show I sat in just about everything and the Lincoln MKZ. had one of the best interiors out of all the cars I sat in. For four door sedans the back seat was one of the easiest things to get in and out of. Most of the other cars there were uncomfortable in the back.

If you think American cars are lagging behind significantly you obviously haven't been in anything made in the last 2 or 3 years. Even five years ago the gap between Japan, Europe and America was closing.
 
KrS said:
And then their ugly dashes push everyone out of the showroom.
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S-F said:
I don't think that any American car maker has built an interior that I find aesthetically pleasing since the 70's. Every other aspect of American cars since then is likewise unappealing to me. Tech, performance (handling and road sensitivity), ergonomics, longevity and reliability all seem to be much better in imports from my perspective. I can only imagine what their current technology is like. But I'm not going to try to hard because I have better things to use my precious hours on.
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Clearly you two have never sat in modern Fords. I'm the biggest touter of "America makes shitty vehicles" (ask genmay) and I bought a Ford because Ford is smashing everyone in the same price range on interiors.
 
Tengis said:
Came in to read about sync and find people talking about terrible interiors like it's 1992. The whole anti american car thing is getting old and no longer valid, especially with Ford.

Worse tech? Handling? Reliability? Where have you been for the last ten years?

Ford Sync is pretty legit. In car infotainment is the future. I can see Sync possibly becoming something that companies license in the future instead of making their own half added setups.
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Well there is a small bit of truth to some of their statements and mostly personal preference and some of it is just the typical internet hater crap.

I used to travel quite a bit and as such I spent a ton of time in rentals. I still find the American car interiors are less than ideal in their layouts for someone over 6'. Which is odd because Nissan is a japanese company and their interiors tend to be laid out better fitting. That said, quality wise there is no difference and yes that is stupid exaggeration. One thing I will say about ford though is Sync is second to none. I have used the infotainment sytems of just about everyone and fords isn't slightly better, it is monumentally better. I have used it with a ton of devices and it just plain works better. So from a technology standpoint Ford knows what it is doing. Beyond that though it is all personal preference.
 
Ashbringer said:
Don't they already take a back seat to Toyota? For that matter, Toyota, GM, Volkswagen, Nissan, and finally Hyunda. This is in the entire world so.
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Boy you're out of touch. Check what the top selling car is in Europe and get back to me on that.
 
After having an android tablet flush mounted in my dash to look stock for the last 3 years it's cute seeing people praise systems like Sync or any other factory equipped infotainment system. None of those systems do anything particularly unique at all. They have the same shitty slow framerate NAV, same shitty unresponsive resistive touch screens, same ugly UI's horribly laid out, same pre-installed Pandora exclusive app, and same annoying arcane method of inputting navigation routes.

Having Ford or any other automaker make infotainment decisions makes about as much sense as them releasing their own branded cellphone/tablet. Leave it to the big boys who have experience in this area, Google and Apple, this is the future. Everything else is a down right joke.
 
You dont see Samsung or LG trying to release their own OS's for cellphone's anymore. Automakers needs to get with the program and enter licensing deals with Apple/Google.
 
Ashbringer said:
Then you have the engine issues which most of their "cars" come with 2.0L or 2.5L Ecotec engines. Now they have the optional 3.6L 300hp V6 which gets 28 mpg highway. Yet the 500hp V8 Corvette gets 29 highway? Might have something to do with weight as the Impala is 3,600 lbs while the Corvette is 3,200 lbs. Why are we still making cars out of sheet metal? Why haven't we moved to fiber glass or some sort of plastic?
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Corvette has 7 gears. The final over drive has an ungodly small ratio, thats why it has such good fuel economy.
 
McFry said:
After having an android tablet flush mounted in my dash to look stock for the last 3 years it's cute seeing people praise systems like Sync or any other factory equipped infotainment system. None of those systems do anything particularly unique at all. They have the same shitty slow framerate NAV, same shitty unresponsive resistive touch screens, same ugly UI's horribly laid out, same pre-installed Pandora exclusive app, and same annoying arcane method of inputting navigation routes.

