2016 Ford Sync3 & the Mustang Ecoboost
One has to admire Ford and what they have wrought with the Mustang. They created a resurgence of the Muscle cars, keeping a fine balance between retro looks and modern day styling. The engineering firsts are impressive with the first 6 cylinder to make over 300 hp while getting 31 MPG. Now the 4 cylinder EcoBoost with a 2.3L engine delivering 310hp and 320 lb.-ft. Impressive! And after owning one for a month, I have to say it is all the positive reviews say it is… fun, powerful, nimble and a bit European. Add very good gas mileage, high crash marks, those projecting ponies and what is not to like.
The 2016 Mustang brings something new to the breed, Sync3. That is what this review is about, a look at the user technology. The Mustang does not miss as a car so much as it misses with the electronics. I know there are some who do not care, and I get that. Nevertheless, I have owned 4 Mustangs and there are a few surprises in this one that left me scratching my head. None is deal breaker; none rises to the level of taking away from the upgraded interior of this model and none will keep me from loving this car.
The Radio:
My last Mustang had HD Radio as a standard feature of the premium trim. Therefore, it was no surprise when I put my order together and saw HD Radio under the 200A base premium package. Here is a screen shot:
Yes – it states plain as day “HD Radio” on the 200A package. The problem is, there is not one included. My manual states that I can go under the setting when the radio is active and enable the HD Radio options. Under my options, there is no setting for this at all.
I called Ford Sync Tech support and asked about it, they looked up my VIN and said HD Radio is showing as a feature. They suggested I take it to the dealer. I took it to the dealer and they spent an hour on the phone with Ford and told me it has HD Radio, you just cannot tell it has it. What?
What I “think” is going on here… I believe the radio in the 200A package has HD1 but not HD2 or HD3. This means if a standard AM or FM station is broadcasting in HD, the radio can experience the added fidelity. However, if you want the additional sub-channels that HD radio brings, you are out of luck. To get those you have to spend another $1,700 for the 201A shaker pro package. Seems somewhat silly since my old Mustang had full HD radio in the base premium package.
I tried to clarify my hypothesis directly with Ford customer support. They just told me the 200A package did not have HD Radio. When I told them the Ford website states it does and sent the referencing links, they told me to see my dealer. That is where I started. I do not like getting that hubris style response and I send up a caution to Ford now - do not fall into that trap. I have filled out at least 3 Ford surveys since I purchased my Mustang and the first time I have an issue that potentially affects all future buyers, the mothership sends me back to the dealership for something on the Ford main website. Not Good! This is seriously confusing for the dealership and apparently, Ford proper is just as confused. If the 200A package does not have HD Radio then remove it from the 200A spec list. If it has just HD1, state that in the 200A package. (Update: As of last check, the Ford main web site has been updated and HD Radio has been removed from the 200A package listing)
I tried to clarify my hypothesis directly with Ford customer support. They just told me the 200A package did not have HD Radio. When I told them the Ford website states it does and sent the referencing links, they told me to see my dealer. That is where I started. I do not like getting that hubris style response and I send up a caution to Ford now - do not fall into that trap. I have filled out at least 3 Ford surveys since I purchased my Mustang and the first time I have an issue that potentially affects all future buyers, the mothership sends me back to the dealership for something on the Ford main website. Not Good! This is seriously confusing for the dealership and apparently, Ford proper is just as confused. If the 200A package does not have HD Radio then remove it from the 200A spec list. If it has just HD1, state that in the 200A package. (Update: As of last check, the Ford main web site has been updated and HD Radio has been removed from the 200A package listing)
Sync 3
Who cares about HD Radio when you have Sync 3 and all those Apps via AppLink? To be sure, Sync 3 is faster and more nimble, just like the EcoBoost engine. They make a nice pair, but so far, Sync 3 is a bit disappointing. I think it will get better but this area is another head scratcher for me.
First, the base display is clean, yet a bit boring. The home screen in my prior Mustang (the original Sync) was divided nicely into three regions - Nav on the left, media top right and climate control bottom right. I skipped the Nav this time hoping for Apple Car Play or Smart Phone Nav projection – which Ford does say is coming. With one less item (the Nav) to show on the home screen, my home screen lost climate. What? The left side has the Media/Radio. Top right has a compass and bottom right has a phone icon.
