SYNC® Road Test
The new state-of-the-art MyFord Touch® system is a simple and safe way to manage your phone, music, navigation and more.
SYNC® with MyFord Touch® helps you navigate your daily drive.
Ben Wojdyla hit the streets of Detroit in a new Edge to find out how easy it is to control phone, entertainment, climate and navigation all by using voice commands.
8:45 A.M.
“PLAY ARTIST BLAZING LAZER”
I need to start the day with the right tunes. In iPod mode, I press the voice command button on the steering wheel and say, “Play artist Blazing Lazer.” In seconds I’m cruising along to the electro-punk groove. SYNC® with MyFord Touch® also recognizes commands such as “Play genre jazz” and “Play playlist My Driving Mix.”
10:08 A.M.
“FIND NEAREST GAS STATION”
Looking at the gas gauge, I notice I am in need of a fill-up, but where? Saying “Find nearest gas station” (optional Navigation required) brings up a list of all the nearby fuel pumps, and with the optional SD-card Navigation with SIRIUS® Travel Link™*, we can even see prices. Getting a good deal on gas is almost too easy.
*Command available only on vehicles equipped with SIRIUS® Satellite Radio.
12:10 P.M.
ANSWER A PHONE CALL
The phone rings, and MyFord Touch® automatically pauses the radio volume. I press the PHONE button on the steering wheel and begin chatting away. Making a call is just as easy. Best of all, the sound quality is clear over the stereo speakers, and the Edge’s cabin is quiet as a library, so there’s no need to raise your voice.
4:14 P.M.
AVOID TRAFFIC DELAYS
If there isn’t snow on Michigan’s roads, there are usually orange barrels blocking your path. While on my way downtown, I see on the touch screen that there is construction ahead (optional Navigation required). The vehicle suggests a change in directions to avoid it, and with a few simple voice commands, I am rerouted.
1:00 P.M.
“CLIMATE TEMPERATURE 72°”
It’s getting to be that time of year in Detroit when heat is a necessity. With MyFord Touch®, there’s no need to look at the center console to adjust the vehicle’s interior temperature: I push the voice button and say, “Climate temperature 72°.” Voice commands can also control A/C, fan speed, front and rear defrosters and more.
5:25 P.M.
LISTEN TO THE GAME
Detroit is a sports town through and through. Hockey might be religion around here, but it’s Sunday afternoon, and that means I’m ready for some football. My beloved Detroit Lions are in action, so, in the radio mode, I say to the Edge, “97.1.”* In a second I’m listening to the Honolulu Blue and Silver battle it out on the gridiron.
6:37 P.M.
“FIND MEDITERRANEAN RESTAURANT”
By the end of my day in Detroit, I have a hankering for hummus and grape leaves. Telling the vehicle to “find Mediterranean restaurant” (optional Navigation required) brings up a list of nearby places. I choose one, set the destination and meet my friend Erika there. It’s the perfect end to the day.
By Ben Wojdyla
SYNC® with MyFord Touch®, available on the 2011 Edge, 2011 Explorer and 2012 Focus, builds on the foundation laid by the incredibly successful SYNC system to create a unified user interface that’s both intuitive and helpful to drivers. I hit the streets of Detroit in a new Edge to find out how easy it is to control my phone, entertainment, climate and navigation all by using voice commands, the 8-inch touch screen or the five-way controllers on the steering wheel. Click through the slideshow above to see how the “eyes on the road, hands on the wheel” technology from Ford works in real life.
