Why is the Ford e Ford F-150 pickup truck is the best-selling truck almost forty years? It’s no longer the engine an aluminum body but the latest technology. AUTO Connected Car NEWS looks at the all the latest and greatest tech technology options you can buy on F-150 series. New technology makes long treks more connected, entertaining and safe. It will even make your life easier when it’s freezing cold outside because you can remotely start the truck and heat it up while you are still in drinking your coffee.
Wireless Bluetooth connections, that automatically connect your phone to the F-150 is a must. You can talk to your friends or workers while keeping your eyes on the road. For overall connectivity, SYNC 3 is more user-friendly and smartphone-like. SYNC can activate via the voice button on the steering wheel. On higher end Ford F-150 models you can have SYNC Connect, voice-activated Navigation with SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link. In fact, SYNC 3 won AUTO Connected Car News’ Tech CARS Award for best user system in 2016. SYNC 3 connected features require a touchscreen and if you want to run apps from your smartphone, you’ll need a smartphone such as an iPhone or Android phone connected to the F150.
A favorite feature of many drivers of SYNC 3 is that Apple CarPlay connects your iPhone to the F-150 to enable Siri commands while driving as well as navigation, music playing and sending/receiving texts or email. Android Auto enables the used on an Android phone and OK Google commands while driving. The best feature of Android Auto are navigation and music. Many are waiting expectedly for Waze on Android Auto which will suggest better faster routes. However we at AUTO Connected Car News have found that for our trips, Google maps is more accurate for arrival times.
Hidden within the SYNC 3 menus is something called Valet Mode. Valet Mode locks out your private information when you let someone else driver your F150. This will also be handy if you let employees or coworkers drive your F-150 truck and you don’t want them to see your stored data such as recent map destinations, searches or even your radio settings!
SYNC 3 features SYNC AppLink so you can use voice commands and your steering wheel buttons to control your favorite apps. You can stream Internet radio, listen to podcasts, sportscasts, news and traffic, get an allergy alert, and order pizza. Supported apps include Glympse, Spotify, NPR One, iHeart Radio, Domino Pizza annd Pandora.
Gympse is great to allow your office to know where you are at all times. It can set up to send notifications to co-workers, saving you tons of phone calls or text messages.
2017 F150 equipped with optional SYNC Connect allows you to check your fuel level or remotely unlock and start your truck. Remote start is especially helpful in extreme weather conditions such as very cold are extremely hot days. When you start the F-150 remotely, it turns on the truck and the climate control. You can also check how much gas you have in the car, to estimate when you need to re-fuel. You can schedule maintenance, ask for Roadside Assistance, locate the truck. Using the FordPass app you can also get perks and discounts.
The available 8-inch LCD productivity screen in the middle of the instrument clusters enables useful information from fuel economy to towing data right in front of you on the instrument cluster. You can create a customized ‘MyView’ home screen, which allows you to choose the information or feature you want to view from the a menu.
Equipped with Pro Trailer Backup Assist F-150 steers the truck for the driver. The F-150 automatically backups and steers the trailer while the driver only has to turn a knob to work the brakes. It is demonstrated in the video below. It can done with one hand looking out the mirrors.
https://youtu.be/KT3jxyg-ZkY
Other great features are Lane-Keeping System that helps you keep in the lane. MyKey sets the maximum speed and music volume for teen or employees. The Reverse Sensing System warns you of what is behind you. A twin panel moonroof brings the sun in during the day and the stars at night.
Active park assist uses two ultrasonic sensors and electric power-assisted steering to help drivers parallel park. The sensors find the parking space and then confirm that the truck can fit, the truck automatically steers into the space, while the driver operates the accelerator and brake pedals.
The bird’s-eye view, 360-degree camera ensures that you can “see” what is around you. On the center screen, video from surround-view cameras, shows what’s around the pick-up truck.
BLIS (Blind Spot Information System) with cross-traffic alert and trailer coverage is an option on the F-150. You get an alert in the outside mirror when a vehicle is detected in a blind spot for the truck as well as the a towed. The cross-traffic alert feature can detect a vehicle passing behind when you’re slowly backing out of a driveway or parking space.
Curve Control slows down the F-150 if a driver is drivin around a curve too quickly by automatically reducing torque and applying four-wheel braking. It can reduce vehicle speed by up to 10 mph in approximately one second to help keep the truck stable and handle the turn better.
Coming to the Ford F-150 2018 model will be pedestrian detection. Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection uses radar and cameras to scan the roadway ahead and, if a collision risk with a vehicle or pedestrian is detected, the driver is alerted. If the driver does not respond in time, the system can automatically apply up to full braking force to help reduce the severity of or even eliminate some front collisions.
Pre-Collision Assist may help drivers avoid rear end collisions with other vehicles at all speeds, while Pedestrian Detection can help the driver avoid pedestrians at lower speeds – both may reduce the severity of forward collisions or even prevent certain forward collisions. This is fantastic feature because in trucks like the F150 sometimes you don’t see pedestrians especially smaller people and children below your line of sight. Be forwarned that you will pay a little more. There is a $270 price increase for 2018 models.
The 2018 F-150 will have an option of advanced adaptive cruise control that will enable the truck to come to a full stop when following a vehicle ahead of it. In the meantime, the F150 does offer adaptive cruise control.
At the Detroit Auto Show, Ford announced Wi-Fi hotspots will be coming to the 2018 F-150. The more elementary “SYNC” system enables Wi-Fi hotspots throughout the vehicle through gateway settings. It used the data from your smartphone. Unlimited data packages maybe not support this protocol.
What is your favorite technology on the Ford F-150:? You are welcome your desires in the comments below.
https://youtu.be/WP3SMrZZcss