Why isn’t the Phone up top with the WiFi icon and the Climate back on the home screen instead of on top? This brings up another point; there is no real customization with Sync 3. You get what you get, period. It would be nice to have some customization of the home screen. It would also be nice to customize the colors to some basic level. My ambient lighting has 256 colors; my Infotainment has one.
Another item I find interesting is they ditched the Skeuomorphism look and feel (which I miss in everything from this Infotainment system to my iPhone), yet kept it for the compass – another head scratcher.
The Interface
One item touted by Ford and Sync3 is the natural “tablet like” experience. It is capable of Pinch/Zoom and Swiping. However, the Swipe feature is not utilized in the bottom main selection bar. You have Audio, Climate, Phone, Apps, Settings and Nav (if so equipped). However, such a capable system has an AM/FM radio, USB media access, CD, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and Bluetooth audio. It would have been a nice feature to have those additional options available on the main bar. I know the new look and feel is to make items larger and thus easier to access in a moving automobile. Yet with the ability to swipe, one could easily slide to a new set of main buttons across the bottom that contained all available media options. Under the current configuration if you want to switch from say FM radio to USB media, you have to select Audio (if not already on that screen) and then select Source and then select the USB.
To be fair the Infotainment system responds to voice commands, so switching is also as easy as pressing a button and saying “USB”. Clearly, that is the safest and easiest way. Still it seems like a missed opportunity in not utilizing the touch screen’s ability for a cleaner experience.
The Apps
When I built the car, the Ford Sync3 site listed some of my favorite apps like TuneIn Radio, Aha Radio and Amazon Cloud Player. When I got the car, none of them worked on the dash. Since that time, the web site has been updated listing a far smaller number of apps:
For iPhone the apps have to already be running in the background. That is also problematic, as sometimes even when an app is running in the background it will not show on the dash. There is however some good news on this front and I will save that for later.
Speedometer
A very cool (or maybe hot) feature is the ability to show various virtual gauges between the Speedometer and Tach. You can view the engine oil temperature, the air/fuel mixture, even the cylinder head temperature.
What you cannot show in this space is a digital speed readout. There is simply no option to have a digital speed display. With all of those virtual gauges, fuel economy and trip readout, why a digital speed readout is not available is another head scratcher. To add to this puzzlement, when I first used cruise control, I noticed a small speed displayed next to the cruise “on” light.
The Trip readout is a nice display too, but I wish there was a general readout showing some of the same data, but replacing Time and Distance with Speed and any other relevant data. When you are not on a trip, showing a non-relevant timer and distance is just annoying. Of course, this is a trip readout, so it makes sense but a general readout quad would be nice for when you are not on a trip and when you do not want to see the temperature of the cylinder head.
The Near Future – Better Things to Come
Sync3 does have its shortcomings but AppLink 3.0 is supposed to be coming in 2016. Ford did a good thing by embracing the Genivi project, aimed at building a unified In-Vehicle Infotainment open source development platform. Add to that, Ford officially announced it will support Apple Car Play and Android Auto.
It is an interesting shift for the Auto business where products use to be like an embedded device, load the initial firmware and never update. Now people are looking to have features added to their cars like they update their tablet. Sync3 comes with Wifi for updates.
It is an interesting shift for the Auto business where products use to be like an embedded device, load the initial firmware and never update. Now people are looking to have features added to their cars like they update their tablet. Sync3 comes with Wifi for updates.
The Genivi project is currently working on identifying Smartphone apps based on what is installed, not just what is running in the background. It is also working on projecting smartphone navigation to Infotainment systems. Ford for its part has released a developer’s kit. That has the potential to monetize applications devoted to Applink and/or the Genivi project. That will mean more options, more apps and more updates.
The Car
I close as I opened, making sure these particular comments do not take away from the car. The new Mustang is a true step up - you can feel it instantly. My little distractions with the Infotainment and feedback systems are just that… little distractions.