Having Ford or any other automaker make infotainment decisions makes about as much sense as them releasing their own branded cellphone/tablet. Leave it to the big boys who have experience in this area, Google and Apple, this is the future. Everything else is a down right joke.
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Oh good, that way, they can exclude devices that they do not want to work on the systems. (My Windows Phone for instance.) Sorry but, that would be monumentally stupid.
 
BryanSTG said:
Sooo ... the lesson you learned is to either order one with with leather seats or find a different dealer that has them?
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Believe it or not, there were no leather/sunroof/4matic configured cars in inventory in the entire US. We did a factory build, and waited 6 weeks. When it arrived, we were so unimpressed, that we took our deposit back, when across town, and bought a Maserati instead.
 
Proprietary in car systems = suck. I've got a smart phone. It has GPS, it has a music player, it gets regular updates (*updates not applicable to many Android devices), I don't want the manufacturer's crap-tastic GPS (with Mercedes you have to PAY for map updates) or music player. I already have a computer, I don't need the manufacture's half baked afterthought of a system.

Wrecked Em said:
Mercedes interiors are just as bad as the Fords lately. The mid/high models have actually gotten worse in the last decade. My local dealer had about 30 brand new E classes on his lot, and all had vinyl seats.
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MB-Tex (fancy vinyl) is way way better than what most people think of when you say vinyl. Even so, there really is nothing like real leather except that it can be a real pain to take care of.

What's been chaffing me the last five years or so has been choice of interior color. If you're getting a Ford or Mazda you can get black vinyl or black leather. Wow..so many choices.
 
McFry said:
After having an android tablet flush mounted in my dash to look stock for the last 3 years it's cute seeing people praise systems like Sync or any other factory equipped infotainment system. None of those systems do anything particularly unique at all. They have the same shitty slow framerate NAV, same shitty unresponsive resistive touch screens, same ugly UI's horribly laid out, same pre-installed Pandora exclusive app, and same annoying arcane method of inputting navigation routes.

Having Ford or any other automaker make infotainment decisions makes about as much sense as them releasing their own branded cellphone/tablet. Leave it to the big boys who have experience in this area, Google and Apple, this is the future. Everything else is a down right joke.
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You are comparing apples to oranges. OFC a custom install is going to be better, file that in the no shit category. It's like trying to compare a typical factory stereo system to a custom high end audio system. It is a completely stupid comparison. Not everyone wants to afford a custom install.
 
I'm not interested in an infotainment system that restricts my phone choice. Or a phone that restricts my car choice. People rarely have their phone and car purchases on the same schedule.

As for Sync, It's actually pretty good. Remember, Sync is just the underlying connectivity of the phone to the car. Not the touch screen, or GPS or the rest. My Ford Touch is the full touch interface, GPS, Radio, Climate Control, etc. That part is done by Ford, not Microsoft.

Honestly, the My Ford Touch is pretty good too. It was a bit buggy when it first came out several years ago, but on my 2015 it is very, very good. I had a 2012 focus with it previously, and it was decent then too. One or two quirks, now gone, but I never had any real issues with it. The new car's system has been flawless for me since I got the car in November.

As for interiors, I absolutely LOVE the interior of my car.

2015-Ford-Mustang-GT-Fastback-50-Year-Limited-Edition-Interior-3-1280x800.jpg
 
ManofGod said:
I would take a Ford anyday over a Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai or Kia interior. Also, I have a 2013 Dodge Avenger, the interior is very nice and the uconnect system is good. However, I think the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 interiors are some of the best.
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You'd be easier to take seriously if you hadn't mentioned you think the 2013 Dodge Avenger's interior is "very nice", it looks like it was designed in the 90's (which it was) and that they didn't have any money to spend on it (because it's all cheap plastic). I will agree the Dodge Dart has a very nice interior for the price, nearly VW nice which is saying a lot. Fiat's done a lot of good work with Chrysler since they bought them out.

