Shopping for a Ford? Take your time

Shopping for a Ford? Take your time If there’s a new Ford on your shopping list, you may want to wait a little while before signing on the dotted line. The carmaker’s problematic, trouble-prone, and much maligned MyFord Touch control interface is being phased out, and rollout begins soon of the new Sync 3 system, which promises to be simpler and more intuitive to use.   The problem is, Ford hasn’t said when Sync 3 will make its first appearance, only that it will be some time this year. Meanwhile, some of the brand’s big sellers, including the redesigned F-150 and just launched Edge, are rolling off the production lines equipped with MyFord Touch. That means buyers of these new models will be stuck with an obsolete—to say nothing of distracting—system within a few months. Check out our video for a look at Sync 3 in action. We had a chance to demo the new Sync 3 control system at CES in Las Vegas, and our early impressions were good. A simpler layout and larger buttons give Sync 3 a cleaner look than MyFord Touch. It not only looks better but also translates to an easier and less distracting experience while driving. The menu structure is more intuitive, and the demo unit had a faster response time that Ford promises will carry over to production versions. Seamless app integration and easy-to-use voice controls that respond to natural speech add to the appeal. Sync 3 also includes the capability for over-the-air updates, à la Tesla, delivered to the car as soon as they’re available, along with a notification that they’ve arrived. Hopefully, the new operating system driving Sync 3 will address the screen freezes and other glitches that have plagued MyFord Touch and cost the carmaker in our survey-based reliability and owner satisfaction scores. We’ll know more once Sync 3 rolls out later this year. The first vehicles to get the new system will be the 2016 Ford Escape and Lincoln MKC SUVs, due in showrooms late this summer. Ford tells us Sync 3 will then migrate to the rest of their lineup by the end of 2015. We’re definitely looking forward to trying Sync 3 out in a vehicle. —Jim Travers Check out the video below of the soon-to-be-outdated MyFord Touch: Consumer Reports has no relationship with any advertisers on this website. Copyright © 2006-2015 Consumers Union of U.S.

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