I'm actually here to defend Ford's interiors too, I really like their recent economy cars. They have very high-quality interiors for the price and they're extremely modern. I can understand if you're not a fan of the design (they are a bit extreme), but they do have a lot of content there.

P.S. Sync 3 was designed by BlackBerry, after the My Ford Touch fiasco Ford dropped Microsoft.
 
BryanSTG said:
Sooo ... the lesson you learned is to either order one with with leather seats or find a different dealer that has them?
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The actual lesson learned is that you will more than likely have to special order a C or E class with leather. Almost all of them on the lot have MBTEX, MB's synthetic leather. I drive BMW's, but I always cross shop. The MBTEX is honestly really darn good.

Back on topic. The dude who mentioned that QNX is better and is the future is probably correct. Just sit in a car that uses the QNX based system and it is much easier to use for most.
 
My only advice if you're going to buy a modern car is to lease it, because it is going to be worthless in 10 years when software updates and replacement parts are not available. Your mechanic will either refuse to work on it or is going to give you a "not worth your money or my time" quote on the repair. I do the exact same thing when someone brings their Windows XP or Vista machine in to fix.
 
I would much rather my "$200" smart phone have full control over all media since my smartphone gets update more frequently and has all of the app support already on it. I have Ford Sync and it is already very dated after less than a year because they don't have app support for many of the media apps I actually want.
 
McFry said:
After having an android tablet flush mounted in my dash to look stock for the last 3 years it's cute seeing people praise systems like Sync or any other factory equipped infotainment system. None of those systems do anything particularly unique at all. They have the same shitty slow framerate NAV, same shitty unresponsive resistive touch screens, same ugly UI's horribly laid out, same pre-installed Pandora exclusive app, and same annoying arcane method of inputting navigation routes.

Having Ford or any other automaker make infotainment decisions makes about as much sense as them releasing their own branded cellphone/tablet. Leave it to the big boys who have experience in this area, Google and Apple, this is the future. Everything else is a down right joke.
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So in other words, you like having a tablet with a godawful DSP, terrible audio output power, no real connectivity to other devices aside from shity bluetooth, and no speaker outputs? wtf?
 
ManofGod said:
I would take a Ford anyday over a Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Hyundai or Kia interior. Also, I have a 2013 Dodge Avenger, the interior is very nice and the uconnect system is good. However, I think the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200 interiors are some of the best.
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Not me. I'll stick with Toyota/Honda as long term reliability/safety is at the top of my list.

Only American car I've ever own was a Ford Explorer (1995), and it had more problems/repairs than the other 7 cars I've owned COMBINED. Best investment I ever made was the extended warranty I bought for it. Still it wasn't nearly as bad as the Jeep Cherokee my friend bought around the same time. He finally dumped it after the rear wheel/axel fell off while his wife was backing it down their driveway.

My last car was a Toyota, and it was never in the shop except for general maintenance like oil changes & tires, even though I drove it for 11 years. The few minor problems it had (like a failed relay, burned out light bulb, etc.) I just bought the part and took care of it myself.

Years ago 4 of us rented a GM car while on vacation. We couldn't believe how badly designed the interior was compared to the Japanese imports we all drove. Even something as simple as the front seatbelt not fitting any of us comfortably. How could they design a car where the seat belt isn't comfortable for anyone from 5' 4" to 6' 2" ?
 
Quix said:
P.S. Sync 3 was designed by BlackBerry, after the My Ford Touch fiasco Ford dropped Microsoft.
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That explains why the current Sync is getting some good ratings.
When they first came out with Sync, the usability reviews where bad, to the point of hurting sales.

As for me, all I need is Bluetooth to answer a call (rarely) and a USB port for a thumb drive with my music. Don't need/want to stream music from my phone.

It would be nice if they had free lifetime updates for the maps like many the stand alone GPS systems do. Just allow it to connect to an app over the phone to download the updates.
 
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